Some might argue that comparing numbers of animals used in different ways by our society is at best meaningless and at worst invidious - the ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’ argument. But I had to highlight the figure just released by the Dogs Trust (better known as the former National Canine Defence League). It turns out that last year in the UK more stray dogs were put down because they couldn’t be homed (7,743) than were used in research (7,670). A staggering total of 101,586 stray dogs were found.

My question for those animal rights activists who would say ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’: why don’t you campaign for more responsible pet ownership and leave valuable medical research alone? Or, as the vegetarian vivisector hinted this week, campaign against butchers, abattoirs and meat eaters? The potential number of animal lives to be saved if we all turned veggie in the UK is 100 million.