An emotionally draining evening

Last night I slaughtered 3 lambs for some friends who have recently had children. It is customary for Muslims to make a sacrifice for newborns - it becomes their first act of charity in this world as the lamb goes towards feeding friends, family and the poor.

Anyhow, I found the whole process a bit traumatic and very emotional. By the third one I was desperate for it all to be over. None of the animals suffered, in fact they passed on very peacefully, but I just really felt a bit shellshocked at the end of it. It made me question how people working in abattoirs must feel. They must go one of two ways: 1) get completely detached from the process and see each animal as yet another "job" on the conveyor belt or 2) become quite impacted by it in a deeper way. Either way it can't be good!

Yet again the whole experience really made me question the meat industry. As a nation we eat way too much meat that is causing us to breed, farm and slaughter animals at a crazy rate. It should not be like this, however the British Meat industry has to keep making money I suppose. That's why I am convinced that for those wanting an alternative approach to meat is to search out local people who see their animals as animals first and not profitable commodoties. They are more than likely going to care a lot more about how their animals live and die than mass producers.

After last night I have also vowed never to eat meat I have not slaughtered personally (unless a trusted friend has). I somehow don't feel right about it....can't put it into words but I want to make sure the animal I eat was killed with compassion and that genuine sorrow was felt when it went off to lambs' paradise. Otherwise I think that animal has been disrespected in a way......I felt sad last night and it has really knocked me for six.

My Dad came and watched the procedure too. I thought he was going to be a bit shocked but he said he was quite impressed with the swiftness of the procedure and relatively humane approach to the whole thing. He told me about a book called The Jungle by Upton Sinclair in which the author exposes the disgusting and barabaric practices of the meat industry in Chicago at the turn of the century. The book describes thing like pigs being hooked into their hing leg and hung upside down on a conveyor belt (alive) until they met up with the guy with the knife who would just slash them open. If they didnt die then it was up to someone else with a big mallet to go crack their heads open. There are lots of horrible other little tales in there - I am actually going to read it as it is the first expose of the whole meat industry.

Anyway it made me think that it is quiet funny that people now describe Halal slaughter as barbaric. The Abrahamic faiths had been slaughtering according their (very similar) ways for centuries, always ensuring compassion was shown to the animal. Then just because the "West" all of a sudden gets exposed by people like Sinclair they change their ways and get a bit more health & safety conscious and now somehow occupy the moral high ground. Makes you think.....

Lots going on at the mo and still loads of jobs to do. My hens escaped again today! I have to clip their wings tomorrow or I will never get round to doing it. The farmer who rents our field is taking a couple of his cows off for the abattoir tomorrow. Will be sad to see them go - the family sort of built a relationship with them and my boy will wonder why 5 became 3? Still got to pickle my beetroots which are MASSIVE now and also harvest all the carrots and stick them in the freezer. I have missed the boat for veg to plant over winter so it looks like the only thing I can stick in will be lettuce - great. Will have to be much better organised in 2007 and get things in the ground when they should be in.

Oh and I went rabbit hunting the other night with a neighbour. Took my bow and arrow - shot at 3 rabbits - hit none! The next morning I was so determined to get one I went and sat up a tree at the end of my field waiting for them before dawn - didn't see a single one. I WILL get one soon - but suppose I had keep practicing the archery in the meantime.