Sir – I have no doubt that Oxfam’s intentions are truly honourable — however, while their latest statement complains that half the world’s food is wasted, it should have added that half the world’s food, as well as water supplies, are wasted on farm animals which we should not be eating in any case.

This is why one billion people are starving for want of the same valuable food and water resources. Endorsing this, many doctors have said that humans are natural plant eaters. We have the long, winding intestines typical of all plant-eating species.

Unlike us, true carnivores have short intestines, and because of this, cancer research is at last telling us to avoid eating meat, especially sausages and burgers.

One doctor even went as far as to saying one burger a day will kill you. Added endorsements come from the BBC Horizon programme, which found that the healthiest and longest-living human communities across the world do not eat any animal produce. The most notable are the Seventh Day Adventists in California, whose average age is a healthy 101.

These statements make sense when viewing the natural world, where our biological cousin, the gorilla, is a powerful and virile example of living entirely on a plant-based diet.

Indeed, the biggest and strongest, and certainly the most sexually reproductive animals on earth are herbivores.

Like the smoking debate, this will produce the predictable head-in-sand arguments until kingdom come, from those who want to continue killing themselves. However, the facts are there for everyone to see reflected in the natural world.

We can only hope that common sense will prevail among charities which should be more charitable to all living species, for only by saving them will we be able to save ourselves.

Edward Sanderson, Oxford