Free Range/Ethical frugal eating

KellyKim

Thank you for caring about where your food comes from, very admirable.

I feel I should add however that the free range standards in the UK, whilst much better than the battert alternative, are not very good and I really wouldn't buy anything from them personally. Organic conditions are always free-range by default and one step better.

Ideally, I'd recommend picking yourself up some ex-battery chickens from any of the websites, such as the British Hen Welfare Trust, if you have room in your back garden for a few hens. This will give you loads of eggs and give a previously abused hen a new chance at having a life.

Again, thanks for caring.

Miss_Ratty

Free range is not always significantly better than battery, sadly. De-breaking chickens is still permitted, although they must have access to "roaming", this is not monitored and is very ambiguous, space is not vastly different from battery, etc, etc. although it is an mild improvement on battery farming. Organic standards are as ethical as you can get - there's a lot of research on this. It's part of an entire farming ethos, about the animal living as nature intended for the majority of its life.

Of course, to be truly ethical you could go meat free...or to save costs and be "more ethical" try a meat free few days, using beans and pulses which are very cheap, in your meals. A friend of mine adopted two battery chickens through a scheme...these wee ladies have run of the garden, and are genuinely happy and very tame now...although it took a while. They also are a source of yummy eggs to, and are relatively cheap to keep. I wanted to adopt some too, but my dog rather fancies them for dinner, and it would be very stressful for both!

You could also try buying organic meat when it is reduced and freezing it, buy cheaper cuts but cook them for longer, or buying directly from farms and making the meals go longer by adding more sauces or veg to meals.

Being ethical doesn't have to be expensive, but you can make adjustments to other things to help keep the costs down...

Helen2k8

Miss_Ratty wrote: »

using beans and pulses which are very cheap, in your meals.

Not picking on you, but I see this point raised a lot.

Where do those beans and pulses come from?
What land has been cleared to grow them?
How many pesticides used, how much oil and diesel in the tractors?
How much fuel to import them?

Not to mention the lower nutritional value.

If we're talking "ethical prices" the shelf label isn't the full story.

Backyard chickens are great - but like any livestock need daily attention, possible veterinary treatment (including culling if necessary), feed costs are rising and it's actually illegal to feed kitchen scraps (I doubt many people pay attention to that), then there is housing and bedding....and no guarantee they'll lay anything before Mr Fox comes calling.

Ollycob

anrutpea wrote: »

I know this is contraversial and people may think I'm being judgemental - I really am not - I understand there are people who have little money or little time, single parent families etc - I get this. But if it's about money I really don't think supermarkets are the cheapest places to go for food.

If you have time to shop around it really does save lots of money.

I think it's swings and roundabouts to a degree, yes shopping around can save you money but then you are using extra money in fuel/bus fares to get to different shops so cancel out the saving!

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

It is ok if you can afford to be ethical, but if you are on minimum wage cost has to take priority.

Agree here to a point, however I am trying to feed myself for £60 a month so obviously free range (and expensive!) meat isn't an option for me, so rather than buy value meat I am going vegetarian.