To ask if you had to kill the animal yourself, would you still eat meat?

[WhatDoYouThink2017]

To ask if you had to kill the animal yourself, would you still eat meat?

It seems that a lot of people say no, but that does confuse me, as if less people ate meat, there would be a less of a demand.

This isn’t me saying eating meat is wrong btw, I absolutely believe there is a food chain, but the food chain is slightly unfair. Animals are bred and kept in awful conditions for their meat, etc. which is where I believe it’s unfair. Other people seem to agree.

So, if you could humanely keep your own animals and kill them, would you? Or would you go without meat?

I would and I have, and I probably will again. I also agree with making sure the animals were raised in good conditions and are dispatched as efficiently and humanely as possible. Although in reality most meat is killed in broadly the same manner regardless of its welfare when alive (dodgy back street slaughterhouses and some religious practises aside). There are laws on these things- previous examples excepted- so most animals are killed in an efficient manner even if the only reason for that is to be dealt with as quickly as possible rather than specifically with welfare and compassion in mind. I would be interested to see how many people do try to buy higher welfare eggs/milk/other animal products which are not their flesh though- there are fates worse than death for a lot of animals out there!

I also agree with animal testing for medical purposes. Cosmetic use of animals is absolutely vile, but for the purpose of furthering medical science I have no problems with it. I’d be one of the first in the queue if that medicine turned out to cure a terminal illness I hypothetically possess, so I have to accept that there will likely be animals involved in getting that medicine to that point. Obviously it’s not that simple in reality, but at least I’d know their lives were affected for the good of something else rather than just to look good.

Yes. Haven't quite done it but have witnessed it. I would want to know how to do it properly for the species concerned.

I could, and do. We hunt all our meat.

I enjoy the hunt as in the understanding of the animals movement, the tracking etc but dislike the kill. I tell myself that if I choose to eat meat then this is the price to pay.

The gutting, skinning and butchering process I am still learning.

Subsequently we don’t eat as much meat as we did in the UK

I don't think I could. I love meat and don't think humans eating animals is wrong per se, and I'm not squeamish - I'd have no problems butchering an already dead animal. But I couldn't kill something alive and uninjured.

I do worry about the conditions animals are raised in and do my best to buy meat with high welfare standards. But it's not perfect, I do have the odd take away or ready meal and god knows what's in that.

Yes, have killed animals for food before.

Any of us could kill to eat if we had to. It’s built into our very core. None of us have experienced the kind of hunger required or had that survival instinct kick in.

Even those pets we cherish would end up necked and skinned if there was nothing else to eat and the world had gone to shit.

If you HAD to kill the animal, to eat the meat, then you would likely be in a situation where you had to produce a lot of your own food, in order to eat.

If this is the case, then it would be a heck of a lot easier to raise enough food to eat, if you had meat in there as well. Producing enough vegetarian food to keep yourself fed and healthy is a LOT more work than producing enough food to eat for a meat eater.

No, I would not kill an animal to eat it, nor is there a need for me to do so. I only buy free range meat and there will always be someone who will do it if the price is right.

Oh and no, that doesn't mean I will give up eating meat.

It depends on the methods available. I struggled putting a wriggly worm on a hook when I tried fishing, so anything hands-on would be difficult! I think I could shoot a gun, fire an arrow or set traps (except the fact I have a rubbish aim...). I'd find it hard to deal with the carcass though - I'm quite squeamish and wouldn't have a clue what to do. But I don't get attached to animals and I've never had pets, so I wouldn't have issues rearing animals and thinking they were too cute.

I have done. I live in the country, so I made sure to learn how to dispatch a rabbit or a bird - I do t like doing it, but better that than leaving a myxomatosis struck rabbit or a half squashed bird that's been hit by a car to suffer. Then I started going beating so I dispatched wounded birds and normally took a brace home for dinner, feathers and all - so I learned to pluck and draw them too.

I don't know how I'd do killing something I'd raised, but if that's what it took to feed my family, so be it. As long as I could give them a good life and a good death, that would be ok.

Absolutely no way I am urging on the edge of turning to vegetarianism as it is this question has struck a cord so thank you op x

I eat meat but I can't even watch animals be killed on tv as it distresses me so much. I'm very careful about where I source my meat from and I don't get meat dishes in restaurants or takeaways as I don't know where they get it from. If an animal has a nice life and is killed humanely then fine. If it's born into disgusting conditions and brutally killed then I'd rather be vegetarian for life than touch it.
I once saw a video on YouTube about abuse and torture in a pig farm in America and it was the most upsetting thing I've ever seen

Yes. I'm from a rural area with livestock all around me that eventually end up on the table. My dad tells tales of having to hunt rabbits and hares in their childhood so can imagine if things were ever bad enough and I'd a family to feed I'd bring myself to do it.

No, I wouldn’t; it’s not just the killing, I couldn’t do the skinning, gutting and the rest of it. This makes me a hypocrite, I know.

Interesting question and responses.

I don't eat meat for the very reason that I wouldn't be able to kill it myself or even watch someone do it for me. The thought of something losing its life to feed me doesn't sit right with me.

I'm sure I'd change my tune if it was life or death but, for now, no meat for me.

Yes I would. Hell I want to kill the cat that lives in my house and turn it into a handbag.

I love meat. And handbags.

I think that I could kill a chicken. I might have a problem with something that I view as cute, like a lamb.

Probably not.

No that’s why I’m vegan.

I can’t even kill a spider and always try and move snails and worms off the path.

I kill wasps though. I hate wasps.

Yes. I'd have no problem with that. I have Farmers in the family and am under no illusions as to where our meat comes from.
I love the cows on the farm but I know why they are there and that's life.
Just from a practical side if we had to raise & kill it all our selves I suspect we'd have less variety of meat - a cow can go an awful long way.

mrssunshinexxx - same here. A few things have struck a chord with me. The final straw was that Bear Grylls island episode they killed a camen and made a mess of it terrifying the poor animal for an hour before finally killing it. I was sick to the stomach.
I haven't missed it and have actually saved money because I used to buy the higher welfare/ organic stuff.
If I could have my own small holding and knew 100% the animals had a good life before being slaughtered I would probably eat it but still don't think I could take its life.

Absolutely it would actually make me feel better if I had land and could rear and kill my own food. To know they had a happy life, were well fed, looked after and not forcibly removed from their mothers teat (I don’t do lamb or veal) would make me happier.

I’m not saying I’d not be sad about it but I’d be feeding my family so it’s worth it. You would also find that no animal dies just for one body part you would use everything even the bones.

No, I don’t have it in my nature to kill anything, I get upset if I step on a slug or hit an animal in the road. I keep chickens and we had 2 chicks that were dying and I had to dispatch them because they were obviously suffering, I put them in a box and gassed them in the end, it was quick but I still sobbed for days.
So no, I wouldn’t eat meat or fish if it had to die by my hand.
I always would rather eat less meat anyway and spend the extra on local meat that I know has been kept well and lived a happy life.

I too was not understanding the comment about meat eating being cheaper than being vegetarian.
Dp is a meat eater. His weekly shopping bill is twice the amount as myself a vegan and 2 teenage vegetarians.

Producing enough vegetarian food to keep yourself fed and healthy is a LOT more work than producing enough food to eat for a meat eater

But you have to have the land to grow the food to feed the animals when you could just grow the food and eat it yourself.