Recent content by palo1

I think it's a perceived status thing...though it should be viewed as a sensible form of pest control.

It's not either/or though is it? It likely is possible to develop far more sustainable ways of eating meat, flying (I'm not convinced but haven't flown anywhere for over 20years!) and driving. It's possible and maybe even desirable to limit the use of all of them as well as improve them. Try...

There are some abbatoir experiences that are horrific (gas gondolas for eg) and sadly abuse also happens but at a normal, well run abbatoir the despatch of livestock is calm and efficient. It could be better but it is, as others have said, bad for quality to have stressed animals. As the...

Yes, I seem to remember that only the direct purchase cost of food was calculated. Still, impressive!

A very different but also interesting read about food/choices is the journalist Louise Gray's book 'The Ethical Carnivore'. For context, she is an environment journalist having worked across the broadsheet newspapers and was, I think a vegan prior to writing the book. It's an interesting read...

I'm interested to hear how people can grow 'free' organic food in any situation. For the majority of people growing anything would be a hobby and the actuality of growing any quantity of food which could supplement a diet to any meaningful degree is completely unrealistic. How do you acquire an...

Abbatoirs DO differ, as well you know. Many, but not all abbatoirs use gas gondalas for pigs which is so appalling that the practice is due to be modified in some way. Our local abattoir does not use this method and has only a small number of animals at a time. That may not be the most common...

Yes, our food infrastructure is awful really, with fresh food being unavailable outside a supermarket in many places. A great many people realistically do not have regular access to independent food shops. It is neither sustainable nor 'safe' in terms of significant supply chain issues. There...

Yes, and your earlier point about people struggling to fundamentally survive is also right. It is possible to eat cheaply and more healthily and ethically but that also takes knowledge, energy and often time; commodities that most people struggle with. I think my comment was more aimed at the...

A guardian breed, particularly the generally less domestic ones are a very, very long way from a rottie. I also can't imagine how these kinds of working breeds could be genuinely happy, settled and fulfilled in a domestic setting that would have little reference to their designed purpose. I say...

This, many times over! Meat and food more generally is expensive in a number of ways but you can either pay the cost of decent, environmentally sane, traceable foods and pay up front, or you can pay in human and animal misery (if you eat animal products) and in degrees of environmental...

Apologies - I miss-read your post! I agree with you about all of the native terriers being potentially scrappy and I guess there may have been reasons for maintaining that kind of temperament. I also have spoken to breeders of Irish terriers that reference that temperament as part of the breed...

Yes, and I think historically, not unfair. The Irish do have a reputation for being scrappy - some breeders I've spoken to are accepting of this as a breed trait, but others try to breed for something a bit less gung ho! I do think in this breed it is something to just be aware of - most ITs I...

My Irish says 'Oy! I have nice manners!'. Mine isn't remotely scrappy, even when provoked but will defend himself (rather than get stuck in) but I chose the bloodline carefully, knowing that some Irish are more scrappy. Mine also lives with 4 bitches that keep him in order 😎

Yes! It is something farmers here in the UK are starting to be able to utilize, albeit in a modified way, and relevant to horse keeping too.