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

Tell me you need attention without telling me you need attention....

Shame.

Welfare standards for farm animals in the UK are pretty good. And as I see farm animals as food, then I don't see the problem here.

But you said you didn't care anyway

You know, when you were trying to be goady and outrageous

I don't care no. Not when posters are being goady about welfare standards in the UK as a reason to give up meat. The standards are fine. So I don't care. It's not a reason to give up meat.

I agree about welfare being higher here

But if we end up with a trade deal with US that won’t be the case. I’m already noticing lack of country of origin on food eg I had a look at the zizzi ready meals - CoO listed that I could see.

You won't get a country of origin because different ingredients are grown and shipped from all over . We had an extension built that meant we only had a microwave, for five months so it was ready meals in the main. It's pointless to try and unravel this puzzle

I do not believe standards are high enough, being better than other countries doesn’t mean good.

I’ve been inside farms, even if welfare standards are met, it’s brutal for the animals. And often standards are not met due to pressures farmers are under. And then of course there’s the deliberate cruelty by some arsehole farm workers.

Like I have said previously on this thread, My son works in a pig farm and my daughter in a chicken far. I can assure you everything is done as it should be, they have inspections regularly some by appointment and other not. Any cruelty towards the animals would not be tolerated.

Unfortunately that's not the case for all as farms/farm workers have been prosecuted/fined for not adhering to welfare standards and for cruelty. And again, even if they do everything ‘right’, it’s still brutal for the animals

There are some great books out there

green roasting tin
bosh
Green lunch box
leon salads has some good ideas

you only need a few say veggie lunch ideas and that saves a few chickens, even if you don’t go veggie/vegan full time

UK welfare standards are not that great compared to some other countries. Chicken factory farming is mostly low welfare. Pics of pretty fields on packaging is not the reality. The red tractor label is actually pretty basic requirements.

Ah so your family has jobs in the meat industry. That explains your views. Fair enough but hardly a balanced view.

I think most responses on here are pretty moderate. Meat sales are falling which is right imo. We should treat meat as a luxury and all farming should be high welfare. Price is an issue but eating veggie is cheaper.

UK welfare standards are not that great compared to some other countries. Which countries?

derxa I think you are a farmer too?

France is better for chicken farming for a start. They have a higher % of high welfare chicken farms. Brits seem to love cheap food hence low standards.

It has nothing to do with where my kids work in all honesty. My opinion would be the same and I'm not bothered if 'eating veggie is cheaper' I dont want to eat veggie, my family dont want to eat veggie. We enjoy eating meat.

Well it is linked. Some people wouldn’t want to work in animal factories. Most vegans for a start!

good job we are not vegan then, I dont see your point?

@DuckBilledFattypus

u don’t give a shit about animal suffering, at least you’re honest

but don’t try and kid yourself that welfare standards in the uk are fine cos they’re absolutely not and you know it - you just don’t care so long as you and your family have a cheap chicken breast on our plates for dinner several times a week.

www.worldatlas.com/articles/best-countries-for-animal-welfare.html
www.poultryworld.net/poultry/france-first-welfare-labelling-scheme-for-poultry/
France has been making good strides forward in chicken welfare but in general not so good. Foie gras anyone?
www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/ducks-geese/foie-gras/#:~:text=To%20produce%20%E2%80%9Cfoie%20gras%E2%80%9D%20(,causes%20the%20birds'%20livers%20to

derxa I think you are a farmer too? Yes I am and I know exactly how I and most other farmers look after sheep.

My neighbours are sheep, the farmers literally dont have any other life than their livestock, I'm sure you will understand but not everyone on this thread will, I keep an eye out for them when they have a few hours break on christmas day (basically making sure none are on their back)

Do you visit most regularly?

Unfortunately there have been cases of sheep not being looked after well. There will no doubt be others that are not known about. There’s certainly others that are currently being investigated and some will hopefully be fined/prosecuted.

You don't know anything about me. But go ahead and make up stuff if it adds meaning to your day :-)

And welfare standards are fine. Even if you don't like that.

Just to make you really happy though, it's way more than several times a week ;-)

I breed pedigree sheep so the farmers I know are very high welfare farmers.
Of course a very small percentage do not treat their animals well. This can be due to the farmer being depressed or overwhelmed. We are inspected once a year by Quality Meat Scotland www.qmscotland.co.uk/cattle-sheep-standards.

Thanks. We check the fields daily. I'm worried about one of my rams today. He's got a very sore foot and got the vet out to him. There's absolutely no benefit for the sheep farmer to maltreat their sheep. None whatsoever.

There’s no excuse for not looking after their animals. I doubt you know how ‘most’ other farmers look after their sheep. There’s a lot of them.