I'm writing this as part of Rumpy Dog's Animal Welfare Challenge.
I care for animals, and I believe in the protection of animals. I am not a vegetarian. I endeavour to only buy and eat meat from farms where I have seen the animals, or where traceability and accountability exists. The supermarket system means that we only ever see pre-packaged meat, and who knows exactly where that product has come from?
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| The Rumpydog Animal Welfare Challenge |
The recent and ongoing horse meat contamination of beef products, although alarming, is not surprising. Those of us who have thought about food provenance for some time, understand that it is just not possible to produce cheap food, without compromising on quality and standards. So, I'm all for farm animal welfare, whilst at the same time producing a high quality product that is nutritious and delicious to eat.
Setting aside the financial drivers of cheap food, I believe that we should all eat the best quality food that we can afford. I am outraged that food standards in Europe have fallen so low, and I am horrified at the thought of those poor, uncared for animals entering our food chain.
I live in a farming area, where farmers are proud of their livestock and the reputation of their product has taken generations to develop. We can see the animals in the fields as we walk the dogs, we can see that the animals are well taken care of. It is these farmers that we like to support, British farmers, local farmers. Because by changing the way we buy food, will mean a better quality product for us to enjoy, and improved farm animal welfare, for years to come.