"We urge the public this year to boycott all donate-an-animal schemes and support projects that actually help people, animals and the environment. These schemes are not a good thing."
Animal Aid, which was formed in 1977 to campaign against all forms of animal abuse, claims that the various charities raise up to £10 million every year but routinely ignore the damage they are causing.
They accused aid agencies like Oxfam and World Vision of creating a much wider problem and being 'quick to spot a marketing opportunity'.
"All farmed animals require proper nourishment, large quantities of water, shelter from extremes of weather and veterinary care. Such resources are in critically short supply in much of Africa," added Mr Tyler.
But last night officials at the aid agencies named by the World Land Trust and Animal Aid insisted that its critics had simply misunderstood the schemes. They also said that while Animal Aid sold organic chocolates and wines the trust offered people the chance to preserve an acre of rainforest.
A spokesman for Oxfam said: "We strongly dispute these claims by Animal Aid and the World Land Trust. We work closely with the communities where we have worked for over 60 years to provide them with exactly what they need to lift themselves out of poverty.
"If you were to go to a village in Africa and ask the people what kind of difference these Christmas gifts make to their lives they would tell you that it makes a world of difference."
A Christian Aid spokeswoman said: "We work with local organisations on the ground who know the needs of the community better than anyone else. We don't just distribute hundreds of cows.
"We work with communities where there is enough water for the cows to drink and where the benefits are sufficient enough for them to drink the water. In terms of the risk of disease posed by chickens we make sure that proper veterinary advice is taken before we do anything."
"It is about what is most appropriate in each country at that time. There is a huge appetite for ethical gifts - it has trebled in the last three years."
