St Werburgh turkey raffle axed amid vegan outcry

[Chippy_Tea]

Here we go again -

"Christmas time is the season of giving, compassion and instead we are going to celebrate by taking the lives of nine turkeys."

well done to all the campaigners you have robbed the disadvantaged and not a single person that was going to eat turkey this Christmas will stop.




A farm has cancelled its annual turkey auction after coming under fire from vegan campaigners.

Nine turkeys on St Werburgh's City Farm in Bristol were to be auctioned off to raise money for disadvantaged people in the area.

Campaigners say it does not seem "in line that they slaughter the animals people go and visit".

Lauren Hunt, from the Bristol Vegan Action Group, said: "When I first went I thought it was a sanctuary for animals. So I don't understand how a charity could have so much death involved with it.

"Christmas time is the season of giving, compassion and instead we are going to celebrate by taking the lives of nine turkeys."

When the Coppershell Farm Sanctuary in Wiltshire heard about the auction they offered to take all nine of the birds in.

Spokesman Genna A'Court said: "I do understand turkeys are eaten. It's not something I agree with but the way that this is being presented as a prize that you can win is quite shocking.

"It's really really upset me."

Full article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-46384577

 

[DavidDetroit]

"...taking the lives of..." is a phrase that should be applied to humans since to apply it to animal life implies that they were never meant to be eaten and it's some sort of surprise or shock that it happened. It's an intentional, inflammatory remark.
It's an imperfect universe where examples abound. It just is. Higher life forms survive on lower life forms. I wouldn't be too jazzed about it if someone cooked up a puppy and served it to me for dinner but I can understand that some think of it as just food. Best not to name it if you're going to eat it which is why I'd be a terrible pig farmer.
Could we all eat tofu and live happily ever after? Maybe. But it's still killing something. Plants are alive of which there can be no dispute. Where's the line drawn? Someday, some scientist is going to find out, if they haven't already, that there's more going on with plants than meet the eye.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Why cant they just go about their businesses and let other get on with theirs why do they feel the need to rescue these 9 birds when millions will be killed so the rest of us can enjoy our Christmas dinners.

 

[DavidDetroit]

No argument here. It's "squeaky wheel" syndrome and yet another example of our overly careful compliance with nonsense and obedience because of it (which has been discussed in semi-related issues ad infinitum).
My wife, who's vegetarian, without hesitation said, after I told her about this interesting thread, "That's just stupid!"
Her beef with meat is the horrendous processing methods here. What I can get behind and support is proper handling of livestock from start to finish.
What I've learned is that, for the most part, life issues are quite similar there and here.

 

[stz]

My gf and I are both vegetarians. Not got a problem with meat eating or the choices of others. For me personally it is because of fairly horrific nature of industrial meat production which I don't need it to exist, so I made the choice for me, I'm not allergic to it or anything. Do have a problem with horrific, unhelpful and unnecessary attitudes though which exist on both sides. I think it highlights the issue with doing something because of ideological reasons.

 

[GerritT]

Veganism is quite similar to some orthodox religion.

 

[IainM]

Fowl play if you ask me.

 

[Clint]

Question...
Stz,is only the industrial meat processing that changed your views? Would you ever consider wild or home produced?
What about mushroom/fungi which are more closely related to animal than plant life...how do vegans regard this?

 

[Zephyr259]

My wife often comments that there's a bunch of animals which would have gone extinct if it wasn't for us farming them.

One of the kids at our church has gone dairy free since the start of the year, she plans to go vegan when she moves out for uni next year. We do baking with them and she's fine with our eggs as they come from "pet" chickens on my in-laws farm and therefore they have a pretty comfy life, they do like my spent grain.

 

[Cwrw666]

Somehow I get the feeling that the UK public would be so much happier if all of our farmers simply stopped producing food altogether. The economics are pretty dire in any case - last year we made a profit of £300 out of our 35 ewes and their 70 offspring. That's our wages. Don't know why we bother...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Stz I don't have a problem with vegetarians if people do not want to eat meat for whatever reason it's fine with me what I do object to in this case is the loss of funds to those effected by the turkey farmers decision to now not offer the birds as a prize will the vegans that caused this put their hands in their pockets and donate a similar amount to those that have lost out.

 

[GhostShip]

Well, I'll be plucked.

 

[VW911]

I spent 8 years as a QA Manager in one of the largest red meat abattoirs/processing plants in the country.
Whilst not the nicest environment - and certainly not for the squeamish, it certainly wasn't "fairly horrible" either.
The animals were always treated with dignity and respect.
Veganism, veggieism etc. is an individual choice, that should be kept just that, and not foisted on everyone else...

How can you tell a vegan at a party?...


...They'll tell you!!!

 

[MmmBeer]

Veganism is quite similar to some orthodox religion.

A vegetarian former colleague once told me that "Vegans were like the paramilitary wing of the vegetarian movement". Also she would never turn vegan, because she refused to give up her (hundreds of pairs of) nice shoes.

I worked in a butchery in my teens and have visited a couple of abattoirs. I was always struck by the skill and professionalism of the workers, a million miles from the propaganda belched out by the vegetarian society.

 

[hop-a-long]

Best not to name it if you're going to eat it which is why I'd be a terrible pig farmer.

How would you name your pigs...

I'd probably call them chop, sausage, roast, saté.....

 

[Clint]

During the last few years we've had an allotment and grown loads of everything and enjoyed every minute of it. I told the Mrs ,who occasionally goes on about moving house,that if we did move it would have to be with some land so as to bring the allotment home and maybe look into getting some livestock for our own consumption. She was a bit horrified and said it would be like eating the dog...I don't get this as she will eat meat! I pointed out we would have total control of their diet,welfare etc but still a no..

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How can you tell a vegan at a party?...
...They'll tell you!!!

They'll be discussing their vegan pets next.



Animal welfare: Is it safe for cats to be vegan?

Video Journalist: Adam Paylor https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-46390867/animal-welfare-is-it-safe-for-cats-to-be-vegan

Is it OK to feed cats vegan diet?

Alongside a growing trend of veganism, more cat owners now want to share their animal-friendly values with their feline companions.

That preference sparks a serious question that scientists, vets and vegans' can't agree on - can cats be vegan?

BBC News has been to see Joanna Farr, an owner with two vegan cats.

 

[stz]

Question...
Stz,is only the industrial meat processing that changed your views? Would you ever consider wild or home produced?
What about mushroom/fungi which are more closely related to animal than plant life...how do vegans regard this?

I'm not a vegan so I can't really comment on what they'd think. I grew up in the countryside, my fathers side of the family are all farmers, we had chickens and a pig, my father was pretty brutal, wringing necks when needed and chucking dead pets in the bin without breaking stride. I'd probably not mind chickens, but for the eggs not the meat. I guess I've no real need to bring any animal into my life for the purpose of consumption? Even our 'pet' chickens only had a limited laying life and then we got rid of them. I guess I've no need to play farmer and it is probably best left to those with the economies of scale? Maybe I'd rethink it as something to entertain the kids. I've got friends who are vegan, quite a few of them tbh and they range from completely rational people who'd never dream of telling anybody what to do where it rarely comes up to people who wear it on their sleeves like an identity, it comes up all the time and generally can be a bit hypocritical, but then we are all a bit hypocritical? I think it is more about finding people who build an identity based on a lifestyle choice tiresome? If you wanted to save the world from everything you'd never do anything. I cycle, I compost, I grow a bit of veg, I've a wood stove and keep the heating low, I don't take international flights very often, I don't burn tires in the garden and I'm not giving up a few oz of cheese and butter a week. I don't need virtue points broadcasting far and wide about how I'm ideologically driven.

Stz I don't have a problem with vegetarians if people do not want to eat meat for whatever reason it's fine with me what I do object to in this case is the loss of funds to those effected by the turkey farmers decision to now not offer the birds as a prize will the vegans that caused this put their hands in their pockets and donate a similar amount to those that have lost out.

Yeah that is a shame. Generally you get on better with everything if you look to inflict yourself on the world in a positive way. An offering of an equal or alternative prize would maybe have been better?

 

[DavidDetroit]

How would you name your pigs.

No, seriously, some people are meant to be livestock farmers or whatever you call it. I'm not. There would be a noticeable pork shortage if I were a pig farmer because I wouldn't be able to give them the axe and that's even without giving them names--which I would, no doubt. I'd also broke with great rapidity which just proves my point. No problem with killing to survive. I would if I had to; happy there are people who don't mind it or find it fulfilling.

But I can hypothetically answer: I'm a theme man, through and through. We do it with the new litters of stray cats around our area. Lately, it was vegetables: Green Bean, Sprout and Pumpkin. Green Bean is still around, Sprout and Pumpkin didn't fare so well.
Prior to that it was princesses: Pooparella, Snow Poop, Princess Buttery Poop (from the Princess Bride book), etc. At the time, we were getting quite a few girl cats using our lawn as their litter box.
Pigs? I'm thinking a Supernatural theme sounds about right where I'd give them obvious names like Sam, Dean, Crowley, Bobby, Cass, Fergus, etc. Sounds boring when I read it back to myself.
Well, there you have it.
Edit: Sate is a very good name. Must not name them cute names.

 

[Cwrw666]

Somehow I get the feeling that the UK public would be so much happier if all of our farmers simply stopped producing food altogether. The economics are pretty dire in any case - last year we made a profit of £300 out of our 35 ewes and their 70 offspring. That's our wages. Don't know why we bother...

Edit: should have read £500.
Yesterday found our old ram upside down in the stream behind the house. Don't know whether he had a heart attack or something and fell in or fell in and drowned. Hope it was the former. By the way, his name was Thor...