DANIELLE MALOTT/ Daily Wildcat Horses graze at the University Agricultural Center, 4101 N. Campbell Ave., last week. Robert Cantor, the head of Responsible Policies for Animals, wants to see UA's animal science program dropped because he says it is cruel to the animals now and in the future.

In a letter addressed to UA President Pete Likins last month, the leader of a national animal rights organization said he would not rest until a specific UA program is abolished.

The letter, from Executive Director of Responsible Policies for Animals David Cantor, contained a questionnaire regarding the school's animal sciences and called on school officials to ban the teaching of animal agriculture.

"Preventing needless animal suffering and deaths is reason enough for universities to stop teaching animal agriculture," the letter stated.

Cantor called for an immediate halt to the animal sciences program in the letter, writing, "All involved are linked to those atrocities since all activities in the animal and agribusiness industries, including education and training, are interrelated."

RPA condemns the program's ties to the meat packing industry and says that the department promotes killing animals short of their natural life span. In his letter Cantor pleaded with Likins to find compassion for the "ten billion (animals) killed for food each year."

The UA's campus agriculture center on the 5000 block of North Campbell Avenue does have a USDA inspected meat sciences center, which instructs primarily on product development.

Animal sciences department head Robert Collier, however, said Cantor's efforts are misguided and more of an attack on animal consumption than animal mistreatment at UA.

"I don't think they really understand what they are talking about," Collier said.

He said that the research done by animal sciences actually aims to benefit animals, specifically their research on animals in arid lands.

"Our research is oriented around diets. It's really oriented around improving the animal's lifestyles," Collier said.

UA's agricultural center houses over 360 dairy cows and 50 horses, among other animals, according to the Department of Animal Sciences' Web site.

UA's animal sciences program focuses on two types of degrees: veterinary medicine and research. Enrollment in the college has increased in recent years, including an 80 percent female enrollment, changing the face of animal sciences, Collier said,

With UA's programs in mind, Collier also said Cantor's vision of a commercial animal-free world is unattainable.

"A large part of the land you can't grow cereal rices on, and a lot of essential amino acids come from animal products," he said.

Still, Cantor insisted Likins not dedicate university funding to the "atrocities" of the animal agriculture business.

"Teaching animal agriculture primarily serves the interests of large private corporations, whose activities are extremely harmful yet profitable and not in the public interest ÷ they should be training their own workers and managers, not relying on university agriculture programs to do so," Cantor said

The letter was part of the 10,000 Years is Enough program, RPA's long-term program aimed at bringing an end to the teaching of animal agriculture in public universities.

As of yesterday Cantor had sent 20 similar letters to other universities.

Likins has not responded to the letter, Cantor said.

Cantor said he was disappointed by Likins' failure to communicate with him.

"One of the key functions of universities in the United States is to serve as venues for the free marketplace of ideas. For universities to fail to examine their animal-agriculture policies, discuss them openly, and reckon with the harm they are doing would be a terrible disservice to the public," Cantor said.

Likins was not available for comment at the time of publication.