If others can rant -

[tim]

Pass my hanky, please!!

PS There are alternatives to the 'wallow' - hopefully sympathetic. Richard Woodall supplies The Queen.
           " We also feel that freedom of movement is important for the animals and accordingly they are not confined in stalls or crates but are housed in straw filled barns with natural light and fresh air. The breeding sows have permanent access to a large outdoor exercise area. Much of the pork imported into this country is from animals which have been kept in cramped stalls and crates. These conditions are being phased out in the UK but new units are still being built abroad to these inhumane, but cost effective, specifications."

[tim]

[Tulipa]

Wardy, those pigs sound so happy!  We used to pigsit for friends who kept just two, they were lovely animals and so inquisitive, they are so different from what I had imagined.  They loved having their backs tickled.  I would love to keep some if I had the space.

[TULIP-23]

Tim
One thing or the other!!!![ These conditions are being phased out in the UK.............but new  units are being built
abroad..........and in the UK. Dont kid yourself its not
happening over there also TIm

[tim]

Let's just keep making noises about it - maybe it'll go away??

I wish!

[NattyEm]

Best thing to do is vote with your mouth, and only eat meat reared in an acceptable way, try to avoid the supermarkets, as using them even if not for meat is still encouraging them to flourish,  AND keep making the noises! 

[Jesse]

Just been to buy a few things at my farm shop and I see there is a notice by the milk now saying that the two local dairies that supplied the milk to them have now been bought out by a national dairy so they are having to provide milk from the national dairy until another local supplier can be sourced (better national I guess than foreign). Chatting to the staff in the shop it seems they are having difficulty finding a local dairy. I felt very sad that the small dairies have sold out to larger ones but I guess if they're not making a living this will happen. It's down to the consumers if we want all our farmers to go this way, only if we all support them can they keep going. Was talking to my in-laws this weekend about buying local, they are huge supporters of buying whatever is cheapest with no interest how or where it was produced, they take the approach of if they don't ask then they don't know and don't have to think of the cruelty involved to produce the goods. After much discussion they have promised me that although they can't afford (which again is a poor excuse because they're not exactly on the breadline) to buy their whole shop from local suppliers they are going to buy their meat and veg from our local farmers market from now on so that they are contributing a little towards supporting local farms. They used to buy the cheapest eggs they could lay their hands on but I have put a stop to that as well because they are now buying eggs from me and my happy freeish-range hens. I am quite pleased with them, at least they're making a start to thinking about how and where their food comes from.

[Moggle]

Thanks nattyem for sharing that meatrix site, gave me plenty to think about. I've been going on for a couple of months about using a local butcher and not the supermarket for meat, but at the end of the day I didn't cos the supermarket is so much easier. Just have to get my act together and make the effort to buy local! Must do the same with milk!

[Jesse]

Didn't see the meatrix link in the earlier post, very interesting and now horrified that that's probably the type of farm I bought my milk from today  :o but then there was no other choice at the moment, am going to keep asking everytime I go into the farm shop if they have found a local family farm to supply milk yet, if I keep nagging them they may find an alternative more quickly.

[tim]

'Afford' - yes, a constant cry. Which I do understand. But, in many cases, like a big free range chicken, it'll give you far more meat, flavour & real stock for your money than your poor 6 week thingy.

DON'T Google battery hens or supermarket chicken!

[TULIP-23]

No Tim ::)

Only E. Bay ;)

[wardy]

I buy a whole Derbyshire free range chicken via my local deli and it's lovely.  A large chuck is abut £6.00.  I find that some supermarket battery chicken is really stringy (Somerfield).   I wanted some chicken for tea but cannot get in car cos of back so am making do with what's in, eg a home-made bean soup which involves no cruelty to any living except to me as I have a right pain in my nether regions  ;D