[manian]

did anyone watch the programme on supermarkets and animal factory
what do you all think

[little blue]

got it on now....

[egglady]

it is truly alarming!  watching it now

[Hilarysmum]

No tele!  But hope it showed the true face of factory farming.

[morri2]

I became vegetarian 20 years ago because of this type of farming.  Not that I'm against people eating meat if its properly reared, it was just my way of protesting.  I'm still vege now, and so are my kids.

[Fleecewife]

No it didn't show the true face of factory farming.  It showed a monster 'milk factory' in the states, and a British ex milk producer who seemed to think it was brilliant - plus of course the 'farmer' (read big business man who is borrowing £13 million was it?) who is hoping to set up the first one here. Cows forever indoors,no fresh grass ever.  It did show monster slurry lagoons for both cows and pigs, and the slurry being sprayed over standing crops.
I didn't think they showed the really unacceptable side of factory farming at all - the pig production houses which have stopped me from eating any pork other than free range, the chicken production units we have seen from Hugh F-W (who was there sporting a new and much better hairdo) - I haven't eaten chicken from that type of production for many years.  Unfortunately some people have a very limited budget and feeding their families something comes before animal welfare for them.
If only everyone who wanted it had the use of even just one acre of land to produce their own food.  There would probably still be cruelty, but not on the scale we see it being allowed on these giant factory farms

[Hilarysmum]

I wish I wish I wish they would show children the true side of cheap meat.  P l e ase......

[robert waddell]

i was going to watch it but did not therefore i cannot comment on its content however the factory farming has to be viewed with some tolerance and if any blame has to be apportioned it must be borne by the suppermarkets  these multi billion pound controllers are opening new suppermarkets at ONE per day with the sole intention of parting you from your money very rarely will you get a supplier complaining about them there contract forbides it they cannot supplie another ie tesco if they are suppling asda also the buy one get one free that is the supplier that underwrites that also don't think just because you pay cash for your groceries that the supplier gets paid  quick 30 days min even 90 days is not unknown the suppermarkets lay down the rules and can change them in the time it take to send a fax or e mail but suppliers are tied the milk supplie is similar the primary producer is screwed because the suppermarkets want to attract the customers with cheep milk  milk being cheaper than water come on where is the sense in this water falls from the sky then purified bottled distributed  and has a long shelf life       milk you have to have a farm cows keep them to they produce milk then milk collected processed cartoned and distributed with not a sniff of free production now you have to come to the distribution and delivery thousands and thousands of Lorrie movements per day to joe public with one blind eye and the other stuffed with shavings this does not even register with them there are whole ind estates devoted to this supplie chain bellshill food technology park for one lidel/tesco at livingstone asda at grangemouth and hundreds  of other ones never mind the English and welsh side of the industry  i think you have to delve a bit deeper than the factory farms that are screwed on the price and remember if they cant get it in Brittan there is a raft of European producers just waiting to send there not so welfare friendly produce here milk/pork/beef and chicken i can remember tomatoes from the Clyde valley the taste the smell nothing like the tasteless blabs of crap that is produced abroad better having control of British factory farms than no control of foreign crap and how it is produced and no alternative

[faith0504]

we dont own a tv in our house

[Riggy]

we dont own a tv in our house

We have seven, though I'm not sure of the relevance of this.

[robert waddell]

thats what i was thinkink my son watches tv on the computer just was not wanting to dive in there

[Fleecewife]

<< the factory farming has to be viewed with some tolerance >>

I can't agree there. If there's cruelty to animals going on then crying 'we have to do it because that's what the supermarkets demand' is pretty much the same as the 'nasties' saying 'we had to take part in experiments on gypsies and Jews because we were told to do it'.  If you can only make a living in farming by being cruel to livestock, then go and work in a shoe shop.
I'm not saying that all factory farming is cruel, but where it is, then it's unacceptable.
Similarly, if foreign imports are from countries with poor livestock welfare records, then as a country we must ban those imports. 
Money has only really come first to such an extent since the Thatcher days, and it is possible to regain our moral standards in this country if we the voters so choose.

[robert waddell]

since farming started there has been cruelty unfortunately the cruelty aspect sticks with our views and memories and tarnishes the overall aspect
sadly Britain does not prevent imports like other country's all in the name of free trade
i think you are wrong in your assertion that money has only come into it since the thatcher era yes she was a grocers daughter but the factory farming was in operation long before she came to power
i remember years ago a photo in the Glasgow herald in some Asian country of a local transporting 2  live pigs to market wrapped in chicken wire lashed on the back of his moped with broken taillights that is accepted there just try that here and you would be front page news similar to the daftie that put the cat in the bin
yes cruelty should be stamped out but what is acceptable to one is deemed cruel by someother

[Riggy]

You're bang on Lillian. Everyone's definition of cruel is different. Very few people, and probably no farmer would do something they believed to be cruel, though others may see their actions (or inactions) as such.

I take the view that ill treated cows don't produce much milk.

[waterhouse]

The trouble is that people are too far away from farming so neither they nor their parents know how food is really produced and understand the consequences of all the compromises.

- They want cheap food and the market provides it.
- They want to protect cuddly bunnies, badgers and foxes while ignoring factory farming and long distance slaughter.
- Farmers are perceived to be rich so consumers are happy that the supermarkets make big profits while farmers struggle. 
- If UK farmers won't produce down to a price then overseas producers will, even if their own country starves.  But they don't have minimum wages, hygiene standards or fancy ethics so imports can be cheaper even with freight costs.

The fact is that food has got much cheaper over the years and this can't be rolled back easily.  But the "we just meet demand" thesis from the supermarkets is the same argument that would support public executions.  Now there's an idea - public abattoirs!