Chicken Run

I went to Sainsbury's last night and the shelves were bereft of free-range chicken...

The cause... Jamie Oliver.

All this week I've been watching the terrible truth about the lives of chicken that are raised both for eggs and meat. Hugh Fernley-Wittingstall, of River Cottage fame, has been showing us, the viewer, exactly the sort of conditions the birds we eat are kept in. Unable to gain access to an intense chicken farm he created his own and wandered daily, complete with bio suit, among his flock of tightly packed birds. He was reduced to tears at having to cull all those birds whose only fault was to not be up to the heavy weight required, or being so heavy that their legs no longer work.

It was so interesting and addictive to watch in a wierd sort of way. I'm a staunch believer in free-range produce anyway, and this served to strengthen my resolve that only free-range birds animals shall be eaten in my house.

Now with eggs come even more complications! From watching 'Jamie's Fowl Dinners' I learnt that products can contain 'hidden' battery eggs, as there's no compulsion on the part of the manufacturers to declare the source of their eggs. Rats! Good news is that some manufacturers are moving towards free-range only eggs in all their products, unfortunately it's the higher end retailers, namely Waitrose and Marks and Spencers.

This is always seems to be the case. The demand for cheap meat and eggs fuels the industry. The farmers are paid terribly for both eggs and meat birds, their hands are tied by the supermarkets they supply to, who in turn are influenced by the consumers that buy from them. Vicious circle. Surely then, we have a huge influence to demand better welfare from the supermarkets and be prepared to pay a little extra for it.

I think that God gave us a mandate to look after animals, and whether we choose to eat them or not, they should be treated well. It may cost more, but I'd rather eat less meat and know that what I'm eating has had a good life and quick and humane death.

Phew!

I'm amazed too that I can write so much about chickens!

Hopefully soon I shall have some of my very own! I don't think I want to kill them for meat though, strictly egg laying birds.