Believe it or not we raise over 900 million animals for our personal consumption in Britain and Ireland every year. So it seems only right that we consider animal welfare when choosing what we will eat.
At a time when food prices are rising it's all too easy to forget the conditions in whcih animals are reared in favour of the lowest price. But after Jamie Oliver and Hugh whateverhisname is have worked so hard to raise our awareness of some fo the awful conditions in which animals (and in particular chickens) are raised, it seems unfair not to care about their welfare.
Vegetarians would point to the conditions and laugh at us meat eaters for our lack of caring. But the reality is that we are a meat eating society and that's not going to change. So instead, I think we should try to be more aware of our purchasing choices.
So, what do you think? Does it come down to pounds and pence, or should we spend a bit more to be sure our animals are being well cared for by looking for such things as the RSPCA's Freedom Food Logo that says the animals were reared in good conditions.?
