The Pig Idea

[Green Aura]

Many years ago, prior to the BSE debacle, we were invited to a barbecue at a colleague's farm.

Her husband had some health issues and so had stopped farming and had to modify his work. We had a wander round the farm buildings and found this huge shed that was open on one side to the elements. It was full, almost to the roof with biscuits, vegetables, sheets of ribs, bacon and other less identifiable cuts of meat and who knows what else. There were huge patches of mould and swarms of bluebottles and stank to high heaven.

When we asked what it was we were told it was his new job. He bought all the out of date, rotten foodstuffs from all the nearby farms, shops, restaurants etc and processed it into some sort of cattle cake.

Needless to say I didn't eat much off the barbie! And I didn't eat beef for ages after that and was not in the least surprised about BSE. I'm afraid it was practices like that that led to the OTT legislation, letting the agro-chemical lot in.

[oldjerry]

It wasn't just the odd barmy bloke that was feeding rendered meat to herbivores,it was common practice amongst major feed suppliers,many connected this new disease of BSE with ovine scrapie which has always been around.

In many ways this is side issue,every family is encouraged to sort out their rubbish(and can be fined for putting it in the wrong bin),it can't be beyond the capability of restaurants\food retailers to do the same.I'ts even illegal to buy waste bread from our local bakery to feed pigs\goats\poultry etc.


Common sense vs. Vested Interests................... no contest.

[red]

I stick to the rules - but sometimes it seems hard not to give kitchen waste to the pigs


but you have to realise just how manky some pig swill is. its not just chucking some leftover cabbage leaves at them - its that half eaten salami sarnie or the food aunty Mabel brought back from her holidays from somewhere abroad. if food waste can be given to pigs.. it would have to be properly heat treated and under licence only. even then we are talking about old gone off food with who knows what in it.

this video clip of ethical man shows how they deal with pig swill in USA - worth a watch just to see him make the mistake at the end


the pig food itself is not a pretty sight.

[Green Aura]

Oh crikey, that's just reminded me!

The hospital I trained in had all the food cooked in humungous kitchens and everything was prepared, plated and sent up on trays, in a heated cabinet. The trays then went back on the trolley and it was sent back for them to do whatever they did. All very sanitary and made sure our time was spent making sure our patients were eating and not wasted playing waitress (but that's a whole other rant)

Then I moved to the sticks and we had to make breakfast on the ward (boiled eggs, toast etc) and other meals arrived in an industrial type hostess trolley from which we dished up the meals. In each wards' kitchen there was a black plastic dustbin - full of all the food scraps from the plates and breakfast etc. It only got emptied once a week

I remember there being a big hooha not long after I started there because someone had decided we couldn't put eggshells in the swill bins any more because it caused sterility in the pigs.

Not long after they scrapped the system for one in favour of (but not a patch on in terms of quality of my training hospital) sending plated meals. I'm guessing that by that time they weren't selling their food waste to pig farmers any more. I wonder where it all goes now? Incineration? Landfill?

[matowakan]

Just read the article and I agree also.