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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that if you cannot afford free range chicken/turkey meat and eggs...

755 replies

LolaTheShowgirl · 27/05/2009 09:31

...then don't buy at all?

I mean the suffering these birds go through in cramped, dirty sheds is unbelievable. There is usually no natural light and the birds are usually ill before they're culled.

If you can stomach it, please look at these:
WARNING: NOT NICE PICTURES!
HERE

OP posts:
ItsGrimUpNorth · 28/05/2009 09:11

Now, now Riven. Don't attack the poor for they are a helpless bunch who are unable to get recipe books and cook from scratch.

oopsagain · 28/05/2009 09:11

Riven and some fof the others down this thread are right
meat industry is very very wasteful and produces a shedlaod of green house gases- cow farts are very polluting

A few yrs ago a famous fast food chain were in court and it came out that they had deforestwed large areas of south america to grow their meat
the enivornment is messed up big style by our demand for cheap meat and meat at every meal.

And what's with the "my DH couldn't be veggie" attitude?
Are we perpetuating this in our (male) kids?

Not sure where that comes from...

christiana · 28/05/2009 09:12

Message withdrawn

sarah293 · 28/05/2009 09:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Morloth · 28/05/2009 09:21

I would quite like to know whether lovesdogsandcats owns either a dog or a cat, and if so what does she feed them?

oopsagain · 28/05/2009 09:28

and i looked at marks and spencers (shoot me now) for one of thier luxury £10 meals the other day. i couldn'#t be bothered to cook, thought we'd havwe a treat.
But FFS! the amount of fat involved was criminal. i think half a meal was about 25g of sat fat... couldn't have digrsted that all in one go
It really is criminal howfat and sugar is put into procesed food and w ehave no idea what is in it because we didn't make it ourselves.

dietstartstomorrow · 28/05/2009 09:44

'What's a real person? Basically people who aren't wrapped in a blanket of smug and go around lecturing other people on how they should live their lives.

I bet all the ethical chicken crew are SAHM's with 1 kid and a big salary. And I bet they all drive big 4X4's to do their ethical shopping'

Oh dear lowenergy ... that really does prove you are clueless!

Am really pleased to see how many people support the FR range

Original poster
LolaTheShowgirl · 28/05/2009 09:47

Oh dear dietstartstomorrow...you are the clueless one!

OP posts:
dietstartstomorrow · 28/05/2009 09:49

eer - why? Am agreeing with you Lola

Gorionine · 28/05/2009 09:55

I relly do not see the link between recipes and being able to afford free range/organic meet, someone will have to expalain that one to me. I am a reasonably good cook, I cook meals from scratch but still cannot afford free range. One has got really nothing to do with the other IMHO.

Lola, I might have misunderstood her point but I think dietstartstomorrow was in fact backing YOU up!

Gorionine · 28/05/2009 09:56

x posted

Rhubarb · 28/05/2009 09:59

I'd love to be able to afford free range and organic food.

But my contract ends in Sept and they aren't going to renew it. Dh's job is not stable, he's already moved to a different depot because they closed it down. We have rent to pay as well as all the bills. So I'm sorry that a chicken is pecked to death, never sees sunlight etc etc. I truly am. Yes I'd love to see the practice stopped. But in the meantime, chicken and pork are the affordable meats for us.

A free-range chicken can cost £7 in the supermarket. An ordinary one costs £3. Go figure.

Unless you suggest we should be vegetarians.

Some people obviously think that poverty is a state of mind.

dietstartstomorrow · 28/05/2009 10:01

Thanks Gorionine

I think with the recipe thing people were just trying to say that if you buy FR, and use is carefully it can be affordable.

I buy FR and just eat less meat, but ensure we have no waste.

WinkyWinkola · 28/05/2009 10:01

I think you didn't see G's quote marks, Lola.

I'm wondering about lamb and beef. Does that have to be organic/fr to be considered ethical?

Aren't lambs and beef cattle out in the open anyway? Or are they treated appallingly too?

Because I can make 500grms of lamb mince (£3 from Asda) go a long way. Can make 12 koftas (enough for a meal for four) and a small shepherd's pie which is another meal.

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 28/05/2009 10:03

I buy from my butchers who uses Barn hens as I can't afford free range, but equally dislike buying caged birds.

I understand why some people do buy them though. Free range is very very expensive.

Those who will only buy free range chicken do you buy only free range lamb, beef, pork, butter, milk? Or is the suffering of cows, pigs and sheep not as publicised important to you?

morningpaper · 28/05/2009 10:04

I COMPLETELY agree with OP

If anyone lived near me they would too - the STENCH when the chicken-barns open their vents on a friday afternoon engulfs the whole of Taunton. It is the most disgusting smell EVER. There is NO WAY eating meat from those barns can be good for anyone.

Plenty of other sources of protein - most UK reared cows/pigs/sheep is a zillion times more ethical. Avoiding chicken is easy.

dietstartstomorrow · 28/05/2009 10:05

Rhubarb - I totally see where your coming from, so am not having a go.

However I really believe that you should not be able to buy a chicken for as low as £1.99 - it's crazy to me that a dead animal is nearly as cheap as a nice loaf of bread.

The cost should be £6-7 for that type of product, and we have the Supermarkets to blame for this cost issue.

bronze · 28/05/2009 10:05

you would think pork and beef woulf be better as they're big animals so have to live outside wouldn't you. sadly not the case
this is a good site for info on all areas of meat production

morningpaper · 28/05/2009 10:06

Is UK-reared cattle unethical?

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 28/05/2009 10:06

x post with Winky, they are also treat appallingly. But it has not been as widely publicised.

morningpaper · 28/05/2009 10:07

bronze when did you last buy meat from EGYPT?

bronze · 28/05/2009 10:08

mp makes a good point if you buy bBritish then the welfare standard is probably already slightlyhigher anyway

Rhubarb · 28/05/2009 10:09

Yes diet, you are probably right.

We eat cheap cuts most of the time. Lamb is out of the question as we can't afford it. Beef, we get minced beef or braising steak. I've even gotten my beef from Aldi before realising that meat from Aldi is inedible.

We also get tinned tuna and cheap salmon.

dh hates pork, but I do get it for curries. But we do eat a lot of chicken because everyone likes it, you can do a lot with chicken and because we can afford it.

I do feel bad and I wish I could afford free range, but I can't. I also wish I could afford organic veg as dh lived on a farm and he knows what crap they were sprayed with. But for now, a wash will have to do.

If the prices went up, fair enough I suppose. Chicken would then be a treat and I'd have to be more inventive when it came to mealtimes.

bronze · 28/05/2009 10:10

mp thats just the front page they have loads on info on there

and I haven't as I buy British or with chickens do them myself but who knows where some of this meat comes from

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 28/05/2009 10:11

Only slightly higher though. My Aunt who hates animals used to work for Anchor.

As part of her jon she had to visit different cattle farms. Even she, as a non animal lover was disgusted at the way non free range cows were treat. And is now completely veggie, since beef was the only meat she would eat to begin with.

And that was in the uk.