The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

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fabindia
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Re: The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

Post by fabindia »

Nicely put Manda.
Michael
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Re: The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

Post by Freeranger »

I agree with many of the points on here - Manda's especially. We do have the option to go veggie if we're truly worried about factory farming conditions; raising your own seems entirely sensible if you can do it (though I'd have to trade because I'd become too close). Proper food handling clearly solves most of the issues or 3/4 of the carnivores we know would be ill all the time, and obviously they aren't. It's demonstrably not a public health crisis.
Our area is very rural and based on hill farming. There's some organic farming, but mostly lots of well-tended animals with loads of room to roam and a practically 'in the wild' experience. Other Half stopped being a veggie when we moved here because standards are high and food chains are short, so his ethical objections were overcome. The animals seem happy but this brings its own health and welfare challenges, and nature is not always kind. Conditions can be harsh, and problems can go un-noticed for some time. Even in fields they are susceptible to parasites and disease - as would humans be without medicines and healthcare.
The only way to be sure that everything farmed in quantity is 'safe' is to stuff it full of precautionary anti-biotics and anti-parasitics, The only way to not 'exploit' other species is not to keep them at all, and then the eco-system would be in trouble and many would die out, as they are kept only for farming purposes. The third way is organic farming, with numbers and natural defences controlled. Maybe we should all eat less but organic meat, with welfare standards more assured: if that means keeping it yourself then so be it.
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saint-spoon
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Re: The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

Post by saint-spoon »

Some good points. We try and have the best welfare raised meat that we can, English beef, free range chicken and eggs, higher standard pork (generally we have spoilt pig because it is not full of water, tastes excellent and it is from free range (according to the package and webpage) but it does cost more to have these things so they are not within the budget for some. But it is not always easy to achieve; taking the kids to KFC and straight away you have decided to eat meat from poorly treated birds, having a take-it-away from the local Indian or Chinese is impossible to know unless you go for the veggie option. Even buying cakes from the shop leaves you in doubt about the welfare of the eggs and so on. But we must be realistic, animals die regardless, the very process of farming food kills animals, even free range organic vegetarian farming will involves the deaths of animals somewhere along the line, it is just where individuals draw the line. No matter how you look at it, modern farming methods are causing our native forna and flora to die off; essentially the young birds or animals are either not surviving, the adults are dying before they have chance to breed or there simply isn’t enough food to sustain the populations. It’s about drawing the line, i have know folk who professed to be vegetarians, even going so far as to state that they couldn’t be friends with non-vegetarians, yet they ate prawns and kept carnivores as pets. Here we draw back to a form of speciesism and anthropomorphising some animals and not others; prawns aren’t cute and cuddly so it is OK to eat them yet sheep (other Ruminants available) are anthropomorphised and it is not acceptable to eat.
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Sandra M
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Re: The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

Post by Sandra M »

we raise pigs chickens ducks and this year are first turkeys for meat and eggs as we know what has gone in them they have a good life. We also grow are veg but we also buy from super markets as we can't provide everything we need we don't have loads of land but make good use of what we have. I also think it is a good thing to be able to teach the next generation all are kids are now grown up and grow their own veg and our grand kids love all the animal but they know they are food. We have never had food poisoning as long as meat is stored properly and cooked right you should be ok.
chookmike
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Re: The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

Post by chookmike »

If by 'dirty' people mean that chickens carry bacteria on their skin and in their gut, then they are indeed 'dirty'

This also goes for the cat and a couple of others in the household. Rebecca and I.

While I detest the idea of caged hens, it will require a highly unlikely change in the world's conscience for a change to come about. Are we all being totally honest when we say we pass over the £4 chicken and pick up the Free Range £12 one? The label says the cheap ones have natural light and room to 'display natural behaviour' so that weakens our resolve.

Hugh Fearnly Wittingstall showed us what this means in reality. Massive barns with obscene overcrowding. 'Free Range' means the barn has a small door leading out to a small muddy area and a given hen can spend its life failing to get close enough to the door to see the sky. Because we are an overpopulated planet and in the UK pay about 70% of our income back to a government that simply wastes it, people need to have affordable food. Vegetarianism is a fine thing but our species has two shapes of teeth because we are designed to run as omnivores.

I write looking at our last two hens and one cat wandering around the garden - well, the cat is asleep actually- but they will all be buried with full honours if I outlast them. Food is simply different, and while we should continue to press for better animal rearing practices, the traditional 'jolly farmer' is long gone. Farming is a business with all the cynicism that maintaining a business demands. If we want farming to stop, then we should cease eating anything purchased. Good luck with that!

Cheers

Mike
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Re: The purchased Chicken 'Killer Bug'

Post by Freeranger »

I'm not sure what point you make there, Mike. Are you saying that traditional farming methods would be acceptable or that all farming is bad?
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