Thirty pieces of silver
Posted: Wednesday 21 July, 2004
Well, the pigs have gone. It's very quiet without them and I haven't yet got out of the habit of looking at tired bread or cooked pasta and thinking "oh, the pigs will eat it".
People ask "do you get upset when the pigs are killed?" The roughty toughty answer is "not at all". But the truth is "yes, I do".
The process of loading the pigs was very smooth - they would happily follow a feed bucket. At the abbatoir, they happily followed the bucket into the holding area. They weren't going to be there long. When I got back into the Landrover, I bawled my eyes out, muttering incoherently about "just pay me in 30 pieces of silver".
However, not much later, I was thinking about roast pork, and sausages, and crisp smoked streaky bacon. And I wasn't crying.
Yes, I do get upset, for a while. But I reckon that's OK. Unless I want to be a vegetarian, I'll have to put up with it because I can't go back to buying supermarket pork and all the welfare concerns that go with it.
So if you're thinking of raising some pigs, don't be put off by the last step. Raising them well, giving them a good life and being upset when they die is part of being humane.
And that's what this is about.
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Comments
Anna
I'm vegan so the animal problem won't occur when I get some land, but I have to say that in my opinion you are doing something wonderful taking into your own hands raising and looking after the meat that you are going to eat. I personally respect people who can do it (I couldn't and don't want someone else to do it for me, thus I don't eat meat). You love and respect the animals you have and you don't waste what they give you, plus you don't raise more than you need, all the right things to be doing.
Thumbs up to you and thanks for the inspiring diary!
Anna
rosemoon
How beautifully put. Thank you.
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
gail
its always hard but as long as u look after them well and theyu have a content life its better than being streesed around markets time and time again
David
I think Gail was a bit streesed there.
Comments are now closed for this post.
Dave H
Thursday 22 July, 2004 at 2:30am
Been there, done that! I find there are some livestock that I get a lot more upset over than others. I won't even take one of my goats to the abbatoir. To have sheep slaughtered disturbs me more than cattle (perhaps because I'm not a fan of mutton stew), but we sell alot of them to the halal markets nonetheless. But even with cattle, there are some that would break me up. Our herd cow, whose 17, didn't stand this year, and may have to go to hamburger next year. After so many years and so many calves, it'll be tough to have a cookout featuring her.
Be well,
Dave H.