Warm boot recommendations please

[missuscluck]

I thought the chicken run programme was good. It wil get worse tonight but I will still be watching. I thought that the allotment experiment was great. It all looks lovley and the chooks have a great run. The people helping look like they are enjoying it too. Hope it all does some good and coverts enough people to make it worth it.

 

Saw kill it cook it eat it. We have pigs through the summer for slaughter, so have seen this first hand anyway, but wanted to see how it was handled for the tv viewing public. Found the programme all a bit odd though and we switched off before the spanish pigs. Think we had seen enough at this point and would have liked to have seen the butchers skills some more as that is very interesting to watch.

 

Thought that the slaughter house were very professional. No worries there. Thats a very good view for the public of exactly how it is done.

Im right with the lady who said about it being a shame that a life cut so short would feed only a few where if it was left untill it was bigger it would feed far more and be more worthwhile.

 

Lovley farm too.

 

Cant make out the lady pig farmers reaction to it all. What did she think happened to them

[buffie]

What's going to be amazing from friday is even the converted will have a re think about hidden eggs. Whenever I speak to the public at BHWT events it's the message that hits home. I think the impact is going to be huge. The consumer will feel able to ask if their egg or chicken is free range. It's liberating!

 

BBxx

[Egluntyne]

It makes eating out almost impossible doesn't it?

[Lesley]

Yes, I'm hoping it will enable people to ask about hidden eggs - and to make people think about hidden eggs as well, something I didn't always think about

[Lesley]

It makes eating out almost impossible doesn't it?

 

It makes it slightly more difficult - especially when you're vegetarian, but not impossible

[buffie]

We just don't enjoy it much now, like a pub lunch and just have no dressings, pasta, coleslaw etc. Realised there was egg in the deep fried brie, so they are off now.

 

BBx

[Lesley]

....and egg in the pasta which I used to choose

[Egluntyne]

Very difficult if you are invited to dinner....

 

Is the coq au van that has been so carefully prepared by your host/ess made with a free range chicken or a value pack?

 

Very difficult to ask the question.

 

If you are veggie people nowadays are usually happy to accommodate you.....but does the dish they carefully prepare for you contain battery eggs?

 

Tricky.

[ali-s]

I managed to get OH to watch Hugh's programme last night. OH buys cheap value chicken if he shops, I do not and I will not cook it either.

 

OH was totally unfazed by the programme and does not see a problem with eating cheap chicken. I doubt I will get OH to watch the rest of the programmes and so OH will not see how those chicken suffer even more when they get bigger I wish the programme had shown everything from start to finish, it might have had more of an impact on OH

[Snowy]

That is frustrating Ali, my OH is th same. He was at work last night, but rang me to remind me it was on! He knows how much it means to me, but he wouldn't watch it himself and he ALWAYS buys cheap chicken if he does the shopping

[Cinnamon]

So do my in-laws........& they are the sort of people who are really set in their ways & will not change

 

I really enjoyed the show & am looking forward to the next instalments,even though I suspect they will be more harrowing.

 

If those crocs were real - & they looked real to me - you would think they could afford the occasional free range chicken

[Janty]

It's all about priorities though, isn't it. I bet the same woman who was moaning about being a 'single parent family' has some sort of games console or gadgets of some kind. My cousin bleats on all the time about being a single parent family and having no money, yet she drinks and smokes....you can't have it both ways. She also has sky tv, the latest mobile phones and nintendo wiis and playstations galore!

 

Don't get me wrong, I know that there are genuine cases of hardship and I am not stereotyping everyone. I know what it is like to get divorced and be left with debts, etc. Howvever, I find that people who are left to bring up the children and who work hard don't use the 'I'm a single parent card' to whoever will listen.

Edited January 8, 2008 by Guest

[moochoo]

Well done to Hugh for producing a programme that tries to show all sides of chicken production. It will be very interesting to see how many people in his village are converted to free range chicken.

It's very difficult to say who this will have an effect on. It's not necessarily the poorer people in society that are 'forced' to eat intensively reared chicken. I think, as it's been said before that this may only be preaching to the converted. However, there has been a huge amount of press coverage about both Hugh and Jamie's programmes so this may help the cause.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.

[Guest]

If those crocs were real - & they looked real to me - you would think they could afford the occasional free range chicken [/color]

 

You know Cinnamon that is exactly what I thought "oh I can't afford better chicken - I'm a single parent" Yeah with expensive shoes for yourself!

 

Not wishing to offend anyone but it's typical "council estate syndrome" When Sky first came out you always knew you were in a council estate because there were more Sky dishes! Money can be found for the things wanted - just not when someone suggests a real improvement.

Edited January 8, 2008 by Guest

[little chickadee]

I actually watched some of this even though Telly gives me headaches. I watched bits of it and then shielded my eyes. I thought it was brilliant, but I share worries that anyone who is made to feel uncomfortable by last nights programme will just not watch for the rest of the week and try to forget about it.

 

We all do have to remember though that if chickens were kept the way we keep ours they would be ridiculously priced and that this is farming not keeping pets or just feeding the farmer's family.

 

Many people have a view of Free Range being "traditional Free Range" with the hens in coops and running in fields of grass. I think that there will be a significant difference between the two sides of the shed though especially when they get a bit bigger and the birds are big enough to go outside.

 

Good luck Hugh - I've never watched him before but think he's brilliant.

[chelsea]

I've decided im not going to watch anymore. I love hugh but I cant watch chicken slaughter/culling. I know how they are kept and slaughtered, I just dont want to see it. I've taped it for hubby though as he is interested in how they are going to catch them!

[Mrs Frugal]

I've decided im not going to watch anymore. I love hugh but I cant watch chicken slaughter/culling. I know how they are kept and slaughtered, I just dont want to see it. I've taped it for hubby though as he is interested in how they are going to catch them!

 

Same here, Chelsea. I don't need to be converted to free range chicken as we already buy it and have done for years now. I hope the people who do buy cheap Tesco and other supermarket chicken will watch it though and be horrified at the plight of the poor chickens.

[BeckyBoo]

It might be preaching to the converted, but if just one person changes the way they shop then they might tell their friends, and their family will then eat differently, their children will grow up eating free range and questioning farming methods. It's little changes. Sometimes I nearly drive myself insane trying to work out wether to budget hard, or go for the organic, or free range, and what if Freedom Food is no better than barn, and can I really make a difference anyway? So all I can do is make little changes a bit at a time and try to use the earths resources in a responsible way. If one person changes the way they shop then that's one chicken saved today and another next week and so on for the rest of that persons lives, so if they ate chicken once a week that's 52 chickens a year. I appreciate they'll still be farming them the other way, but we can only do what we can do.

I hope it has a big impact, three of the most popular chefs / lifestyle gurus on the telly and we all know how influential TV is.

Got me posters up in me car, my supermarket shopping is as organic / free range as it can be and I am poorer in pocket for it. And yes, I will continue to use Tescos and Sainsburys, I live in an urban area, there are no corner shops and I couldn't afford to shop in them if there were. My local butchers is out of my price range and I could go to the market for veggies but I have 3 kids, animals I work a 60 hour week every other week and it's a 14 mile drive, so do I use petrol and blast emissions into the atmosphere in order not to shop at the supermarket or save the atmosphere and shop at my nearest store which happens to be one of the big name supermarkets? See what I mean, you could drive yourself mad trying to do it right.

 

(I think I've contradicted myself at least twice in this post )

 

Mrs Bertie

[Aunty e]

I found it extremely interesting, although I was amazed at the speed those little chicks were growing! My two dinners are nearly six months old now and they've taken ages to get as big as our hybrid girls. They're probably at a decent weight now, but they get to live until they crow.

 

I thought the programme was really good though, and it's interesting to see that the broiler 'free range; is similar to 'free range' for eggs. I was suprised whan I first realised that free range could just mean they had pop holes and a bit of a yard to go into, and the egg inspector says that a lot of them never even make it outside in some places.

 

I am now feeling guilty as I suspect that ready meal I ate last night was made with broiler chicken. The last of our own chickens we had didn't have much meat on it (precocious little boy) but was very flavoursome and fed four for dinner and then made a brilliant stock afterwards. Almost enough to make me forget how much I hate killing and plucking them.

[Guest]

i think it will still be interesting to see how the free range chickens are reared as he's doing both. I'm going to watch it so I am better informed when it comes to discussing the topic with people.

 

DH is very upset that HFW has set up his own intensive brouler factory as he says there's enough film footage of broiler farms to make a TV prog without Hugh making even more chickens suffer.

[The Dogmother]

Some brilliant and thought provoking comments here. I had intended to record it, but ended up watching instead - it was hard when they showed the lads in a battery broiler shed.

 

I have a pragmatic approach to rearing animals for slaughter, and would hav no qualms about doing it myself if I had the land/cash. people need to take responsibility for the food that they eat and this set of programmes will show that I think.

 

Well done Hugh - it must have been hard for you to do that.

 

I wanted to cuddle all the chickies

[bronze]

If those crocs were real - & they looked real to me - you would think they could afford the occasional free range chicken [/color]

 

You know Cinnamon that is exactly what I thought "oh I can't afford better chicken - I'm a single parent" Yeah with expensive shoes for yourself!

 

Not wishing to offend anyone but it's typical "council estate syndrome" When Sky first came out you always knew you were in a council estate because there were more Sky dishes! Money can be found for the things wanted - just not when someone suggests a real improvement.

 

And the fags she had ticked into her top...

[The Dogmother]

If those crocs were real - & they looked real to me - you would think they could afford the occasional free range chicken [/color]

 

You know Cinnamon that is exactly what I thought "oh I can't afford better chicken - I'm a single parent" Yeah with expensive shoes for yourself!

 

Not wishing to offend anyone but it's typical "council estate syndrome" When Sky first came out you always knew you were in a council estate because there were more Sky dishes! Money can be found for the things wanted - just not when someone suggests a real improvement.

 

And the fags she had ticked into her top...

 

Don't get me started on that one We're on a tight budget, but always buy freerange meat - just less of it and use our imaginations when cooking to make it go further. No Sky or expensive gadgets in this house

[The Dogmother]

It's all kicking off now - new EU report on the banning of conventional cages:

 

Animal Welfare: Commission report confirms the potential benefits of banning conventional battery cages for laying hens

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Reference: IP/08/19 Date: 08/01/2008

 

IP/08/19

 

Brussels, 8 January 2008

 

Animal Welfare: Commission report confirms the potential benefits of banning conventional battery cages for laying hens

 

There is substantial evidence that banning the use of conventional battery cages for laying hens could considerably improve the health and welfare of these birds, according to a report published by the Commission today. An EU ban on conventional battery cages is due to enter into force from 2012, in line with Directive 1999/74/EC on minimum standards for laying hens, and the report concludes that the 2012 deadline should be maintained. Today's report details a number of independent scientific and socio-economic studies which lend support to this measure by outlining the clear benefits of changing to so-called 'enriched' cages or alternative (free range or barn) rearing systems for laying hens. The report also lists a number of recommended actions for the period leading up to the ban, including campaigns to promote public awareness of the way hens are reared, in order to provide competitive opportunities for EU producers.

 

Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health, said, "The Commission listened to the demands of EU consumers and has taken concrete action to improve the welfare of laying hens. The report today shows that there is scientific and economic support for the ban on conventional battery cages. We are maintaining the deadline of 2012 for banning conventional battery cages, as there is no reason to postpone it. I urge operators to start phasing out the use of these cages as soon as possible so that there is full compliance with the EU ban by the deadline of 2012."

 

Banning conventional battery cages

 

Directive 1999/74/EC on minimum standards for the protection of laying hens states that, from 1 January 2012, the rearing of laying hens in conventional (known as 'unenriched') cages will be prohibited in the EU. From that date, laying hens will only be allowed to be reared in enriched cages or using alternative systems such as barn or free range. Enriched cages must allow at least 750 cm2 per hen, and contain a nest, litter, perch and clawing-board. Farmers and operators were given a long transitional period to adjust to this measure, and the Commission has been following the progress of Member States in implementing the provisions of the Directive. All Member States have been urged to step up their efforts in the phasing out of conventional cages, so as to be in full compliance with this requirement within the deadline.

 

Animal health and welfare benefits

 

Any new EU legislative measure should be based on the latest scientific data and advice. Therefore, the Commission requested that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assess the impact that the various housing systems for laying hens have on the health and welfare of these birds. In its Opinion of November 2004[1], EFSA stated that keeping laying hens in unenriched cages increased the risk of disease, bone breakage, harmful pecking, behavioural problems and mortality.

 

"LayWel"[2], an EU-funded research project, also confirmed that unenriched cages present serious animal welfare problems and that there were clear benefits in changing to enriched caging or alternative systems.

 

Economic considerations

 

The Commission report also examines the economic implications of banning unenriched cages, taking into account concerns expressed by certain producers. Drawing on the findings of an Agra-CEAS study[3] on the socio-economic consequences of the various systems for rearing hens, and on a study commissioned by the industry, the report concludes that the cost of switching to enriched cages could be less than 1 cent per egg. However, the higher animal welfare standards can serve as a valuable selling point for EU producers. It is extremely difficult for European farmers to compete with their counterparts in certain third countries on production costs alone. However, EU producers can have a competitive advantage by applying better animal welfare standards and delivering high quality goods.

 

There is clearly a growing market for animal welfare friendly products. Recent Eurobarometer surveys[4] on consumer attitudes to animal welfare revealed that the majority of respondents would be willing to pay more for eggs sourced through animal welfare friendly production systems. Agra CEAS research revealed a steady increase in the consumption of table eggs from non-caged hens in many of the EU-15 Member States, while over the past 2 years, the amount of free range eggs sold by a cross section of the top British retailers has almost doubled, and this trend looks set to continue. Therefore, the mandatory requirement to improve housing systems for laying hens offers EU producers a competitive advantage over third country producers by meeting a growing consumer demand for welfare-friendly eggs.

 

For more information, and the full report, see:

 

http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/welfare/index_en.htm

Edited January 8, 2008 by Guest

[xChicken04x]

I didn't like it. Suprisingly, the bit where he broke the little chick's neck wasn't that bad I was expecting it to fly up into the air and to be pouring with blood, it all happened so quickly Although I was on my laptop at the time so I might have missed the full efect.

 

Tonight and tomorrow will be worse

 

xx