When I was at grammar school over 50 years ago, the fifth form was taken to visit an abattoir on a school trip (Why children should visit abattoirs, 4 July). I’ve been vegetarian ever since.

Madeleine Hilton

Leeds

• As well as more of Amelia Gentleman exposing the disaster of UC (Letters, 6 July), please can we have more from the excellent Frances Ryan on the related issue of the daily despicable treatment of disabled people by the DWP through Atos and Capita? These companies, carrying out benefits assessments rather than helping claimants to improve their quality of life and achieve some degree of independence, simply act as gatekeepers for the Treasury. Frances Ryan’s work, providing evidence and analysis of this, deserves to be front page.

Max Fishel

Bromley, Kent

• Surely two nuts are quite enough (More nuts ‘may be the secret to stronger, healthier sperm’, 5 July).

Ron Jacob

London

• This feels like yo-yo economics – one day it is Sarah Butler quoting “the bleak and crippling start to the year shows no sign of abating” (6 July); the next it’s Larry Elliott and Julia Kollewe: “UK economic growth bounces back…” (5 July).

Marion Hine

Framlingham, Suffolk

• In the early 60s my grammar school had a new science block built with the chemistry lab on the top floor. The beautiful new building was airy and had an open staircase. In those days we girls had to wear gymslips (Banning school skirts is a dangerous trend, 3 July), so the boys were sent up first, against all the rules, so that they couldn’t look up our skirts.

Judith Morgan

Doncaster

• “How do you find out if you smell?”, G2, 5 July). To paraphrase Dr Johnson, everybody smells: the question is, how do you find out if you stink?

John Pelling

Coddenham, Suffolk

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