I HAVE always enjoyed BBC’s Countryfile, but not so last Sunday.

The programme featured a farm in Northern Ireland at which cows are kept indoors. Even worse, calves are removed from their mothers shortly after birth and raised in metal stalls. I can only imagine the suffering of both these animals.

It was so upsetting I nearly turned it off, but felt I needed to watch it.

I am not alone in believing this to be completely horrific. Many viewers voiced their concerns on social media, while some officially complained to the broadcaster.

Most alarming, presenters Matt Baker and Anita Rani tried to sugar-coat it, as though it was perfectly acceptable. What will they glorify this Sunday, battery chicken farming, sow tethering, fois gras production?