Please buy Free Range animal products!

[Meowster]

I've recently been reading about the way animals are reared and killed for consumption and it's pretty upsetting. Though I've always been concious about the decisions I make regarding meat and egg purchases, reading the details of the unnecessary suffering that animals go through just to produce cheap low quality meat is really upsetting and spurred me to start a thread about it, in case some of you don't already make awesome purchasing decisions when buying your meat. Yay!

I hope you guys choose your meat/eggs/milk wisely. Please always choose free range, freedom farmed meat. If you can't afford to buy free range meat then don't buy meat at all, don't support intensive farming. It's only a few £s difference and helps to support farmers who treat their animals with respect and give them a decent life before they end up on a plate. If you can't afford meat, buy some tasty vegetables or a nice bit of fish instead - they're cheaper and probably better for you!

Lots of people don't think about what they're buying. They buy the cheapest meat available without a thought to the suffering of the animal that meat came from. Please don't support this

If you want to be especially cool and sexy and awesome, you would also ask restaurants if the meat they serve is from free range animals, and you would not buy products containing eggs that you don't know are from free range hens. I admit this may be easier for me than it is for some, as I live in Brighton where people are quite conscious about this sort of thing. But make an effort anyway plx, because that makes you super extra ultra cool.

People who buy cheap intensively farmed meat are assholes. Don't be an asshole! Buy Free Range! Think of the animals! Meat from sad animals tastes bitter and salty and sad.

In all seriousness there is no excuse for buying intensively farmed meat so please, please think of the difference you make by buying free range

Bye!


ADDITIONAL VIEWING:
Imagine being born, living and dying here
Be glad you're not a chicken too
Happy pigs
Healthy happy turkeys
Happy cows!
Sad cows I wish I was a burger already

[Domino]

This video will make you very unhappy.  I love eating meat, but this vid brings a tear to my eye.  :'( :'( :'( :'(

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-513747926833909134

[Meowster]

Doesn't have to be that way if you buy freedom farmed meat

[lo_res_man]

You know, if we completely went back to nature, and only ate hunted animals, they wouldn't exactly be happy campers when they died.  In fact, given the human primitive style of relay racing to wear the sweatgland-lacking large mammals down, they would likely be more then a little hot and bothered.
So the absolutely most natural way, induces terror and panic in the flesh we eat.
But unfortunately, natural hunter gatherer tactics would not provide enough food for the world population as it stands today.
Plus, the term 'free-range' is so loose as far as the law goes, that most farms who claim this 'distinction', aren't exactly the ol' timey farmyards of good ol' yester year, with the chickens pecking at grubs and grains. Nope, it often just means they get to wander around densely packed in a covered enclosure. So instead of a Tokyo tube hotel existence, it's a Beijing rush hour existence.
Big improvement.
To be a prey species is fraught with peril. Farming has given them a roof over their head, and no need to worry about food.
Their are worse fates.

[Stupot]

I don't wish to sound insensitive but I'm really not fussy about where my meat or eggs come from.  That doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for the little blighters,  but I buy cheaper meat because I'm tight.  I probably could just about afford to splash out on free-range, Eco-friendly, dolphin-friendly, fair-trade, non-GM food (or whatever the latest hyphenated moral guilt fad of the year is), but if I'm brutally honest... I'm trying to save up for an Xbox 360 and could do with all the extra £s I can save.

Sorry little chickens.  I feel for you, I really do.  But I'm a growing lad with no disposable income.

[Meowster]

You know, if we completely went back to nature, and only ate hunted animals, they wouldn't exactly be happy campers when they died.  In fact, given the human primitive style of relay racing to wear the sweatgland-lacking large mammals down, they would likely be more then a little hot and bothered.
So the absolutely most natural way, induces terror and panic in the flesh we eat.
But unfortunately, natural hunter gatherer tactics would not provide enough food for the world population as it stands today.
Plus, the term 'free-range' is so loose as far as the law goes, that most farms who claim this 'distinction', aren't exactly the ol' timey farmyards of good ol' yester year, with the chickens pecking at grubs and grains. Nope, it often just means they get to wander around densely packed in a covered enclosure. So instead of a Tokyo tube hotel existence, it's a Beijing rush hour existence.
Big improvement.
To be a prey species is fraught with peril. Farming has given them a roof over their head, and no need to worry about food.
Their are worse fates.

I can't really make out your point... are you saying that because there are worse fates than being eaten, it shouldn't matter how an animal is treated? Or because you can never be 100% sure that meat is free range when it says it is, there's no point in trying?

That's a pretty ridiculous thing to say, if so. Or are you just pointing it out? Obviously some places are not so "free range" as others but making conscious choices and doing a bit of research is quite easy, it shouldn't stop anybody from trying!

Of course the world could not survive as it is using normal hunter gatherer techniques, but as it is most people eat far too much meat anyway, especially now that it can be farmed so intensively at the cost of animal welfare. It doesn't need to be this way, and there really is no reasonable excuse to justify that it is. Too many people in this world are grossly overweight and could probably do with cutting down on their intake of meat amongst other foods...


Also Stupot that's thee most selfish thing I've heard in a long while. Saying that you "feel" for the chickens is I assume a sarcastic statement since if you did, even vaguely, you would definitely not have the selfish attitude that you've just displayed. Actively choosing non-intensively farmed meat is not the latest moral fad, neither is the welfare and happiness of animals. Choosing free range is not the same as choosing organic or choosing non-GM - even though these things are arguably advantageous they are completely different issues.

It often costs the same or only very slightly less to make a move to free range, especially when it comes to eggs. Please consider it. Paying what, 20p extra for free range eggs is not going to stop you from saving for an xbox, but the money will go to a worthy cause.


I'm amazed at how many of the people replying to this thread have already shown a really terrible disregard for life. Appalling.

[Layabout]

I already try to eat organic, free-range food because it actually tastes better. But as long as the fast food giants stay in business, there will never be a lack of need for intensive farming.

Just don't make me call fish sea-kittens. What drugs are these people on. http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/

[monkey0506]

I really do apologize Meowster...under normal circumstances I completely and wholeheartedly agree with whatever it is you say, whether I've read it or not...and sometimes even whether you've said it or not!

However, on this I must completely and wholeheartedly disagree with whatever this thread is about.

Frankly, from a consumer-based standpoint it makes no difference to me whether my Pork Chops, Turkey Legs, or Haggis McMuttons come from a happy wonderful field of delightfulness, fun, and joy or a cramped dark hellholish Sawesque death-dungeon. The end result is the same. Meat on my plate.

I understand the "animal rights" argument, but as I'm not sympathetic toward the cause I don't honestly care where it comes from. Generally, I will buy whatever is the cheapest product of reasonable quantity and quality based upon what I paid for.

So if they start labeling half the ground beef as "Free Range" but the price for that is $0.15 (or even just $0.01) higher than the same product without the "Free Range" label, I promise I'll choose the one without the label. If it's the same price...it's a complete toss-up. If it's cheaper (again, even by $0.01), I'll take the FR.

As sarcastically as I began this post, I want to make it clear: I don't hate animals. In all honesty, I'd prefer to think that they lead happy and full lives before being lead to the slaughterhouse. But then again, I'm not really willing to pay more to make that happen. To me it simply doesn't matter enough for me to pay more for the same end-product.

I also understand everyone will have their own opinion on this matter. Again, this is just my opinion. To me, it's not a matter of the quality of the animal's life. They all have the same fate: to be murdered. But I think back to the example of my youngest sister...growing up we raised a few various animals, and our first pig was lovingly named "Wilbur," of course being taken from Charlotte's Web. (For the record, all of the animals we raised would be considered as "free range" compared to the given examples though they were fenced in)

When slaughtering time came, my sister (then about 4 or 5) asked, "Wilbur's dead now?"

My parents replied, "Yes honey, Wilbur's dead now."

"Wilbur's meat now?"

"Yes, Wilbur's meat now."

"I like meat!" She responded cheerfully.

For those who do care about animal rights and their quality of life, much respect. To me, it's just a void issue (personally).

[LimpingFish]

I think what low_res_man is getting at is that animals who become food in the wild, for other animals and/or people, suffer mental and physical anguish in their dying moments too. Plus, in life they have to provide food and shelter for themselves. Conversely, farming, free-range or otherwise, in a sense provides for the animals up to the point of death.

In theory.

The reality is that some (arguably the minority or the majority) farming is conducted without the animals well-being being taken into consideration, and that this mental and physical anguish can be a tortuously drawn out experience in certain cases. Killing animals for food is here to stay. But we can choose how the animal dies, and we can choose not to cause unnecessary suffering in any living creature. I'm uncomfortable with the thought of an animal being conscious at the moment of death; hanging a live lamb up by it's back legs, and slitting it's throat is horrible, regardless of how humanely the animal was treated beforehand.

But to be honest, it's not really something I give a lot of thought too. I, like a lot of people, am just too apathetic.

On the other hand, I don't eat a lot of red meat, but that which I do usually comes from free-range or organic herds. Same for chickens. And eggs, for that matter. It's not hard to do, or expensive, and the information is usually printed on the label.

[Meowster]

I can't believe what a selfish attitude that is Monkey. As long as you can acknowledge that your reasons for choosing cheaper meat are entirely selfish, I guess that's fine by me...

Layabout, I agree - organic/free range actually tastes better. I generally find that the better the farming methods, the better quality the meat - for instance chickens that have been reared slowly outdoors, instead of the intensively farmed ones that never see the light of day, the meat is poor quality with visible wounds, been fed all kinds of disgusting things to fatten it up fast... and they also tend to use incredibly fast-growing types of chickens bred specifically for meat, if memory serves correctly... Their bone structures are unable to support how fast they grow from hatching, it's really quite disgusting.

Yeah there's probably never going to be a lack of need for intensive farming, but if more people make the right decision then there'll be more free-range then there is intensive, and that's a start right? In places like Brighton there's such a large awareness of this issue that most pubs and restaurants here serve free range meat or supertasty vegetarian alternatives, which is awesome and admirable

I would never make you call fish "sea kittens". I manage to avoid a lot of stuff Peta do/say because I'm from the UK, but man they really do make a nuisance of themselves sometimes... which isn't good for their cause as it just turns people off it :-/


Limpingfish - most people are apathetic or have never paid much thought to it, hence this thread. Sometimes when you tell people this stuff, and how easy it is to switch to free range, they start making conscious decisions to. It's not hard, it takes no extra effort and very little extra expense but I think it's a good thing to do. Even just buying it when you can makes all the difference

[monkey0506]

I admit fully and completely that from the perspective of an animal rights sympathizer, my stand is selfish. I also admit that from a consumer stand it's not. So, it would probably be best for us to never have children as the two conflicting standpoints might just create some type of antipoint that would negate the entire universe. :

[Trent R]

My family is poor, so we buy what's cheapest. I don't care if that's a horrible slaughterhouse or happy fields and pastures with pigs and wolves getting along fine and dandy.


~Trent

[Trihan]

I'm probably going to sound really, really insensitive here. No, seriously. You're going to think I'm an absolutely horrible person and never want to speak to me again.

Okay, so think of it like this.

There are many different ways in which these animals can be treated. Kept holed up in tiny cages, left to roam free.

But all of these paths eventually lead the animal to one common location: your plate.

Whichever way you slice it, no matter what the conditions were these animals have been kept in, they're eventually going to be killed and turned into food.

And at that point, does it really matter how they were treated beforehand?

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

First of all, you have to choose whether or not you even believe that animals can suffer this thing called 'mental anguish'.  We know from scientific (and unscientific) tests that they feel pain and have an instinctual fight or flight response to it, but since animals are not higher thinking, sentient beings, I do not believe they suffer 'mental anguish'.  I think the abundance of anthropomorphic shows by Disney and others have, over time, given some people a skewed perspective of the animal kingdom, making us feel guilty when we see <insert favorite tasty animal>  slaughtered, and I refuse to feel guilty or selfish or any other nonsense because I like animal flesh.  It tastes wonderful!

On the subject of living conditions, however, there is one very sound reason why I'm opposed to animals being kept in their own filth or forced in tight quarters:  disease.  China learned a lot about the stupidity of keeping multiple animals cramped together in their own excrement with Bird Flu, and there's a lesson in there for any farmer.  I'm not really concerned with the animals being 'happy' because they are going to be food anyway, but I definitely think they should be kept as well as possible to limit things like Mad Cow, hoof and mouth, and such.  

Frankly, I find it ridiculous that anyone would be concerned with the happiness of animals destined to become hamhocks, but okay...

[RickJ]

And at that point, does it really matter how they were treated beforehand?

Well yes it does, actually ...

1.  The manner in which one treats (or allows others to treat) those who are less powerful says a lot about one's character.

2.  Just because an animal is destined to be killed for food does not justify the infliction of additional pain and suffering for it's entire life.   Civilized and thoughtful human beings ought to be grateful and respectful of the creatures who give them sustenance.

I think the abundance of anthropomorphic shows by Disney and others have, over time, given some people a skewed perspective of the animal kingdom, making us feel guilty when we see <insert favorite tasty animal>  slaughtered, and I refuse to feel guilty or selfish or any other nonsense because I like animal flesh.  It tastes wonderful!

I would agree that there is a Bambi Syndrome out there where people attribute characteristics to animals which they do not have.   This however does not justify the intentional infliction of pain and suffering on any living thing.

Kudos to Meowster for  this post

[MillsJROSS]

I think it would be far more beneficial to try to appeal to people on a portion control level. We eat far too much meat (at least here in the states). Eating too much meat has negative health effects, and there's more of environmental impact in producing meat. Whereas fruits/vegetables/grains grow much faster than the years it can take to grow livestock.

I, generally, avoid meat for breakfast and lunch. With dinner I'm more prone to making vegetarian things at home, but eating meat at a restaurant. Mostly, I do this because I don't like cooking with raw meat at home, though, not because I'm health conscious.

-MillsJROSS

[space boy]

Progz, what you said about animals not being sentient: regardless of whether you have empathy for animals or not, I don't think you're in the position to tell what is subjectively going on in the mind of another creature.

Also, laws against animal cruelty were established way before the first disney movie was made.

[BOYD1981]

personally i think people should put the needs of other human beings before those of animals that are just going to be eaten anyway, the whole matter is very low down on my list of stuff that's actually important.
there are plenty of homeless and poor people out there that the general public isn't doing anything to help, but they'll pay an extra couple of quid for so called free range or organic produce.
and i don't believe that just because something is organic of free range that it tastes better, in fact i'd go as far as saying that anyone who says so is talking bullshit. you're just allowing yourself to believe it tastes better because apparently the animal didn't suffer before it was slaughtered and it's corpse cooked for your enjoyment.
if you give that much of a shit about the welfare of animals why not become a damn vegetarian instead of a hypocrit trying to convert people over to this much more sensitive way of thinking?
what we really need is michael moore to make a documentary about it.

[Babar]

While I understand the advantages (both to myself and to the animal) of having free-range meat in terms of health and humanity, I have to say that I find free-range chicken very tough and chewy, and almost always much smaller than the farm version. I do, however prefer free-range, organic eggs to farm eggs, but am also in a position where I don't have to pay for them (I own 5 hens). Anyhoo...you don't have to worry on my account, whenever I have meat (every one or two days) it is free-range.

As callous as it is to say, seeing how we've set up our world, you'll be more successful talking about how it benefits US to have free range animal products rather than the animals. Even then, when that benefit comes at an increased cost (no matter how small), some people just won't bother. This will result in weak, unfit, overweight and unhealthy people, but they'll be weak, unfit, overweight and unhealthy people who think they're saving money.

[Trihan]

The thing is, RickJ, that it's not -me- treating the animals that way. And the only proof I have that they're even being treated "humanely" by the people who claim to do so is their word for it. I never know how the animals I eat were treated before they were slaughtered, and regardless of how I might feel about it the fact of the matter is that I never will.