Sir, - I have recently become aware of a shocking example of the cruelty of factory farming - the pig farrowing crate.

The farrowing crate is a metal cage in which sows are confined a week before giving birth and remain imprisoned until their piglets are three to four weeks old. The crate is so small that the sows cannot even turn round, and fits them so closely that it rubs against their skin. After the piglets are born, their mothers are unable either to reach them if they choose, or escape their attentions if they need to.

For more than 30 days the sows remain in this cage, able to do nothing but stand up, lie down and eat: most face a blank wall. Naturally, mother pigs are restless and active, making nests of twigs for their young: the farrowing crate imprisons them for the crime of being mothers.

A month after the piglets are born, they are abruptly removed - months before weaning would take place naturally. Their mother is normally re-impregnated just days later.

Animals should never be kept in cages just inches larger than their own bodies. The total frustration of any creatures' mothering instincts can never be right.

Sadly, this treatment is typical of factory farming, which puts profit ahead of animal welfare every time. I urge people to stop eating the meat produced in this barbaric way.

For information on factory farming and vegetarianism contact VIVA!, 12 Queen Square, Brighton, BN1 3FD; phone 0845 456 8220; e-mail www.viva.org.uk.

VICTOR LOVETT

Cambridge Avenue,

Marton in Cleveland.

SF chance

Sir, - I am looking for potential science fiction or fantasy writers who may live in the local area. We are running a contest called L Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest to give new SF writers the chance to make it into the big time as writers.

The contest was started in America in 1984 by top SF writer L Ron Hubbard, author of the best selling Battlefield Earth and Mission Earth series, who wanted to encourage new writing talent and open up opportunities for them to make a career from SF writing. The contest has drawn many entries from all over the world.

Entrants have to submit a story of up to 10,000 words or a tale of short novel length, less than 17,000 words. These entries are judged by a panel of top SF judges such as Algis Budrys, Anne McCaffrey, Larry Niven, Robert Silverberg, Dave Wolverton, Kevin J Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers and Andre Norton. Each quarter there are cash prizes of £640, £480 and £320 and an annual prize of £2,500. All the 12 yearly winners also get published in an anthology entitled L Ron Hubbard Presents - Writers of the Future, distributed internationally.

In the contests held so far, UK authors have done well and seven people from the UK have had their stories published, including Stephen Baxter and Malcolm Twigg.

If anyone would like to have a go at becoming a top science fiction, fantasy or horror author, send a copy of this article, stating the name and date of the newspaper, and a stamped, addressed envelope for a free entry form to: L Ron Hubbard's Writers of The Future Contest, PO Box 218, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4GH.

Andrea Grant-Webb,

Contest administrator.