[Kate and her Ducks]

It was just terrible when I watched it on the news - the video was shocking.
What really annoyed me was the statement 'the RSPCA are 'considering' prosecution'.
It shouldn't have been about considering.... it should have happened by now. Cruel people indeed.

I am a strong believer in what goes around, comes around.... they will get their just desserts. 

I put off watching this for as long as I could after being told of it as I knew how awful it would be. It is not the actual active cruelty that really upsets me in some ways but the animals left to die slowly and in great distress through inactivity and complacency that truely horrifys me.

Sadly I have little expectations of justice in this world for those involved and think that the RSPCA will do much more in this case as those involved hadn't paid for a Freedom Foods endorsement than they have done in the past against farms they had recieved money from with similar exposed atrocities.

I have had to go out with a special extra treat of mealworms for my girls and Patrick with a huge lump in my throat and apologies for their limited space while the grass grows back, wanting to cry that I can't have them all here.

[juliec]

It was just terrible when I watched it on the news - the video was shocking.
What really annoyed me was the statement 'the RSPCA are 'considering' prosecution'.
It shouldn't have been about considering.... it should have happened by now. Cruel people indeed.

I am a strong believer in what goes around, comes around.... they will get their just desserts. 

I put off watching this for as long as I could after being told of it as I knew how awful it would be. It is not the actual active cruelty that really upsets me in some ways but the animals left to die slowly and in great distress through inactivity and complacency that truely horrifys me.

Sadly I have little expectations of justice in this world for those involved and think that the RSPCA will do much more in this case as those involved hadn't paid for a Freedom Foods endorsement than they have done in the past against farms they had recieved money from with similar exposed atrocities.

I have had to go out with a special extra treat of mealworms for my girls and Patrick with a huge lump in my throat and apologies for their limited space while the grass grows back, wanting to cry that I can't have them all here.

Kate please can you  expalin about the Freedom Food endorsement, Ive never heard of it and dont understand what  this means.

Thanks

Jools

[GrannieAnnie]

The 5 freedoms that the RSPCA keep on about, but which are not always practised by people are:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
2. Freedom from discomfort
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
4. Freedom to behave normally
5. Freedom from fear and distress.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlblob&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=RSPCABlob&blobwhere=1210683196122&ssbinary=true

[Thrift]

I agree wholeheartedly with everything said. This type of animal production is abhorrent and disgusting!

However, please don't lump all farmers together in this. I live in the middle of a farming community and am constantly surprised at the level of care and commitment to their stock. Also, there is a great community spirit where they help each other.

There was one occasion when I spotted a cow in difficulty when calving and as the owner couldn't be contacted the neighbours simply took over and saved the calf.

[juliec]

The 5 freedoms that the RSPCA keep on about, but which are not always practised by people are:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
2. Freedom from discomfort
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
4. Freedom to behave normally
5. Freedom from fear and distress.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlblob&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=RSPCABlob&blobwhere=1210683196122&ssbinary=true

WOW how few of our food manufacturers can honestly say that they abide by all of these rules, especially if you think about battery chickens.

Jools is having her eyes opened!

[GrannieAnnie]

Your eyes will be like saucers by the time we've finished with you!!   

You wouldn't beieve some of the things we've seen people do, but I agree with Thrift, don't lump all farmers together.  Most of the big farmers don't see everything that goes on everyday, too many things on their minds like all that paperwork they have to do. 

There are a lot of really caring farmers, like Paul Kelly of Kelly's turkeys where we get our day olds from.  He's on with Jimmy Doherty in a Farmers life (or whatever its called) at the moment.  Now he could just sit back and let them get on with it if he wanted, but he is still very much hands on at the farm, just like his Dad.  There isn't much he doesn't know about raising turkeys!

[rowlandwells]

i agree with both Thrift and Grannie Annie we shouldn't tar all farmers with the same brush i to have farmer friends who take pride in looking after there animals the same goes for those who keep chickens 

i know the supermarkets they supply do send there representatives to visit the farm and have had no problems with the way the chickens are kept free range of cause the trouble is it only takes one to discredit all this topic has made good reading by all who have answered

[Kate and her Ducks]

I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandparents in a farming community and was always really drawn to it because of the care and compassion shown by the farmers there to the stock.

Sadly there are always going to be segments of what is becoming and industry that have more interest in the bottom line than animal welfare and it is a multifactorial problem that is likely to be much debated in a world where we are talking about impending world poverty and the end of cheap food. There will always be those wonderful people who show great care and respect for their animals regardless of the end destination and those who will never see them as anything more than a commodity.

The RSPCA has a Freedom Foods endorsement that producers can apply to use (at a price) to denote that their animals are kept in humane conditions and this needless to say adds a premium to the price for them. There was similarly distressing footage from a poultry farm a year or so ago that was endorsed by the RSPCA which raised a great number of questions about the value of this.

This farm was Freedom Foods endorsed until April 2010.
http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2011/02/08/125415/Producer-accused-of-cruelty.htm

[pipfit]

It is not unnown for some of this activists to film their own friends whatever they are carrying out this cruelty.Some years ago was present on a chicken rearing farm when the alarn went off on investigation my friend found 6 people in her chicken house one filming and the others messing about with the chickens
Pipfit

[juliec]

It is not unnown for some of this activists to film their own friends whatever they are carrying out this cruelty.Some years ago was present on a chicken rearing farm when the alarn went off on investigation my friend found 6 people in her chicken house one filming and the others messing about with the chickens
Pipfit

Im not desputing this happened but because I am so new to understanding this I cannot understand why people would do this.

Please expalin to me a little deaper as to why people would stage this or is my understanding of your comment incorrect.

many thanks

jools

[rowlandwells]

i think pipfit your comments are answered by the amount of people that prosecuted each year for animal cruelty sadly not enough are brought to justice the courts do not dish out the punishment to fit the crime so much for our judicial system it is a fact that supermarket chains have ended there contracts with there suppliers if certain standards are not upheld which i totally endorse 

as for your remarks regarding the activists i think the argument  for animal welfare comes into play especially in the food chain of the commercial sector and far out ways what your saying 

[mumofstig]

I don't think that activists should be allowed to film cruelty staged by themselves where there is none, just so they can get a point across, which is what I think pipfit meant

It's a different matter altogether if they are filming real cruelty at a chicken farm, which needs to be exposed.

[rowlandwells]

it's obvious that self staged acts of this kind are not acceptable but the argument for animal welfare far out ways the staging of such acts don't let us stray away from the original topic  its disgraceful to treat animals this way especially with only a short life before there on the kitchen table

[New shoot]

Given the amount of softies on here that spoil their birds rotten, your sentiments will ring home with most Rowlandswells.

I don't have an issue with raising animals for meat if it's done in a humane manner BUT I have a massive issue with anyone treating any living creature - pet, livestock or wild - like that.  Took me a while to build up the nerve to watch the clip, but glad I did.  I'm sure most farmers would never dream of treating livestock that way and we should all do as much as we can to support them when we shop, but those that do mistreat animals should be exposed and punished.

[orchardlady]

I'm absolutely appalled by the behaviour of the duck 'handlers', however often people employed on large scale food production are supplied by gang masters who source their workers from other countries. Some countries do not have the same attitude to animals as us. I'm truly not a xenophobe but it is just the way it is. Different attitudes and different standards. Educating your work force and good basic training on handling the livestock was clearly not happening in this case.
What is so amazing is that ducks are just about the easiest animal to herd. They flow like water. The birds in the clip were clearly hugely stressed by the whole procedure. I find I just have to lift my hand up gently and my ducks move away in the direction I want them to go. It was all too much noise and hurry for the poor birds. As for the neck swinging...I'm speechless.

OL