buffie Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Just had this google alert Oliver launches British pork drive Jamie Oliver will wage war on European pork in his latest TV battle. In the 90-minute programme, Oliver, who previously declared war on battery-fed chickens and the poor quality of school dinners, attempts to get viewers to buy British pork. The chef, who reportedly signed a £2 million golden handcuffs deal with Channel 4 last month, said that the British pig industry was "on its knees" because so much pork was imported from EU countries with lower welfare standards. He said: "We showed that if you give consumers the facts about chicken welfare they will make up their own minds and the sales of higher welfare chickens and eggs have gone through the roof as a result. "Now I want to see if we can do the same for pigs. Pork is our second favourite meat, but the British pig industry is on its knees. "Our farmers say that 70% of the pork we import is from countries with lower welfare standards than ours and would have been illegal to produce here. "All our farmers want is a level playing field with Europe. ...The support of the British public, as well as government and retailers, is critical in deciding the future, possibly the very survival, of our pig industry." Oliver said: "The next time you have a little banger I can promise you it won't be the same." Buffie x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 That is such good news Buffie, and a subject that I am very passionate about too: Buy British Buy local Buy free range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Definitely good news. I often complain to OH (who now just goes ) that it is hard to buy pork and bacon from UK sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Do you have a local farmers' market Loon? You coudl try that - I buy all my pork from the ones near us. You will find a list of markets if you google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 Waitrose sells only British I believe now. As Clare says farmers markets (FARMA have the details) are great. Buffie x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Marvellous news. We never eat pork, but the boys are partial to a bacon butty, and we are lucky to have Whirlow Hall Farm nearby for homegrown sausages and bacon. They cost more than twice the price of supermarket products. but worth it in terms of flavour and guilt free eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhapsody Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 About time someone brought this to the attention of all and sundry. I will only buy British pork products, and will always make loud noises if I cant see any on the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 They cost more than twice the price of supermarket products. but worth it in terms of flavour and guilt free eating. Couldn't agree more. We don't eat lots of pork either, but I buy the pork from a friend. sausages, ham and bacon come from a Warwickshire farm and taste divine! I keep some in the freezer, but as we don't eat it often, the cost evens out. Buffie, you mentioned that Waitrose pork is all British, do you know how much of it is free range? I have noticed a higher percentage of pork products there are marked free range than at other supermarkets, but not all of it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKH Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 ooh do you think they will start rescuing pigs now. Should Omlet start making Piglus - i quite like that idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronmusgrove123 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 eventually ive ben wondring if they would ever do poor little piggies, when is it on im telling every1 i no to watch it Aaron.m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 About time someone brought this to the attention of all and sundry. I will only buy British pork products, and will always make loud noises if I cant see any on the shelf. Same here and I've often embarrassed hubby and children by announcing it loudly in the shop as I slam foreign stuff back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 have always loved pigs so this campaign is close to my heart. Always buy outdoor/free range pork here too. Dislike the treatment of intensively reared pork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanbb Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Really good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I will also only eat British free range pork. It really upset me when i visited a college open day once and they had pigs in tiny cages indoors so they couldn't move. From that day i have not eaten pork that i didn't know what conditions it had been kept in. I wonder if Jamie will show the cages that some pigs are kept in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Do you have a local farmers' market Loon? You coudl try that - I buy all my pork from the ones near us. You will find a list of markets if you google. We have a farmers market every couple of weeks so I buy some meat from there. We also have a really good pork butcher but the queue is usually out of the door and down the street so I usually give it a miss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missuscluck Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 That is fantastic news. I am thrilled about this and we will be watching avidly. I have first hand experiance of different methods of pig rearing and the intensive system brings tears to my eyes. There is nothing like a happy piggy in a field full of mud. Again, like the chickens, the general public just dont realise and need to be enlightend. Great news for the British pig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygal Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 This is great news. I have been wondering all this last year whether Hugh or Jamie would set their sights on pigs like they did with chickens. I have always thought that welfare of pigs was never high in public consciousness...I always buy Helen Browning bacon and sausages (her sausages are gluten free which is a bonus for my coeliac daughter anyway). Although my husband is addicted to bacon, the last while he has halved the amount he eats at any one time which then means the cost is halved as its pretty expensive stuff. When we went to River Cottage in September we saw the pigs, and I said to the children whenever I am talking about happy pigs those are the sort of pigs I'm talking about. After chickens pigs are my next favourite farm animal (gosh I sound like a kid but never mind!!), so a big for Jamie. (even if he is really annoying me with his swearing at the moment) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 The swearing bothers me as well I'm glad he's doing something to help British pig farmers - they certainly need it! One thing to be aware of is the practise of at least one supermarket (there is a long running thread on RC forum - I think it is Waitrose) of selling pork as from a specific rare-breed when in fact it comes from a commercial pig impregnated by AI from a rare-breed sire. Rare-breed pig farmers are not happy about it as people buy it thinking it is the real thing and if they then think it isn't worth the money they will be deterred from buying the real thing if they come across it elsewhere.......such as a Farmers' Market or Farm Shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 The swearing bothers me as well I must admit I'm not to keen, and I'm no prude.....it is just too much and detracts from his messages, which is a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I can't wait for this programme. I had a conversation with a friend recently who asked me why, as I only buy free range chicken I don't extend it to other animals. I said "because you have to start somewhere, it will be pigs next and I already only buy british pork". I hope this programme is really informative and as successful as the chicken campaign, if not more so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Ooh - I'm glad about this. My mum's cousin owns Blythborough Pork (Which Janty buys from her buthchers!) I don't eat meat myself, but the way he keeps his happy piggies is just soooo much better than the way I've heard intensive pig farming described. I really hope that Jamie can make a difference to the British Pig farmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Well, we eat a lot of pork and mostly buy it from our local butcher and farmers markets. We only buy british pork, which is surprisingly well priced when we get it from the butchers and tastes so much nicer than supermarket stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Marple Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Looking forward to this. We now only buy our pork and sausages froma local farmer who breeds rare breed pigs in lovely big fields with losts of room to forage. The only thing I can't do is choose my pig. I have lloked at them from afar but to say 'that one' leaves me feeling guilty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
