Sir, - Claims that so called "eurocreep" will lead to widespread use of the euro in Britain next year are hugely exaggerated. Despite all the hype, British retailers do not expect any significant change to their businesses.

Major retailers already accept foreign currencies such as dollars, deutschmarks and francs but tourists have not rushed to pay using these currencies in the past and there is nothing to suggest that they will be any more inclined to pay in euros next year.

The fact that some retailers will accept euros is not an argument for replacing the pound. If we can use up our remaining euro notes and coins when we return from holiday without actually having to give up control of our economy, then we have the best of both worlds.

Of course, companies with operations in the Eurozone will be affected by the introduction of the euro and their accounting systems will need to be adapted to ensure that they can deal with it. But for everyone else, the euro is just another foreign currency.

The politicians who want to replace the pound have failed to learn from their past mistakes. Our last currency experiment, the ERM, was a disaster for Britain. 100,000 businesses collapsed, unemployment doubled and 1.75m homeowners were left with more debt than their homes were worth.

It is not inevitable that we will repeat past mistakes. It might be the political ambition of the Prime Minister to lock Britain into the euro, but it will not be his decision.

The government's job is to decide if and when there should be a referendum. It is for the British people to decide whether or not we should actually join and we should have the confidence to do what is best for Britain and say "no".

JOHN ELLIOTT

Chairman, Business for Sterling North-East

Horse trading

Sir, - I have just read about a sickening trade that makes me ashamed of the human race. It details the conditions in which 87,000 horses a year are sent by road from Poland to Italy where they are slaughtered for human consumption - for horse meat.

Farm horses, ponies and even foals are bought in Polish markets and crowded into lorries, many of which are old and unfit even for local journeys.

It is the start of an horrendous journey that can last five days, cover over 2,000 kilometres and cross six countries. During this ordeal, many of the horses have no rest, water or food and are driven directly to the slaughterhouses.

Invariably overcrowded, stressed and terrified, they frequently fall and struggle desperately to regain their feet. Once down, they can be trampled, urinated and defecated on, wounded by being trampled and even killed. Over 70pc of these journeys end in fatalities.

At staging points, fallen horses are either dragged off the truck with chains or subjected to violent treatment to induce them to stand. By the time they reach Hungary, just half way through their journey to the Italian abattoirs, many are injured, dehydrated, collapsed or dead. All this is shown in the video Journey to Death, made by the British animal group Viva!

How can you help? Most Polish people love horses and don't eat horse meat. They are as outraged as me about this abuse of beautiful animals for profit.

But Poland is not a wealthy country and people do not have the resources necessary to organise opposition to it.

Fortunately, Viva! has opened an office in Warsaw and is co-ordinating a national campaign demanding an end to horse exports for meat. By offering your support, I believe we can win this battle for the horses.

To find out more, please contact Viva! at 12 Queen Square, Brighton, BN1 3FD, tel: 01273 777688. You can see the video on the Viva! website: www.viva.org.uk.

SUSAN PRESCOTT

Thornton-le-Beans,

Northallerton