Never thought - going vegetarian

[jmill]

I feel upset about recent abattoir stories in the news recently regarding their horrific treatment of animals. It put me off eating meat in an instant, those men are bullying monsters, and I bet it goes on in loads of other places. I feel shameful having ever eaten meat.

Grim isn't it.

Do consider becoming a vegetarian The Vegetarian Society is a great place to start

Thank you, I have checked out the recipes on their, they look great.

Silly thing isn't DD went vegetarian in year 2, she's in year 6 now - it was completely her decision. I should have joined her then.

I have to say that while unfortunately things can and do go wrong in abattoirs, my experiences of them are really very good. Staff have been respectful, highly skilled and have acted with decency any time I have been in an abattoir. I am happy to eat meat having witnessed the process first hand. In the same way as horror stories about care homes don't mean all vulnerable elderly people are being abused, not every abattoir is a house of horrors.

Surely by it's very definition, an abattoir IS a house of horrors.

In what capacity were you in abattoirs, badoomtish?

I felt that way almost 10 years ago after reading an awful story about abattoirs, I can still remember some of it. I already felt uncomfortable about it but changed the channel or flipped the page when I saw something about it.

The story I read finished by concluding we either do something about it or ignore it by changing the channel or turning the page. So I never had meat again after that. I don't miss it and I feel glad I am not part of the awful chain of those poor animals. I will buy and cook meat for my DH and DC but only high welfare, outdoor reared products. Although the more I read about that, it's sometimes just that they spent 2 seconds outside or had access to a door if they wanted to go outside. I feel that if it is my money then I don't want any of it funding awful treatment of animals, it is expensive but I see it as the fair cost of an animal's life and would rather they had that once a fortnight than cheap dubious meat everyday.

The Quorn range and similar is great if you feel like a sausage or escalope.

You don't kill what you respect. And I think every animal in the abbatoir thinks it's gone wrong.

The point of a care home is to CARE. If they fail at that they've failed at their purpose as well as being cruel. The point of the abbatoir is to kill for profit!

I feel ashamed that I ever did too. But I am happy now in the knowledge that I don't and never will again.

As a vet I've been present in abattoirs for work experience, research projects and in a professional capacity.

I deal with animals raised for meat in my working life and see the UK's extremely high welfare standards in action for myself. In every industry there are those who cut corners or fail in their duty, but the general level of welfare in the UK is very good and personally I have confidence in UK meat.

That doesn't mean I don't buy meat directly from our butcher or local farms - sourcing any food locally is always better for many reasons.

It is a highly emotive subject and I really can understand why people who have seen animal abuse or technical failings during the slaughter process feel they can't eat meat at all. The idea that animals suffer to put food on our table is dreadful. All I am saying is that the vast majority of meat is produced in much better circumstances than the examples you are familiar with.

A vet??? How do you decide which animals to save, and which to eat?

And surely, the thugs who kick and beat animals aren't going to do so in front of you, are they! Yet there are countless undercover videos of people causing extra harm to these sentient creatures.
What kind of person goes into a job thinking "I know, for my career I am going to kill animals. What a nice thing to be doing all day long."? Someone who isn't very kind, that's who.

Animals go to slaughterhouses to DIE. There is no happy meat, there is no happy knife. It's pure horror. And unnecessary, as the many many long-term meat-avoiders are evidence of.

Whether you decide to be a vegetarian or not I think it would be a mistake to make the judgement based on one sensationalised bad example in one substandard abattoir. I've also been closely involved in the meat industry and one of the abiding principles of a good meat processing plant is that well cared for animals produce a better quality end product than stressed ones. So it makes commercial sense to treat animals carefully prior to slaughter

'which animals to save....'

The role of the vet in an abattoir is not to save animals .... slightly ridiculous idea .... but (amongst other things) to make sure that good animal welfare standards are adhered to prior to slaughter and also to check the health of the carcasses post slaughter to determine that they are fit for human consumption. The skill of the people who work in abattoirs is key to it being as humane a process as possible. They are not oddballs just because of the job they do.

Vegetarian cooking smells so much nicer than meat cooking. I was born as raised a veggie, turned meattie in my teens, but then turned back again because I p
refer a vegetarian diet in every way. It's no myth that veggies have better skin

Cogito has responded to your points pretty comprehensively, Abby.

I don't think an entire slaughterhouse goes on best behaviour when there's a vet student on the premises, somehow. I've seen examples of bad practice or poor technique but always found staff to be keen to take constructive advice on board and they have always, in my experience, taken pride in what they see as a job which it's vital to carry out properly.

I respect your choice not to eat meat, but perhaps you should base your judgement of abattoir conditions on first hand experience rather than hyperbolic YouTube channels?

'Animals go to slaughterhouses to DIE'

I think that statement gets today's 'No Shit Sherlock Award'. LOL!!!

I think Abby probably wasn't aware that a vet is present in every UK abattoir while slaughter is being carried out.

I think your point about first hand experience before forming judgements is a good one. So few take the trouble - as evidenced above

I can barely even read this thread let watch anything on the tv or internet. I find it very upsetting.
I've been vegetarian for all my adult life but I definitely, as someone up thread said, turn the page or switch the channel if I come across anything about cruelty or abuse.

If you are upset with abbtoirs then you need to consider being Vegan as the Dairy also contributes to the meat industry.

Dairy industry.

i think even if you dont start off deranged working in an abbatoir with a certain sort of mindset, it would probably drive anyone there in the end.

Ive had periods of being veggie before. Longest was 11 years, but have gone pretty much vegetarian again since new year and it has been really easy. Even if i miss meat, the substitutes these days are so much better than when i did it before.

As long as humans continue to eat meat and animal produce there will always be suffering and cruelty. High welfare regulations or not.
Not to mention the horrendously catastrophic environmental impact it has. I think it all needs to stop, personally.

What needs to stop? The meat industry in its entirety?

I've been veggie borderline vegan since I was a child and saw a animal being slaughtered. Aside from a few issues with the 'production' system itself, I don't believe in eating what I would not kill myself and (pardon the pun) I definitely don't have the stomach for the slaughterhouse. I was fairly militant about it in my teens, less so now but I do feel strongly.
I do acknowledge though as was mentioned above that we do have some of the most humane slaughter houses in the world, if one can grade such things.
I second that the vegetarian society is a good place to start.

Yes, the meat (and dairy) industries in their entirety. Think that's wild? Impossible? Never gonna happen? They said the same about human slavery. Eventually, minds were changed, weren't they, and now we look back in horror at how people behaved in those days. There is simply no NEED for animal flesh. Humans do not need it. So killing animals for our food can never be humane, because it is done for selfish reasons - namely greed, taste, habit, convenience. There is no point during that blade severing an artery that it can possibly be called humane. Humane is just a word used to make meat-eaters feel slightly less guilty.
No such thing as humane rape, is there. Humane bullying? Nope.

What kind of vet goes into vet school thinking "I know, my dream job will be to oversee animals getting their throats slit."? Shouldn't be called vets - animal death supervisors would be more apt.

I have seen plenty of undercover videos (long term vegan here) - the current example is far from a one off. Those claiming it is obviously have vested interests - e.g. work, or they simply like to eat meat.

All vet students do an abattoir placement abby.