Keeping/killing livestock in the UK

farmerdrea · Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:58 am

Good grief! Further to the thread on Gordon Ramsay keeping pigs, I cannot believe how difficult it is for people to raise and process their own meat in the UK!! I hope it never gets like that here... you can either DIY slaughter and butcher, or ring the local homekill butcher who will come and do it for you (for a price, of course). We do all ours (pork, poultry, rabbits, goats) ourselves except for the cattle beasts - just too big for me to handle.

Is this all in response to the BSE and hoof and mouth tragedies from recent times? Or is it the corporate beast that wants no competition, however small? We get Rick Stein's programmes down here, and he seems to be able to find people doing things in a small way, but I had no idea of the strings attached...

Andrea
NZ

red · Post: # 43795Post **red** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:18 am

iI think its partly about the spread of diseases yes, and partly about animal welfare.

pskipper · Post: # 43798Post **pskipper** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:38 am

It's also part of being part of the EU, a lot of local abbatoirs had to close as they didn't match the EU legistlative requirements.

Magpie · Post: # 43891Post **Magpie** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:15 pm

Hmmm, I have ofetn thought the same thing - I saw Gordon Ramsey's show, when he had his turkeys dealt to- I had never seen (or imagined!) a mobile poultry processer.

Is it maybe a bit like the (illegal) raw milk here though? I know where I could get some if I wanted it, but you keep quiet about it, as you don't want to dob in the supplier, and mess it up for everyone. Surely some of you there just quietly go about your business and do it yourself?

Rough Jack · Mon Dec 25, 2006 5:30 am

Gidday

Now come on ewes jokers. Don't you know it's all about forcing people to by the processed stuff from the supermarket so they can fill you with all sorts of chemicals they can't find any other use for, but they can patent them and stick em in your food.

And Andrea, it's only a matter of time for us too. I see that soon you won't even be able to own a sheep without being registered.

farmerdrea · Mon Dec 25, 2006 6:32 pm

Jack! Nice to see you hear. I certainly hope it won't be like that here any time soon! What makes you say that? I didn't think the sheep thing applied to other than the sheep of large holdings??? Say it ain't so!!

ps, Jack.. need to pick you brain about tanning... tried the brining process for a pile of rabbit skins, and all the hair slipped, so I'm left with a pile of hair and a pile of hides!!!

Andrea
NZ

Rough Jack · Mon Dec 25, 2006 7:19 pm

Gidday

Hey don't throw them away. Bunny skins will make beautiful leather too. I will dig a bit out when I get time and share what I have done with bunny skins.

As for the sheep, they are already talking about the same or similar as with cows in the identification of all sheep so they can be traced back to the breeder. And to do that they have to have all who breed sheep registered. Only talkin at this stage, but you and I know what the buggers talk about happens in time anyway, even if there is no good reason and to hell with the cost.

Chickpea · Post: # 44596Post **Chickpea** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:02 pm

I agree with Jack. As far as I can see the regulations are there to protect huge agribusinesses from being sued. Modern "farming" bears as much resemblance to the kids' "Old MacDonald" storybook image as Betsy Ross has to a Taiwanese sweatshop knocking out polyester quilts. The agribusinesses can afford the strict legislation - they'll minimise the cost of it by economies of scale or outsourcing to Eastern Europe, and pass on any remaining expense to the consumer. Small-scale organic farmers, smallholders, and the like will go under, and this is all to the liking of the agribusiness anyway because it kills off their competitors.

The laws do nothing to protect the consumer, and nothing to protect "farming" as most people understand it.