The thought of drinking a pint of milk turns my stomach

Drinking another animal’s milk is bizarre, cruel and bad for your health ("I don’t care if it’s ‘weird’ – I’m a grown adult who loves drinking milk", Tuesday 14 January).

Humans are the only species to routinely drink the milk of another animal – and drinking cow’s milk makes no more sense than consuming rat’s milk. It also increases our risk of developing certain cancers, obesity and diabetes.

The dairy industry is built on exploitation. It forcibly impregnates cows and tears families apart, abusing traumatised cows until their exhausted bodies are sent to the slaughterhouse.

No one needs to suffer for us to enjoy the taste of milk. We can glug calcium-packed goodness to our heart’s – and bones’ – content by simply choosing vegan milks that come without side orders of cruelty and cholesterol.

Ms Coffey, it’s time to wean.

Elisa Allen

Vice president of programmes, Peta

A small reduction in inflation is unlikely to be enough to ease the overall cost of living burden ("Inflation unexpectedly falls to 2.5 per cent in boost for Reeves’s plans", Wednesday 15 January).

Inflation changes will also take time to filter through to the average consumer, and the immediate impact of a drop to 2.5 per cent might not be felt right away, leaving families still facing financial hardship. I feel this news is nothing more than a distraction from Labour’s planned spending cuts.

Sophie Molly

Aberdeen

For those who believe Donald Trump will be satisfied having won a second term, I have a bridge over the Taos Gorge to sell them ("Michelle Obama to skip Trump’s inauguration", Tuesday 14 January).

His niece, psychologist Mary Trump, has stated succinctly that her uncle always wants more; that no amount of power or money will ever be enough.

If we are to succeed in stifling this American experiment with autocracy, as he is sworn in next week, we must swear to the resurrection of our sovereignty as a free people. We have two years to shed our depressive torpor, to regroup, organise and remind Americans of our tyrant-defying origins and our potential. We will be fighting headwinds all the way.

Eric Radack

Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States

Mariella Frostrup spoke for all of us when she highlighted the importance of Wes Streeting honouring his election pledge to women with osteoporosis, which, he said, would be one of his first acts in post ("Streeting urged to honour promise to end osteoporosis service postcode lottery", Friday 10 January).

Half of women over 50 will suffer fractures due to osteoporosis, causing serious disability and premature death. Yet the vast majority of them are overlooked for critically needed bone medication and HRT due to the absence of early diagnosis services (called “fracture liaison services”) in half of NHS Trusts.

Many women feel the NHS is a system designed by men, for men. It always seems to be women’s health measures which are parked, delayed or deprioritised. Through delivering on the osteoporosis promise, will the health secretary show that, under his leadership, things will be different?

Justine Roberts, founder and CEO of Mumsnet; Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of Women’s Budget Group; Sara Moger, chief executive, British Menopause Society; and four other signatories

Having just read your article in today’s Independent about weight-loss drugs, I can only assume that the world has gone crazy ("Oral Ozempic and a ‘miracle’ pill imitating the keto diet – a new era of weight loss is here", Monday 13 January).

We buy food with little nutritional value that increases our waistlines and makes wonderful profits as companies do not always use the costliest ingredients. Now, we will be making another bunch of manufacturers rich as they produce drugs to help us reduce waistlines and lose weight.

Along the way, our poor farmers are unable to earn a decent living.

Joan Cooper

Abingdon, Oxfordshire

By what perverted, inversion of logic are Qatar, Egypt and the United States negotiating with Hamas officials for the release of hostages kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists on October 7 ("What are the main obstacles to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages?", Monday 13 January)?

It is immoral to talk of a “prisoner exchange”. The hostages are not prisoners; they are victims of war crimes. There is no equivalence between them and the criminals held in Israeli custody.

Fifteen months of captivity and physical, emotional and sexual violence perpetrated against innocent civilians should outrage the world.

Len Bennett

Ottawa, Canada

It should be no surprise to anyone that Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell have separated ("Nicola Sturgeon ends marriage to former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell", Tuesday 14 January).

They are, after all, both very keen on breaking up unions.

Jill Stephenson

Address supplied

Your headline highlighting the reaction of an American “star” to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to a community centre for victims of the California fires caused me to ponder ("Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ‘disaster tourists’ after photo with LA wildfire victims, claims star", Tuesday 14 January).

Ellie Muir’s report suggests that many front-line responders were boosted by the visit of the couple – but the headline presented a negative view of Harry and Meghan, in line with much of the British media.

James Bell

Brussels, Belgium

I find it truly sad that anyone showing kindness for others is branded a “disaster tourist” (Tessa Dunlop: "There is good reason why Meghan Markle is so bad at being ‘good’", Tuesday 14 January).

Meghan and Harry are the football of choice for the right, who use anything they do as proof that they are a vacuous, fame-seeking couple. I’m sure that, had they flown off to a safe location, they’d have been branded as cowards for fleeing, while others with less means had to stay in community centres or gyms.

Karen Brittain

York

…And of what use is Tessa Dunlop to society?

Graham Cooper

Address supplied

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