To ask you to think twice about eating chicken regularly

[Tigofigo]

...it's just not sustainable for us to consume as much as we do.

Intensive chicken farming is polluting and destroying our rivers and also potentially causing breathing difficulties and lung issues in those who live near farms spraying chicken / other animal manure as fertilizer.

Really worrying too, at a time when govt are ripping up EU regs on environmental laws that will further destroy our rivers and the animals, plants and people that rely on them (along with the shit already pumped into them...).

www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/25/chicken-farm-giant-linked-to-river-wye-decline-was-sued-over-water-blight-in-us

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/14/muck-spreading-could-be-banned-to-reduce-air-pollution

inews.co.uk/news/brexit-bonfire-environment-regulations-otters-dolphins-birds-conservationists-1875799

Actually yes, but they prefer insects, mice to apples 🙂

Where do you think we'd get the natural fertilizer. Vegetarian folks would have to save and sell theirs to fertilize the land

Read the article the water table in California is being destroyed what is left contaminated by pesticides so that you can polish your halo 😇

'Come on people, there are so many good vegan subs now. No excuse!'

Is not wanting to eat UPFs a good enough excuse? What are some of those frozen vegan shapes even made of?

Tigofigo glad you can afford an 18 pound chicken. Does that come with extra self righteousness?

Do you eat them? Or buy from chicken factories?

You should read about water contamination from chicken farming - grim

Yes that’s true

the UK imports over 50% of our food. Yet hardly of us grow any.

@Musti your random data source isn’t applicable to the UK, it is just theoretical and doesn’t account for the realities of agriculture. All it does is show a huge lack of understanding of agriculture. It would end up in increased chemical inputs and further food insecurity for the UK.

The UK imports over 50% of our food because without heated greenhouses there's a limit to what we can grow in our climate.
And also partly because we outsourced seed production to Monsanto.

Yep.

I mention it as people like to say ‘I only shop from farm shops, raise my own chickens, eat the lamb in the field near me, almonds are evil’ and conveniently forget that they too buy lots of imported food - which also includes lamb.

Pulses can be grown in the UK except they are less profitable than animals. Needs a huge shift in farming policy to make it viable or desirable.

eating fewer chickens tho is an easy step - they are so mass ‘farmed’ it’s gross

If you want to know how chicken should taste try guinea fowl. It's imported from France but is available at some places

Thank you '@bellac11

Sorry @user6363 but you are being quite defensive. I never said that I didn't like beans or lentils, I just don't like them cold. Maybe ask yourself why people shut down any discussion regarding veganism, the majority of the time it's because people don't want to be lectured on what they eat. I would never, ever tell a vegan that they are wrong to not eat meat, it's totally their choice, nor would I offer them any unsolicited advice on changing their eating habits. It would be nice if vegans gave us carnivores the same courtesy.

Nothings keep me from my KFC wings and gravy in afraid.

@AclowncalledAlice honestly I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. Vegans really can’t say anything without being told we’re “lecturing”, regardless of how many times people dismiss what we have to say, or how rude people are about what we eat. It’s easy for you to say it’s about being defensive but in my experience meat eaters can be incredibly defensive about how no one can tell them what to do - and to be honest, they’re quite right there.
I’ve never told you you should be vegan. I literally don’t care about people’s diets - it’s utterly up to you what you eat. Incidentally, meat is pretty gross cold too, although I guess better in sandwiches.

I think vegans have to speak up because animals can’t?

if we all reduce the amount of meat we eat then that would be huge in terms of animal welfare etc. Nothing tricky about that. Just find a couple of veggie meals you do enjoy it all helps. The OP is right.

Lots of people have responded that veggie & vegan food sources are also not carbon footprint-free, as if this is some kind of "gotcha!" moment. I find it hard to believe that these people are engaging in good faith. That's a seriously low level of critical thinking, if so

I have no idea what you mean. It's much better for the environment (and UK economy) for me to eat local cheese and eggs (and yes in my case chicken as I have to eat something as I don't eat meat or most processed alternatives) than it is to eat and drink vegan substitutes.

I would say that a locally sourced vegetarian diet is the most ethical.

if we all reduce the amount of meat we eat then that would be huge in terms of animal welfare etc. Nothing tricky about that. Just find a couple of veggie meals you do enjoy it all help

can't disagree with this

We have lovely local cheeses, eggs, vegetables and meat in Wales. Our bakery is excellent. Is local food dependant on where you live though. I use goats milk soap made a mile up the road from an excellent herd. They sell milk and meat.

It's all more expensive though. Lidl and Aldi get a lot of fresh food from Ireland I think that's pretty local it comes across the sea to us so that's a tick

Sure but how does that work with London, Birmingham and other Uk cities. The UK eats 1 BILLION chickens each year.

the vast majority of people don’t live near where their food grows

Yeah and the vast majority of people don’t get their food from an idyllic little farm where pigs and chickens and cows run around oh so happy. In fact over 73% of farmed animals in the UK are kept in factory farms. They spend their lives in overcrowded, barren barns or cages, deprived of fresh air, natural light and the ability to express their natural behaviours.

There are 800 US style mega farms in the UK.

So don’t kid yourself like I did for many years buying free range eggs for example… imagining that they could roam the countryside freely. They live horrific lives and endure a horrific death.

We've bought rescue battery hens, they are almost bald and take a bit to learn to scratch and womble around but they're a lovely funny hen and so friendly.
Abroad I've seen them in gardens on balconies of flats.

If you know anyone interested there's a charity

freshstartforhens.co.uk/

Just put in my details, thank you. These posts are what stops me from buying eggs when I’m in the supermarket. My momentary enjoyment of poached eggs isn’t worth the lifetime of suffering of other living beings.

Damn. I thought free range eggs were ok.

'The EU egg marketing regulation stipulates that for eggs to be termed 'free range', hens must have continuous daytime access to runs which are mainly covered with vegetation and a maximum stocking density of 2,500 birds per hectare. The hen house conditions for free range hens must comply with the regulations for birds kept in barn systems, with a maximum stocking density of 9 hens per square metre of useable area.

Hens must be provided with next boxes.
Adequate perches, providing 15 centimetres of perch per hen, must also be provided.
Litter must be provided, accounting for one-third of the ground surface - this is used for scratching and dust bathing.

Additional requirements of the Lion code

The Lion Quality Code of Practice stipulates the same additional standards for Lion Quality free range hens as for Lion Quality barn hens plus provision of outdoor shading in absence of a veranda and one pop-hole per 600 birds open for 8 hours daily to allow access to the outside; maximum flock size of 16,000 birds divided into colonies of 4,000 where flock size is over 6,000 birds in total; a maximum stocking density of 2,000 birds per hectare.
The width and height of the popholes is greater than required by EU legislation.'

www.egginfo.co.uk/egg-facts-and-figures/production/free-range-egg