the government has announced that the uk will cease to rear chickens in battery conditions. this foul (sic) farming practice has enabled supermarkets and fast food outlets alike to provide us with cheap (sic) chicken meat for years.

 

the inevitable result in farmers rearing chickens in 'nice' conditions will mean higher food prices, they might also shoot themselves in the foot because other countries with slacker animal welfare restrictions will flood our market with cheap chicken inhumanely raised. this could put some of our egg/bird producers out of business!

 

so what seems a good idea on the surface might well be a bad thing....

the inevitable result in farmers rearing chickens in 'nice' conditions will mean higher food prices, they might also shoot themselves in the foot because other countries with slacker animal welfare restrictions will flood our market with cheap chicken inhumanely raised. this could put some of our egg/bird producers out of business!

 

If the Government can (rightfully) ban our own farmers from rearing them in this way, surely they can put a stop on them being imported, or atleast a limit?

 

Well I'm glad, I actually find most farming methods disgusting and this one especially, which is why I became a vegetarian so many years ago. If you're going to eat the birds atleast treat them with enough respect to give them humane living conditions. It is a live animal, it does have feelings and it sickens me to know those poor things are killed at 39 days old.

 

I watched that Hugh's Chicken Run this week and some of the views of some of the people on that show were terrible. I believe one woman said buying free range was an 'elitest' thing. Which is ridiculous, it just shows you support some form of animal rights not that you're a snob. I don't care if the country must pay higher prices for their chicken, might teach everyone a thing or two. Some will never change though regardless.

 

I also hope they ban the cheap imports and people support produce that is atleast British, if not local. We can't say the UK is going free range if we then support other countries in continuing the methods of farming we've said no to. I mean how hypocritical would that be.

Edited January 10, 200817 yr by NatalieMT

Well I'm glad, I actually find most farming methods disgusting and this one especially, which is why I became a vegetarian so many years ago. If you're going to eat the birds atleast treat them with enough respect to give them humane living conditions. It is a live animal, it does have feelings and it sickens me to know those poor things are killed at 39 days old.

 

I watched that Hugh's Chicken Run this week and some of the views of some of the people on that show were terrible. I believe one woman said buying free range was an 'elitest' thing. Which is ridiculous, it just shows you support some form of animal rights not that you're a snob. I don't care if the country must pay higher prices for their chicken, might teach everyone a thing or two. Some will never change though regardless.

 

I also hope they ban the cheap imports and people support produce that is atleast British, if not local.

I agree with everything in this post. Though I'm not a vegetarian... I couldn't.

 

I'd quite happily choose to pay more for meat that's been able to live properly. I'm only a uni student but I still pay in excess of £1 forhalf a dozen free range eggs even though I could get a dozen from caged hens cheaper!

I watched hugh's Chicken Run too, and whilst I think much of it was a touch hypocritical (a grown man crying at the conditions HE was imposing on the chickens for HIS experiment for HIS TV programme that HE was being handsomely paid for :rolleyes: ) I also agreed with the sentiment.

 

I always buy free range chickens and eggs, but then I can afford to.

 

The problem is the major supermarkets have gotten the consumer used to cheap eggs and chicken - they will have an uphill struggle with the majority of the customers.

 

I think a major issue raised by the programme was the labelling of products - such as the picture of a lovely blue sky on the packaging of a chicken that had never seen daylight in its short life.

 

I have no problem paying a little more for more ethical / organic food - but I am not sure the majority of the population have the same view.

Too bad for the British farmers, I guess. At least they're not living in couped up conditions their whole lives.

 

Right now we're broke but one day I'll eat ethically...when we can afford.

Well I'm glad, I actually find most farming methods disgusting and this one especially, which is why I became a vegetarian so many years ago. If you're going to eat the birds atleast treat them with enough respect to give them humane living conditions. It is a live animal, it does have feelings and it sickens me to know those poor things are killed at 39 days old.

 

I watched that Hugh's Chicken Run this week and some of the views of some of the people on that show were terrible. I believe one woman said buying free range was an 'elitest' thing. Which is ridiculous, it just shows you support some form of animal rights not that you're a snob. I don't care if the country must pay higher prices for their chicken, might teach everyone a thing or two. Some will never change though regardless.

 

I also hope they ban the cheap imports and people support produce that is atleast British, if not local. We can't say the UK is going free range if we then support other countries in continuing the methods of farming we've said no to. I mean how hypocritical would that be.

 

feelings?... thats a contraversial subject. i dont think for one moment a chicken has feelings (as in an emotional state of mind) it can sense touch, feel pain... but not emotion.

 

free range chickens are elitist in as much that they cost more and many of us simply have not got the luxury of enough money to pay for it.

 

the government CANNOT ban foreign imports, WE ARE IN EUROPE and are obliged to follow the free trade laws that we signed up to. so cheap foreign imports WILL flood the market and our farmers who are trying their damnest to bring up animals in more humane conditions WILL go out of business.

 

 

Right now we're broke but one day I'll eat ethically...when we can afford.

 

and that is the top and bottom of it. eating ethically IS elitist as you have to be able to afford it.

and that is the top and bottom of it. eating ethically IS elitist as you have to be able to afford it.

 

 

It damn well shouldn't be seen as "elistist" though, Free Range was the way that we farmed in this country for thousands of years before intensive industrialised practices took over, frankly I dont even see the reason why "Free Range" is more expensive anyway, if you ask me it's just marketing bullsh!t that rips people off for no good reason other than to line the pockets of rich farmers (there are VERY few actual poor farmers in this country, thanks to EU subsidies - FACT!!! The actual poor farmers are the ones that we fukkin' rip off in the Third World, esp Africa and Asia.... <_< ) and the greedy capitalists that own our supermarkets...

 

As to the issue concerned, I'm all for the closing down of Battery Farms, it is a disgusting practice, which is ultimately damaging to the health of HUMANS because the vile, unsanitary conditions spread salmonella and other diseases.. It aint elitist to be against intensive factory farming, ultimately it's for our own good and welfare to go back to more humane farming methods.... Pretty much all the food poisoning scares you can think of (salmonella, BSE, listeria and others) have come as a result of entirely un-natural farming methods and from farmers feeding their livestock un-natural diets to cut costs.... At the end of the day, a healthy, relatively well-looked after chicken is better for us than processed, factory farmed sh!te...

I only ever buy meat of any sort from Marks and Spencer and Waitrose who both have very strict policies on the treatment of animals that they stock on the shelves so no grubby foreign imports will make their way onto shelves there

 

 

the government CANNOT ban foreign imports, WE ARE IN EUROPE and are obliged to follow the free trade laws that we signed up to. so cheap foreign imports WILL flood the market and our farmers who are trying their damnest to bring up animals in more humane conditions WILL go out of business.

 

Then surely the Govt should be pushing for a Europe-wide banning of factory and battery farming practices.... Frankly, I'm glad that we have the guts to lead the way in this entirely honourable issue...

 

And besides, I dont believe for a minute that farmers will go out of business, god knows the buggers get subsidised enough through OUR taxes..... <_< I see very few poor farmers in this country....

 

And besides, I dont believe for a minute that farmers will go out of business, god knows the buggers get subsidised enough through OUR taxes..... <_< I see very few poor farmers in this country....

 

You need to go and see a few then, they hardly make any profit.

 

My boss is an ex-farmer turned accountant, he had to give up cos he was putting in loads of hours for hardly any real profit. He now does the books for a handful of farmers throughout Derby, I read their books and they ain't making a decent profit at all.

I read their books and they ain't making a decent profit at all.

Define a "decent" profit though.... Are they actually running at a loss...? If not, well, they're doing a hell of a lot better than the vast majority of small businesses out there.... Sorry, I dont buy it.. I know from first hand knowlege that farmers in places like Devon and Cornwall, and many in Scotland too, are very comfortably off indeed.. I know a farmer who's got a fukkin' Jag and a Bentley in his barn!!!! And they brag about how much they get off the EU subsidies fund.. So, please, dont tell me that they're all poor and cant make ends meet... Compare a typical farmer in this country (or indeed France or Germany..) to a farmer in Africa or Asia Clare, then tell me who's poor....

Define a "decent" profit though.... Are they actually running at a loss...? If not, well, they're doing a hell of a lot better than the vast majority of small businesses out there.... Sorry, I dont buy it.. I know from first hand knowlege that farmers in places like Devon and Cornwall, and many in Scotland too, are very comfortably off indeed.. I know a farmer who's got a fukkin' Jag and a Bentley in his barn!!!! And they brag about how much they get off the EU subsidies fund.. So, please, dont tell me that they're all poor and cant make ends meet... Compare a typical farmer in this country (or indeed France or Germany..) to a farmer in Africa or Asia Clare, then tell me who's poor....

 

Yeah some of them are, and the ones not at a loss are not hardly making anything. They slave night and day trying to get orders out and for what for a couple of pence profit. You have to support your local farmer.

 

We're not talking about poor countries here tho, we are talking about farmers in the UK. At the end of the day we all work to get money, why are farmers not intitled to some profit? They work 70 odd hours a week for nothing? I don't eat meat as well you know but no body works to get nothing.

You have to support your local farmer.

 

.

 

I'll support them so long as they're not involving themselves in dodgy practices that ultimately risks MY health and the health of the nation... And for my mind, this is exactly what battery farming does.... Thousands of chickens, cows, pigs, etc, cooped up (if you'll pardon the pun..), sleeping, eating and living in poor sanitary conditions, being fed poor diets, bodies of dead animals not being dealt with properly (and there is very real documented evidence to support this) does NOT make for a good, healthy diet.... Not just in MY opinion, but in the opinion of medical and nutritional experts... Yeah, it's easy to criticise the likes of Jamie Oliver or this Hugh bloke as well, but at the end of the day, they've got the balls to go out there and confront head on a very real problem which affects all of us, and for that they get my total respect....

 

I'll support them so long as they're not involving themselves in dodgy practices that ultimately risks MY health and the health of the nation... And for my mind, this is exactly what battery farming does.... Thousands of chickens, cows, pigs, etc, cooped up (if you'll pardon the pun..), sleeping, eating and living in poor sanitary conditions, being fed poor diets, bodies of dead animals not being dealt with properly (and there is very real documented evidence to support this) does NOT make for a good, healthy diet.... Not just in MY opinion, but in the opinion of medical and nutritional experts... Yeah, it's easy to criticise the likes of Jamie Oliver or this Hugh bloke as well, but at the end of the day, they've got the balls to go out there and confront head on a very real problem which affects all of us, and for that they get my total respect....

 

 

Who was criticising Jamie? I was just making a point that the ones that are putting the time and effort into farming are the ones who arn't marking any money on it.

 

It's a good thing bringing what goes on in farming to light, everyone should know where their food comes from and what has happend to it. But we all knew about battery chickens anyway yet that never stopped people buying it.

Who was criticising Jamie? I was just making a point that the ones that are putting the time and effort into farming are the ones who arn't marking any money on it.

 

That wasn't in reference to you as such, but I know that Jamie Oliver has had a bit of stick in the past from certain ahem, "interests" shall we say..... ;) I'm really getting at this notion that somehow organic or free range food is "elitist" and people like Oliver and Hugh are probably seen as representing this elite because they are such staunch advocates of it, but that's not it at all, they're chefs, they know good nutrition, they know the difference between good and bad food, and that's all it is... Organic and Free Range farming should be the standard.... And it was in this country for literally ages, hundreds of generations....

 

That wasn't in reference to you as such, but I know that Jamie Oliver has had a bit of stick in the past from certain ahem, "interests" shall we say..... ;) I'm really getting at this notion that somehow organic or free range food is "elitist" and people like Oliver and Hugh are probably seen as representing this elite because they are such staunch advocates of it, but that's not it at all, they're chefs, they know good nutrition, they know the difference between good and bad food, and that's all it is... Organic and Free Range farming should be the standard.... And it was in this country for literally ages, hundreds of generations....

 

 

Interests? Please tell!

 

Sorry I get back to you on the rest but I like a gossip! I'm quite excited! This is what office work does I'm affaid...

Interests? Please tell!

 

Sorry I get back to you on the rest but I like a gossip! I'm quite excited! This is what office work does I'm affaid...

 

I believe that several school catering companies attempted to discredit him....

 

 

I believe that several school catering companies attempted to discredit him....

 

Oh is that it.