http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/116/meat-price-increase/ Vegetable Fruit & Herb Growing on my Allotment Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:33:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/116/meat-price-increase/#comment-917 John Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:27:06 +0000 http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/116/meat-price-increase/#comment-917 Hi Nick B - I actually meant let's pay a little more for quality (organic, free range) meat than cruelly made but use less of it. I think it's worth paying more for that benefit. On re-reading my post I see how it could read. I also should have mentioned that cheaper cuts of meat, well cooked are often better than more expensive cuts. Also offal is very under used nowadays. Liver and onions, mashed potatoes and beans - Brilliant. I don't blame the farmers, by the way. They are forced by the power of the market into those 'efficiencies' . If the market power was all for free range then they could farm as the majority wish to in their heart and still make a decent living. Hi Nick B – I actually meant let’s pay a little more for quality (organic, free range) meat than cruelly made but use less of it.
I think it’s worth paying more for that benefit. On re-reading my post I see how it could read.
I also should have mentioned that cheaper cuts of meat, well cooked are often better than more expensive cuts. Also offal is very under used nowadays. Liver and onions, mashed potatoes and beans – Brilliant.
I don’t blame the farmers, by the way. They are forced by the power of the market into those ‘efficiencies’ . If the market power was all for free range then they could farm as the majority wish to in their heart and still make a decent living.

]]> http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/116/meat-price-increase/#comment-915 Nick B. Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:57:26 +0000 http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/116/meat-price-increase/#comment-915 I was with you on this one all the way - right up until the last sentence! I'm all for reducing our meat intake, choosing meat that has ensured a less cruel and better quality of life for the animal concerned, and always look out for the free-range or organic meat option - but awareness of these sorts of issues is only just beginning to grab the general public's attention. The cost in the supermarket of say, free-range chicken is already significantly higher that the mass-produced option - if it were even more expensive, then many people would either a) not be able to afford the free-range option and/or b) decide to opt for the mass-produced chicken (in spite of their objections and concerns about how such meat is produced) as they would not be prepared to pay the higher cost. In short, pushing prices to high for a "premium product" will mean that less consumers buy it, and demand for cheap (albeit inferior quality) meat will increase - which is not something that I for one would like to see. I was with you on this one all the way – right up until the last sentence! I’m all for reducing our meat intake, choosing meat that has ensured a less cruel and better quality of life for the animal concerned, and always look out for the free-range or organic meat option – but awareness of these sorts of issues is only just beginning to grab the general public’s attention. The cost in the supermarket of say, free-range chicken is already significantly higher that the mass-produced option – if it were even more expensive, then many people would either a) not be able to afford the free-range option and/or b) decide to opt for the mass-produced chicken (in spite of their objections and concerns about how such meat is produced) as they would not be prepared to pay the higher cost. In short, pushing prices to high for a “premium product” will mean that less consumers buy it, and demand for cheap (albeit inferior quality) meat will increase – which is not something that I for one would like to see.

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