The Morals Of Meat

For my first foray into blogging I’ve decided on the topic that is closest to my heart. It is one that has been written about hundreds of times before but I believe one that every meat eater should at least consider. So here is my tuppence worth on the morals of meat which I will try to keep short and expand on some points in later blogs.

As a carnivore (or vegetarian in the case of dairy) in modern society you or I are indirectly condoning the slaughtering of the animals used to produce the meat products we eat. As a bye-product of this comes the acceptance and agreement of the methods used in the husbandry of these animals. I personally do not have a problem with the idea of eating meat and also fully appreciate the views of vegetarians, vegans and others but I do believe that the husbandry and general well-being of the animals should be of critical importance.

The rise of mass-produced, intensive and industrially raised animals had led to a dramatic decrease in living-standards of the animals fuelled by a large consumer desire for cheap meat. In writing these now fairly well-known points I realise that those who read this will more-than-likely already have their own stance on this and herein lies the issue. With no disrespect meant, the common consumer does not wish to and will not consider these issues when purchasing vac-packed cuts from the supermarket. In some cases these people do not even care to be reminded that the “product” they are purchasing is even an animal.

So, what can be done? Could the government introduce higher basic standards removing processes such as battery chickens or intensive dairy herds? Possible but unlikely seems the outcome of that argument. As always in business it is a case of demand. The 30% of meat bought out of supermarkets will largely be bought by concerned and knowledgeable customers at local butchers but even this does not guarantee animal standards. I believe that the more knowledge is put out into the public domain the better. This can be from schools to TV chefs (who I think do a good job in initially raising awareness).

The end of the matter is that it is a personal choice. However, the more people that pose the questions the more consideration people will give to it and hopefully more people will fall on the side of well-cared for and considerately produced animal products.

As side note my personal stance on this subject is currently changing dramatically. While I have always been an advocate of free-range chicken and eggs (not eating anything else for years) I currently am unsure about the state of other animals. Ideally I would love to visit these intensively reared pigs for example to make my own mind up and likewise visit an intensive milk producer. It is this last point that bothers me most though and can be summarised as follows: Where do I, as the “concerned” (as I put it) consumer, draw the line? Having recently read Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “Meat” I have re-evaluated the position of this line and begun to live by the less quantity and more quantity philosophy he puts forward and as such am eating good quality meat, but less frequently. 

Please comment and discuss these issues as I realise that the topic grows and grows the more it is discussed but that is, after all, what I feel we need to do.

The Student Foody