Protest for the £3 chicken

[chickenfan]

I noticed on today's lunchtime news that the supermarkets are competing with each other to offer 'bargain' foods. Morrisons now offers a £3 chicken and ASDA offers a £2.00 chicken. I'm sure that these birds must be suffering appalling welfare issues and that we should all be writing to our local supermarkets to say that we want humanely reared birds, not bargain ones.

 

[valeriebutterley]

I agree with you Chickenfan, Camberley does not have a butcher that is convenient for me.
I would have to make a conscious decision to get the car out and go to a local butcher. Yesterday I made up my mind to do just that, chicken was one of the meats I was considering.

I was telling a friend a few weeks ago that I had taken 5 of my Croad cockerels to the vet to be put to sleep as they were unwanted, and she said she knew someone who would have taken all the birds and returned one, oven ready as payment, did I like the idea?, I told her I had no objection at all.
The boys were lovely, huge, garden reared and had never been to the vet, no antibiotics or medication.

Whether this will actually ever happen remains to be seen, I would like to think it may - am I wrong?.

 

[ColinB]

Indeed. I noticed Countryfile did an article on the 'fake farms' that supermarkets pretend to have to give their produce (both meat and veg) a more friendly face. Sort of so you are fooled (or can fool yourself) in to thinking you're getting the rural idyll of farm production rather than the high-intensity, high-pesticide, high antibiotic use of modern factory farming methods.

 

[chrismahon]

These offers may be what they call 'loss leaders' Chickenfan- where the supermarket sells a product at less than cost to get shoppers into their store, hoping they buy other products whilst they are in there. Beware of products carrying the Red Tractor mark, as they have the lowest welfare standards of them all so basically any worse and they would be closed down.

People don't realise that these chickens are only 5 weeks old, so they have had no life other than in a large shed. Worse still are the injuries sustained when they are being reared and collected for slaughter. Broken legs are common because the bone structure can't keep pace with the flesh growth rate. Then hip dislocations are common because they are picked up by their legs to go onto the conveyor upside-down. Horrendous welfare in this day-and-age.

Can't say I like the texture of the birds anyway. The meat seems mushy and sticks my teeth together whilst chewing. Chicken here is reared more naturally and is far more expensive, but the taste and texture is very different. La Bresse must be 4 months old minimum and reared outside. There are cheaper imports but I have never seen food sold here that comes from England. Here they advertise 'no antibiotics' which is a concern because some producers must therefore use them routinely?

 

[chickenfan]

Yes, I think all commercial birds are heavily medicated. Egg layers are vaccinated every week of their lives until 16 weeks. I once went to a poultry vet that mainly covered farms and he was keen for all my birds (a healthy flock) to be on all sorts of strong medication that said there was no egg or meat withdrawal period. Most live vaccines have mercury in. I just don't think any bird should be sold for £2-3 (the price of an ice-cream) even if it is only 5 weeks old - and why have the supermarkets chosen chicken as their example or loss-leader? It is such a popular food, and I can't understand why people should want it at such a low price.

I'm glad to hear rearing methods are better in France. Sadly, butcher chickens here are no better than supermarket ones. I visited the farm and slaughter house our butchers' (and River Cottage) use. The birds are roughly treated as you say - slung up upside down on a conveyor belt squaking and cheeping, run through an electric water bath that is supposed to kill them, but if they lift their head it doesn't and they are de-feathered still alive. But the most horrifying thing was the scale of it all even at a small slaughterhouse. All the birds from different farms in crates waiting to go on the conveyor and a bird killed ever second. This is why they can be so cheap - because we don't care enough even about the killing, let alone the life they have before they are killed and the terrible breeding of a bird with bones not keeping up with their flesh growth. There are much better ways of killing than a water bath and it is not approved of by the Humane Slaughter Association, but most smaller places use it for economy. I think birds are more abused than any other farm animal - perhaps because people think they have no brains.

 

[rick]

Pigs don't do any better by all accounts! Its such a massive business and I suppose no-one wants to pay more, especially with all the marketing claims made that are impossible for the consumer to check out in every case - like the red tractor Chris was mentioning and my particular dislike which is smiling food animals on packaging.
But voting with our own shopping is the only thing that works.

 

[chrismahon]

You would be staggered by the difference in taste between a French and UK pork chop Rick, due partially to the breeds and mainly to the method of production- small farmers with a dozen wandering about their land. I bought 5 Kg of butcher's 'best' bacon over last trip and it is bland in the extreme, so I doubt we will ever eat it! It was expensive as well.

 

[rick]

I think its all about what people want ultimately Chris. The supermarkets do have a responsibility to take the lead but when they do, occasionally, put local produce on the shelf then we have a responsibility to support it if we want to change the situation. The difference between Tesco and Super U is remarkable and its because that's what French people want. Then again its difficult in England - what you might be prepared to pay for is not presented in the first place because the supermarket is risk averse and has squashed the local competition.
The model of biggest competes best is getting tired here - it will give you the cheapest (in theory) but there is no real choice for competition as uniformity and guaranteed supply present a choice between not good and worse, and nowhere else to go.

I think we haven’t yet learned that competition can also drive down quality if price is the only tangible measure and marketing fudges the rest while the industry has all the personal touch squeezed out.

... but when I say 'we' I mean the general public, of course, not us enlightened and conscientious chicken keepers!

 

[dinosaw]

The CAP effectively supports small scale traditional agriculture in France, in the UK we use our subsidies to support large scale farming which is part of the reason why traditional methods of rearing meat have died. The economics of pig farming in particular are brutal. Add to that the fact that the British consumer doesn't like 'strong tasting' meat let alone offal and it is no surprise that it isn't readily available. Of course you can go down to Borough Market and buy salt marsh lamb, rare breed beef, mutton and wild boar and anything else that takes your fancy but it is a niche market and it is also expensive. My experience is that most people only care about animal welfare provided it doesn't cost them anything, but then most people don't give a damn about human welfare either unless it lands close to home.

 

[rick]

...but then most people don't give a damn about human welfare either unless it lands close to home.

Sadly, very true!

Does anyone remember the Pink Floyd track 'Sheep' from the album 'Animals'? In the end the sheep revolt and the track finishes;
"... then we'll make the bu***rs eyes water!"

But I don't think Roger Walters ever wrote a song about chickens and, to their eternal credit, the animals are innocent and just don't think like that.

 

[dinosaw]

Does anyone remember the Pink Floyd track 'Sheep' from the album 'Animals'? In the end the sheep revolt and the track finishes;
"... then we'll make the bu***rs eyes water!"

As far as animal revenge songs go my favourite is Supernature by Cerrone.

 

[rick]

As far as animal revenge songs go my favourite is Supernature by Cerrone.

I haven't heard that one Dinosaw. Will look it up.

On a different tack - its amazing the proportion of sandwiches in the canteen at work that contain chicken. Its pretty nondescript stuff and could be swapped out for Quorn with very few noticing the difference but I cant think of any shops that sell a Quorn and lettuce sandwich or wrap (including Pret and they are pretty good on alternatives.) Has egg in it of course (though supposed to be 'free range') - there's always a catch!