Britain is notorious for its love of meat; whether it be the classic full English breakfast, or the bacon butty that is just the perfect hangover cure, meat is a part of British culture. But how much thought do you give to where it comes from, and how it is produced? The horse meat scandal last year is merely the tip of the iceberg, in a much larger, murky picture of animal cruelty and exploitation.

Although there are some regulations in place in the UK that ensure a certain level of animal welfare, this is not enough. There are still horror stories in the media, detailing how pigs are kept in pens that are nowhere near big enough for them to move; chickens crammed into sheds in their hundreds, genetically engineered to ensure unnatural rapid growth, that results in severe deformities, and early death. It doesn’t just stop at the rearing of animals, either. The actual act of slaughter, while obviously fairly gruesome, is carried out in the most horrific ways possible, with animals sometimes still fighting for life even as they are strung up and skinned.

While this is horrendous enough, an extortionate amount of meat that is consumed in Britain is imported from overseas EU countries, where animal rights hold far less meaning. In 2010, it was estimated that over a quarter of all meat on sale in the UK was imported from countries where animals are kept in appalling conditions. There are many people that are fully aware of the brutalities of the meat industry, and endeavour to buy from sustainable farms with acceptable living conditions- however, the meat used by restaurants, pubs and catering outlets is a cause for concern, especially as these industries account for half of the money spent on food in the UK. Not only does this perpetuate international animal cruelty, but also does damage to British farmers, who are attempting to raise the standards of animal welfare, which is made more difficult by the ready availability of cheaper products.

Danish Crown Corporation, one of the largest meat companies in the world, offers tours around one of its many slaughter houses in Horsens, Denmark; this policy of complete transparency is in stark contrast to that of many of its global counterparts. While there is no way to romanticise the act of killing animals for consumption, the company has policies to make sure the animals experience as little trauma as possible; for example, wearing blue aprons rather than white, so as to not remind the animals of predators teeth, and allowing the pigs to walk into the building of their own accord, rather than forcing them in using electric prods, causing unnecessary stress. Moreover, the public is free to see the whole process, from start to finish. This openness ensures a high standard is maintained, while also allowing people to see exactly where their meat comes from, something, I believe, is crucial.

Choosing to eat meat is an acceptance that you are eating life: while it is easy to separate the meat on your plate from the animal it came from, you should not bury your head. Meat-eaters have a responsibility to make sure that what they are consuming is from a sustainable, cruelty-free background, and it is only then that animal welfare will begin to improve.

Phillipa Williams