Pigs culling - necessary part of transition

[LadyWithLapdog]

WTF Johnson and Brexit supporters. I’m not a raving vegan but this is nasty and indecent, this callous remark that killing animals for nothing is just to be expected. Shameful.

That makes sense, Persephone. I mean, it's fucked up, but I kind of thought it must have to happen like that.

MIL is a diehard Tory, and even she exasperatedly complained "Boris Johnson doesn't seem to understand these killed pigs aren't actually going into the food chain!!" Surreal to have a convo with her about what a stupid thing the Tory pM just said.

Well what do you want to do with them?!

I’m surprised people aren’t more shocked and appalled. Imagine it was 120000 cats or dogs.

@LadyWithLapdog,

It is a waste of money, that is it.

You can be appalled by that, but, as many have said, the pigs themselves will probably die a better death culled on farms than gassed with carbon dioxide in an abattoir.

This isn’t an animal rights issue.

@LadyWithLapdog

I’m surprised people aren’t more shocked and appalled. Imagine it was 120000 cats or dogs.

I suppose we became somewhat hardened towards it after the French farmers burned British sheep alive, and killed others in other ways (not in slaughterhouses) in the 1990 blockade.

Its not an animal right issue it’s just a wanton destruction of animal lives issue. Due to lack of planning by the Tories. I doubt the deluded fuckers who voted brexit voted for killing pigs this way.

I don’t know what French farmers did in the 90s and this in no way justifies the English behaviour, if you want to bring nationality into it.

And sheep don’t have nationality. They weren’t British. Just animals.

At least in the gas chambers at the abattoir the pigs don’t know what is happening , when they are all being prodded and shot on the farm they can see and hear what is happening. They are terrified .

@LadyWithLapdog

I don’t know what French farmers did in the 90s and this in no way justifies the English behaviour, if you want to bring nationality into it.

And sheep don’t have nationality. They weren’t British. Just animals.

It was intended to show how the very recent history of farmed animals during trade issues might influence people's reaction.

You were wondering why no outcry. I was suggesting a reason.

Clearly an unwelcome one to you. But you might like to consider the possibility that it is not entirely irrelevant when considering that aspect.

@gerispringer I don’t know the details and whether one death is better than another. Of course I’d rather they weren’t needed at all and never born into their short and miserable life.

@RancidOldHag the 90s were 20-30 years ago. What trade issues? This is a Brexit issue.

Boris is a thick, nasty, sneery idiot. The way he said about hate to break it to you but pigs die is disgusting and shows he either doesn’t give a shit or is clueless.

The animals are being killed but can’t be used. So even putting animal welfare/the pointlessness of it aside the farmer doesn’t get paid. So financially crippling for them. And I’m sure will result in higher pork prices for consumers.

I hear dairy farmers are throwing milk away due to lack of hgv tanker drivers. So milk prices will probably go up.

On top of soaring energy prices, car prices, timber prices, food prices, general inflation and every costs more.

And Boris laughs about it! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

CovidCorvid - that’s what I was getting at. It’s the disrespect and disregard and just another jolly jape haha.

I'm really sorry if this is a stupid question, but I don't understand why they have to kill them? I get that they can't be sold as meat now, but why does that mean they have to kill them? Can't they just carry on living on the farms until they die naturally?

Trouble is it isn't as if people will stop buying bacon, so it will be imported from Europe, hence even more pigs will die to replace those we have burnt.

@Youarestillintherunning

I'm really sorry if this is a stupid question, but I don't understand why they have to kill them? I get that they can't be sold as meat now, but why does that mean they have to kill them? Can't they just carry on living on the farms until they die naturally?

Not sure about pigs but I know once chickens get past a certain age they are considered too old to eat, the meat is too tough. Maybe the same for pigs? Maybe it doesn’t become cost effective to keep feeding them if there’s no end in sight?

@Upsielazy

It is wasteful, but animals being killed so their flesh can be wrapped in plastic packaging and sold to humans is pretty gross anyway. I'm sure the poor pigs being slaughtered aren't overly arsed about whether it's to be eaten or because there is no one to rip the flesh from their bones and chop it up.

Yep ^

@Youarestillintherunning

I'm really sorry if this is a stupid question, but I don't understand why they have to kill them? I get that they can't be sold as meat now, but why does that mean they have to kill them? Can't they just carry on living on the farms until they die naturally?

Because they need feeding. They can live up to 10-15 years. They are usually sent for slaughter at 6 months. (Might be wrong, just a quick google.)

Also they are not usually “living on the farm”, but in cramped horrible conditions.

The whataboutery is ridiculous. So 30 years ago some animals got caught up in a protest?

Right now, our own PM sarcastically brushed aside the waste with his callous “hate to break it to you but animals will die anyway.”

Right now farmers are burning their livelihoods. The waste and pointlessness of it all, especially considering how much food poverty has increased in Britain under Tory austerity and leadership, is disgusting.

And to then have to buy EU pork to fill the gaps, when the only reason for this entire shitshow in the first place was to satisfy the Brexiters who wanted to increase Britain’s self sufficiency.

@Cattitudes

Trouble is it isn't as if people will stop buying bacon, so it will be imported from Europe, hence even more pigs will die to replace those we have burnt.

It takes a good year to plan your pig supply as you have to plan pregnancies and feed them. So it isn’t that even more pigs will die (same number available) but demand and therefore prices will be high.

I think they have to kill them because they are the wrong size to process - if they don't fit into the existing packaging what do you do with them.

But I don't see it is the Gov's fault - I mean Brexit was 5 years ago. Many working here from E Europe etc went home farmer should have adapted for that .
The gas shortage - well we are trying to save the planet by closing coal power stations. Huge demand on gas all over, no CO2 for stunning animals.
So they're stuck wiht thousands of unwanted pigs. It's a nightmare but not particularly anyone's fault. It's due if anything to our methods of farming.

Ahh yes, makes sense (financially) if they are still having to pay for their food etc, and I didn't think about the fact that not all of them will be on nice, big farms. The idea of them being killed like this is so sad. It feels like it's just one thing after another in this country at the moment

Brexit wasn’t 5 years ago…..the vote may have been 5 years ago but a lot of the implications didn’t happen until earlier this year and some are still to come into force.

In pre brexit times workers from Eastern Europe may have returned home but it was a two way street…..new people came. Now it’s a one way street and leaving workers aren’t being replaced as nobody is coming.

The closure of local abattoirs / kill on farm created this problem. Smaller abattoirs less distressing to work in. Who wants to work in a really large slaughterhouse? Grim either way but local towns always found people to work in them. It is only the few decades or so that the industry has become reliant on cheap foreign labour.