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As most of you are no doubt aware, British celebrity chef - Jamie Oliver - has been stirring things up again. And he’s good at it! His documentary series entitled “Jamie’s Fowl Dinners”, which recently aired in the United Kingdom, featured graphic scenes of battery hens being slaughtered. Although the scenes depicting the awful conditions and miserable existence of birds awaiting slaughter would come as no surprise to anyone that’s had anything to do with the commercial poultry industry, apparently many scenes shocked viewers. According to a recent article published in The Telegraph, sales of organic and free-range chickens have soared following airing of the show. This sudden increase in demand for organic and...

There are several popular arguments for reducing meat consumption and selecting alternative protein sources in the modern diet. The first of these is based on a body of research indicating adverse health consequences arising from excessive meat consumption. The second category encompasses all of the philosophical beliefs and convictions in favour of vegetarianism and the promotion of animal welfare. The third argument in favour of reduced meat consumption is based on the environmental impacts of intensive livestock production. The majority of individuals in developed countries consume greater quantities of animal based protein than currently recommended by the World Health Organisation. This is clearly evident from the average daily intake for...

As regular consumers of agricultural produce, we need to assume a reasonable portion of responsibility for the health and well-being of domesticated stock animals. By discriminating in favour of ethical producers, consumers exert a strong influence on the overall quality of animal husbandry and stock management. In the past it has often been difficult to assess such qualitative differences between primary producers. This appears to have changed since the well-publicised food and hygiene scares of the eighties. Farmers and livestock producers have become more adept at public relations and those who employ ethical practices are in a better position to promote this knowledge amongst consumers. On account of their smaller operating scale and low...