A Piece of Pork

Good morning all.  Today I read the always enjoyable newsletter from Mrs Feather.  She wrote this most interesting article about pork.  In the interests of getting this message across I thought I'd add it to my blog so my modest audience could enjoy this informed opinion as much as I did.

So read on...

It's about factory-farmed pork and the understandable response many have had to the very moving Animals Australia Christmas Radio spots using a young child to voice the perspective of an incarcerated pig. Despite our misgivings about anthropomorphising animals, and this is a particularly emotionally manipulative example, we think it's a powerful piece with an important message - this Christmas, don't buy pork from factory farms.

But there's been a flurry of self-righteous responses in the twittersphere and elsewhere from various influential people who say they're going to boycott ham altogether and implying that, if you are a caring person, you should do the same. We think this is a mistake and missing the point.

Of course, given what we do for a crust we would say that, wouldn't we? Stay with us though, we do have a point to make.

The Animals Australia ad has been very effective in getting everyone talking about factory-farmed pork. However, choosing to express your concern about the welfare of pigs by boycotting pork entirely is a move that might make you feel a bit better about yourself but it doesn't actually have much impact on the system that offends you so much. All it does is limit the growth of an alternative production system to factory farming which means the vast majority who aren't thinking about where their meat comes from have even less choice.

Like it or not, the majority of the global population are carnivorous and show no sign of stopping soon, which is a problem for all of us, from carnivores to vegans, because the environment won't sustain the level of factory farming we're currently engaged in let alone the projected increase in countries like China. So, if you're someone who cares, the most powerful thing you can do is make sure that the meat you do eat comes from sustainable and ethical sources. By doing this, you're supporting an alternative industry of farmers focused on regenerating and improving the land they manage for the period of time they're responsible for it.

(Of course, if you're reading this then we're all in the same echo chamber, but we figure you have to start somewhere. Today this newsletter, tomorrow Masterchef! There's no right or wrong in this whole sustainable food debate, just an imperative to take action as soon as possible, and the point each of us may be on the road to enlightenment is less important than the fact that we're on the flaming road at all.)

We'd suggest that vetoing factory-farmed meat and vegetables and being more demanding about knowing where your food comes from is a much more active way to engage with the issue than just opting out. It's this kind of consumer behaviour that has forced Coles and the peak industry body, Australian Pork Limited, to begin modifying their positions on pork - what they offer, how it's produced and how it's labelled. Clearly they're not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts but as a consequence of clear consumer pressure. It's consumers and business - not the incredibly slow wheel of government legislation - that will force more of these changes.

All it takes is a preparedness to ask questions and an unwillingness to accept glib answers. There are plenty out there willing to prey on consumers' desire to eat ethically and sustainably-produced food. You'll soon see their true colours if you ask these sorts of questions...

- What farm does this particular piece of meat come from?

- What assurances do you have that any claims made about the product are legitimate?

(Bearing in mind that definitions of 'free range' and 'organic' differ depending on the certifying body - there are several with different standards.)

- Did the animal range freely on pastures for the majority of its life?

(Note that organic certification doesn't automatically ensure free ranging on pastures in all product categories, for example poultry.)

- Were the pastures chemical-free?

- Did the stocking densities on this farm allow for the long-term sustainable management of soil and pasture?

- Does this product come from one farm or a group of farms marketing under one brand?

- What did this animal eat?

- Was it routinely fed growth hormones and prophylactic antibiotics?

(Both of these are commonly added to commercially-prepared pig feed unless the producer expressly requests that they're excluded. Even some free range pig farmers may not be aware of this.)

Of course there's the danger you'll end up like the profoundly irritating couple in the spoof of organic tragics who were so concerned about the restaurant meat they were about to eat that they left mid-meal to visit the farm to see for themselves. We're not recommending that approach as we have your emotional as well as nutritional welfare at heart. But it seems the minimum we should expect from the people selling us our food is that they should know where it comes from and how it was produced.