TV Chefs against battery farming

Here at meatismurder we have done our fair bit of celebrity-chef bashing - and long may that continue - but in the atmosphere of equality we must highlight the current stance being taken by three of these chef-du-jour against battery farming.
Although these guys are not going vegan and so taking the step that would stop the abuse industry in it’s tracks, they are pushing the animal welfare message into the gaze of a public that often do not get exposed to vegan campaign materials but may well see an article in their paper or a program on the television. These will show just how a living breathing individual becomes a cog in the food machine.

Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnely-Wittingstall launch TV assault on eating habits

Jamie Oliver at homeJamie Oliver hopes his new Channel 4 show will help to end battery farming

The “three tenors” of British cuisine — Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall — are joining forces to take on the supermarkets and change the nation’s eating habits.

After forcing an improvement in school dinners, Oliver now has battery farming in his sights. The public face of Sainsbury will demonstrate the “hideous realities of industrial chicken production”, for a special Channel 4 season on food.

In Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, the celebrity chef will host a dinner for food industry bosses and celebrities. During each course, Oliver promises to “demonstrate graphically” how battery-farmed eggs and chickens reach the dinner plate.

Channel 4 has filmed Oliver’s meetings with Sainsbury’s where he lobbies the chain to improve standards of chicken production. The retailer is to phase out the 150 million battery eggs it sells a year but stocks a mixture of free-range and conventionally produced frozen chicken.

A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We do not sell caged chicken. We insist that all animals destined for Sainsbury’s meat are reared to good standards of animal welfare.”

Oliver is seeking action to improve the conditions in which birds destined for all supermarkets are kept. On some farms up to 40,000 birds are kept under artificial light in closed sheds.

Andrew Mackenzie, head of factual entertainment at Channel 4, said: “Jamie’s message will be, ‘If you knew what happens to a chicken before arriving on your plate, would you still eat it?’

“Our standards are not as good as some in Europe. Even people who buy free-range chickens may not be aware that every time they eat cake, the eggs aren’t likely to be free-range, so they are essentially endorsing the battery hen. Jamie reveals how chickens go from the farm to the fork.”

4 comments:

  1. Harriet, Wednesday, January 30th, 2008, 8:56 pm

    i completly agree battery farming is not the way to look after animals. imagine if humans were kept like that force fed with chemicals and living in conditions we would despise. animals do have feelings but just because they can’t speak the same language it means they can’t protest against those horrible people who think its right. and deep down i those peoples hearts they know they are donig something wrong they just need to face it and protest to the maneger even if they lose their job.

     
  2. Lex, Monday, September 29th, 2008, 4:40 pm

    me too, infact theres a petition you can sign, and they need, like loads more signitures, and then battery farming is banned for good.

    YEYY!

     
  3. lucy, Wednesday, July 15th, 2009, 11:26 am

    i think is sick and discusting that people could see and not feel sorry for these poor animals. exactally just because they crnt speck dosnt mean that they dont matter and it is purly for our demands. its not right. i would sign anthing that is going to get rid of battery farming chickens.

     
  4. lucy, Wednesday, July 15th, 2009, 11:27 am

    yes meat is murder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     

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