Making ends meat; meat my ethical carnivorous side

My conversion from 'the dark side'

There's no way of denying it, vegetarianism and veganism are quickly becoming more and more popular. Whether it's Beyoncé lamenting the benefits of a lactose free diet, or the fact that people are genuinely seeing the ethical and environmental benefits of vegetarianism (of which there are many, see the Vegetarian Times' list for more), the fact that I am now offered a multitude of different vegetarian options at the majority of UK restaurants is a testimony to the fact that times are changing.

 However, while my friends turn from carnivores to herbivores, I have made the questionable decision to 'convert back' to my old, malevolent ways. After 10 years of a cheese intensive diet and far too many greens for my own good, this choice has not come from a deep hunger within me, demanding red meat (in fact, I don't crave meat at all). Indeed, it hasn't even come from boredom in the variety of meals I can cook, or a change in viewpoint regarding animal welfare. Instead, I decided that it was time to re-evaluate the reasons why I was omitting meat from my diet.

 Now, I recognise that vegetarianism is not for everyone - the smell of a roasted chicken in the oven, or the temptation of duck pancakes at the Chinese restaurant is often a strong pull back to 'the dark side'. However, eating meat doesn't have to be unethical and unsustainable. Instead, I answer my shocked friends with the following, simple logic:

Without a demand for ethical meat, there will be no market.

When you go into a shop you have a choice: you buy the cheapest meat possible, or you spend a tiny bit more, perhaps buy a bit less, but know that your money is going to support strong animal welfare and will not contribute to mass over-production. I think it's unrealistic to imagine that humanity will stop eating meat altogether. It's not unrealistic however to imagine a food industry which looks after its animals, farms sustainably and, in doing so, produces the best meat. Even asking the question 'where do you get your meat from' in a restaurant lets the owner know that you, as a customer, care about where their meat comes from, therefore nudging them to create a supply.

At what cost?

The first criticism I am often faced with is the idea that such is not feasible as it is too expensive. However, buying good quality, free range meat is not as expensive as you might think. At the moment, I'm supporting my local butcher who offers 6 eggs, 6 sausages, 6 rashers of bacon and a black pudding for £6.99. Even from Co-op 2 packs of high quality, free range bacon is only £5! Beating everything however, is an easy wander through your local market where you can talk to the people who are raising your meat.

 And when it comes to eating out, there are plenty of restaurants that offer high-welfare meat. To list a few in Cardiff, HungryCityHippy recommends a number of great restaurants including a few that I'm sure you'll be surprisingly familiar with:

What difference can we make?

I became a vegetarian because I didn't believe that the standards in which animals were being kept for the food industry were right, and I still don't. I became a vegetarian because it made no sense to me that we would use the food that we could directly eat to overfeed a chicken that's kept in a cage, wasting energy. But if all meat-eaters reduced the amount of meat they were eating, and bought only high welfare, free range meat, I think that, as we've seen with the vegetarian movement, we could really make a different.

Already, I have noticed a difference as my family members, rather than simply serving me the veg at Christmas and having left over meat that would have been my portion, opted for a free range turkey. My sister even commented on the fact that it wasn't as expensive as she had assumed, and that it just took an extra moment to read the label.

 So yes, i think this would make a difference. Free range eggs are becoming a normality, so why not inquire about the source of meat at your local restaurant? And maybe, one day, I
it won't just be a V that you see by options on a menu but perhaps an W for welfare.

All it takes is a little extra thought when buying your meat produce.

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