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

I would rather eat good quality chicken that’s been well cared for once every six weeks then low quality chicken every day or every other day where the bird was treat terribly.

For those who would disagree and choose the latter, I am genuinely curious as to why and would be interested to hear your views

NOONE needs to eat meat every day, they just don’t. And they don’t need meat substitutes either. some people on here are obsessed with protein

I love fat, Im not afeard of fat but when counting calories I am going to try to aim for things with a reasonable fat content

Peanut butter makes my mouth stick together, tofu is disgusting and eggs stink the office out.

Chickpeas in coronation sauce sound revolving, I only like chickpeas in humous. I can easily eat a whole tub of humous just with my finger!!! Which is why I darent buy it.

Because I have a now adult child with a very restricted diet for medical reasons and I can't afford £18 a chicken.

But generally speaking what are we supposed to eat that fits into the TINY area of Venn diagram created by:

Good for the planet
Not processed
Protein
All essential Minerals / Vitamins
Low in unsaturated fat / cholesterol
Vaguely affordable for the majority

I think the quantity of pulses required would be huge and very very boring. And probably create their own set of issues when trying to produce on a ginormous scale if the world went vegan.

NOONE needs to eat meat every day, they just don’t. And they don’t need meat substitutes either. some people on here are obsessed with protein

I dont NEED to eat meat every day but I WANT to and will carry on doing so.

Telling people who depend on food banks and discounted items to change their diet shows you actually have no idea how one third of the population live right now.
Working people are already dependant on food banks and top up benefits, many people are going to be completely unable to afford to heat their homes this winter; and telling us to switch to an £18 chicken is completely tone deaf.

These are luxury beliefs. Its lovely for you that you can afford them but you are more concerned about the welfare of chickens than people who live in poverty.

Examples like this and the pp with ill health mean a restrictive diet is necessary and if chicken is what you need to survive, then so be it.

This is obviously not representative of the vast majority though, is it, who are eating it through choice with potentially no idea of the issues - human health issues - it can cause.

This is my issue, I have a freezer full of home cooked curries using lentils of some descript as my 'ready meals' but I cant eat that every single night or I would die of boredom. And due to a slight miscalculation on quantities I managed to create 19 portions of one of them!!!!

You are absolutely right op. Factory farming is vile as is salmon farming.
It’s a shame hunt saboteurs can’t turn their attention to battery hens, but I suppose there isn’t the enjoyable toff baiting that there is with hunting.

Also this. 100% (I'm not a food bank user)

If you have or can borrow a blender or mixer you can make your own hummus or bean dips with less oil, and you can make them thicker so less messy!

YANBU, OP.

@thelnebriati I couldn't have said it better myself. Spot on.

Ok please take this post as my intention for this to be directed to the other 2/3 of the population including all the high earners mumsnet seems to be teeming with

@ZeroFuchsGiven

your user name is very apt. Zero fucks given about the environment, the planet and animal welfare!

Cheese comes from dairy farming which is probably more problematic than meat farming. Eggs also come from farmed chickens and the babies are slaughtered. So many people have nut allergies that nuts aren't a good protein source for the general population. Salmon farming is out, obviously, and we've over fished the oceans so they can't cope with even more people turning to seafood. That really just leaves beans and lentils, which have never really featured in Western European cooking and would take a massive cultural shift to do so.

There is so much we can stop consuming that would be a huge benefit to health and the environment. Alcohol for instance, it’s not a necessity and consumes huge amounts of water and energy to manufacture. Sugar is another one. Let’s start there.

Ive made my own humous and bean spreads for years attempting to use less oil. The reason they are nice (when they are) is because of the huge amount of oil, so I gave up in the end.

I think there is (not aiming this at you necessarily) an assumption that people who are not eating these types of foods is because they dont know what a legume or pulse is and dont have a blender. Im an excellent cook and experimenter and have worked my way through various attempts such as above.

Eww no excuse to be eating such ultra processed vegan crap full of chemicals.

If you're vegan, then be vegan. Fake meat for vegans is a bit cringe - why imitate something that disgusts you? Weird.

I WANT to murder someone ... is that ok?

I want is a extremely childish sentiment

Oh look, now the lecturing and patronising on this thread has fully taken off. Buckle up kids, the finger wagging is in full swing now.

We have pet hens and they wander around clucking and talking to each other. They are so happy to see us, almost tripping over themselves. They sit on DC’s lap. They are very cute and would seriously make you think twice about the welfare of the chicken being sold. If we ever eat chicken now, it’s only organic but that’s expensive so we hardly ever do.

Because chicken is cheap, tasty and popular with children. People will generally always prioritise feeding their families over animal welfare.

I've also not told anyone to buy an £18 chicken. Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned that but I think it's eye opening what a higher welfare chicken costs vs supermarket one. The real cost of raising meat is crazy. There's a reason why people ate so much less before intensive farming was a thing and that's because it was bloody expensive.

that's not quite the same as eating chicken. 😂