| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Northern_Lad |
Ducks, Geese and HensAnyone catch Mr Stein watching the foir gras production the other night?Well, he's being criticed for comparing it to battery production. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4251530.stm Now I'm fairly sure the no-one around here is in favour of force feeding animals, and everyone's in favour of free-range animals; so which is worse (IYHO)? I'd have to say that battery farming is worse, as it's the indescriminate cruelty to millions of animals. |
||
| judith |
I don't think gavage comes even close to battery / factory farming on the scale of evils. In the films I have seen, it certainly looks unpleasant, but the birds seem to be perfectly happy and unconcerned about the process.
As an aside, I finished one batch of meat chickens on a largely grain diet for the last two or three weeks. Their livers were considerably larger than normal and yellowish in colour. It wasn't quite foie gras, but they made a fantastic pâté. |
||
| Jonnyboy |
Typical response from the industry, defending the indefensible.
To be honest I'm not sure where Rick is going with this, his comparison is a little odd. I would argue against the mechanical methods of force feeding for foie gras, but I wouldn't particularly complain about the traditional farm methods. |
||
| Treacodactyl |
The thing is Mr Stein keeps preaching about eating free range chicken etc but then happily munches a foir gras where the ducks were obviously scared out of their wits and force fed. I think this is animal cruelty that should be stopped.
To answer the question I think factory farming chickens is worse but I've long since thought that should be banned and allowing that makes a mockery of any animal welfare laws that are passed. Listening to Mr Steins comments about the duck farming reminded me of the way abusers talk of their victims. |
||
| Jonnyboy |
He's right in this respect, going on to eat the lovely, lovely stuff is where he falls down. The only thing that irks me is how many people will be quick to condemn him and then sod off to tesco's and buy a £1.99 chicken with a clear conscience. |
||
| Bernie66 |
You don't defend a thief by saying he is better than a rapist. But as usual the practise will continue until consumers vote with their feet and avoid asociated products. The governments will not step in at all. | ||
| Bugs |
Which are? I did wonder if you could reach a perfectly reasonable level of tastiness (I don't know what it tastes like having become vegetarian long before I came in to contact with foie gras) by just freely feeding them with corn/wheat/whatever it is. Given that they are going to have a very short life anyway the health problems would be debatable - would you just wind up with a very plump bird? Is it really necessary to force feed and is it really worth it for the taste, has anyone here tried it? |
||
| Jonnyboy |
Ok, it's a bit rose tinted glasses but you still have gavage but it's through manual means, and the bird is gently massaged to get the grain down to the crop. When I've seen it, it didn't look painful or distressing for the bird, in fact IIRC the most distressing part of gavage is the mis handling of the bird, or if it is done when the bird hasn't digested the contents of it's crop.
Traditional methods ensure that it's not done intensively, and only done for a short period before slaughter, and it's only done at a rate that the bird can digest. |