Michael Mosbacher, the Telegraph‘s Deputy Comment Editor, is going for the rage-clicks, but he has a point:
There are under 1,000 ponies left on Dartmoor and over 145,000 sheep. Since the 1950s, the moor’s pony population has fallen by close to 90 per cent, whilst ovine numbers have more than trebled. These divergent trajectories have much to do with one simple fact – lamb is a Sunday roast staple and we don’t eat ponies. Easter dining tables groan under legs of lamb, but pony tenderloins are only notable by their absence.
Overgrazing is the environmental sin du jour and the regulators are demanding that something be done. We indeed live on a sheep-sodden island. According to Defra figures, the ovine population of the UK was 30.5 million in June last year. Wales alone is home to over 8.5 million sheep whilst there are only around 5 million in the entire United States.
On Dartmoor, Natural England is calling for a radical reduction in stocking numbers, and that for the first time includes the semi-wild ponies. The problem for the ponies is that they are of very little commercial value and there is an abundant market for lamb. If a farmer is ordered to reduce their livestock numbers – the ponies are actually all owned – they will cull the ponies rather than have fewer of the animals from which they actually draw their living.
Quite so. Regulators are overgrazing on the available resources.
I am told that horsemeat is sold commonly in Russian supermarkets. Apparently it is a cultural delicacy among their Turkic population. So, if Britain doesn’t have an appetite for these cute little ponies, perhaps it is an export opportunity.
FWIW, it is an argument I have with vegetarians all the time. Were the UK to pass a law banning the consumption of animal products the first thing that would happen is that all the farm animals in the country would be killed. Were such a ban to happen world wide it is pretty likely that most bovine, porcine and ovine species would quickly go extinct. This does not seem a very good approach to animal welfare to me.
Here in the USA the devastated populations of bison have made a huge comeback by creating a market in bison meat. FWIW, it is delicious.
I think it is interesting, philosophically, why certain meats are eaten and others are not. I’m open to ideas on this but I can think if three categories exempt from the dinner table — animals with which humans have close working relationships, horses, dogs, cats where their utility in other ways is higher than their nutritional value; animals that are “yucky” like bugs, snakes an so forth — though what counts as “yucky” isn’t clear, and is highly culturally dependent, since we eat shellfish but not land bugs which seem quite similar; and finally animals that are cute, so called charismatic species.
Human morality really is a weird mix of different things.
Might be more productive to eat environmentalists.
“Natural England” is a government organisation that did not exist till a few years ago, just as the “Environment Agency” did not exist till a few years ago (before it landowners cooperated with each other over such matters as drainage – what some people seem to think are natural rivers in the south west of England are often drainage systems created by landowners).
Why should anyone obey “Natural England” or any of these unelected government bodies? Including the Bank of England.
Yes, it is interesting.
Though animals such as horses, dogs, and cats might perhaps be considered culturally un-edible because they are cute, apart from (or in addition to) the working relationship.
As for yucky meat: I would not eat bugs — but that is mostly because they are low-fat 🙂
I was quite interested in tasting alligator and kangaroo meat, and i would happily eat snake meat, if available.
In Iceland, some of my friends were scandalized that i tasted puffin meat.
(But, with hindsight, i suggest avoiding it.)
Cat meat is apparently delicious – I have discussed this with one of my, shall we say, Bohemian American friends who either hunts or traps much of his meat for consumption. Cat meat (mountain lion, bobcat and “domestic” and feral moggies) are consumed by him and his family with relish. He recommends Snaring for Survival by Newt Sterling if you want to read all about it.
But the cat owners would be apoplectic at the thought of their priceless pussies being someones meal (no arguing over who gets a leg). I know that in Germany, during both wars, cats were referred to as roof rabbit.
As for horse meat, it is very similar to beef but with more yellow fat. Another acquaintance of mine married a horsey gal and honeymooned in France. They had a meal and he complimented the waiter “C’est tres bon, le steak du boeuf” to be told, “C’est ne pas du boef, c’est cheval”. Apparently, her projectile vomiting hit the far wall … although she did enjoy the meal up to that point. The point being that the meat was both tasty and indistinguishable from beef.
Still, if the Labour party manages to cause agricultural output to collapse and food riots follow, roof rabbit might be something to bear in mind.
Absolutely not; somebody would start farming them, increasing their numbers. (Is there a market for Monbiot Casserole?)
What interests me is this… What we eat is (as has been pointed out here) very culturally dependent. I know Muslims who will happily have a pint of beer but are repulsed by a pork pie. I guess because eating is vital and has therefore become part of cultures that this is ingrained into us. Personally I can’t stand pork or (most) lamb – too sweet, too fatty although maybe I’ve had these meats badly cooked too many times. I dunno. I do agree that the trade in bison meat has probs saved those majestic monsters of the Midwest. And yes, I have eaten bison and it is an excellent meat. Kind of like beef but with a more game taste so sort of like venison but not dry as venison so often is. I do not eat invertebrates. I also fail to see why people make a distinction between the land and sea variants. Just look at a crab or lobster. They look like things H R Giger would have had nightmares about. Thousands of years back some poor bugger must have been utterly desperate to whack a lobster with a rock and call it dinner.
I have never had snake but they can be (and are farmed). Anyone want to go joint venture with me to bring this too England (we can make up assorted health benefits). The snake farm would have to adjoin a hamstery and preferably be powered by and SMR just to wind people up.
This is to me, a profound question. I have spent much holiday time in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Often on walks, in the spring I would come across small flocks of sheep, where I would see little gangs of lambs playing together and appearing to be having great fun. The thought then occurs, I may be eating one of those lambs in a year or so. Emotional me feels sickened. Rational me counters, it is my eating them that ensures they have this happy gambolling time, in the spring sunshine. Better to have lived and had fun than never to have lived at all. But it doesn’t quite cut it. So whenever I eat lamb, the best I can do, is to say a little prayer of gratitude to the soul, if it exists, of this lamb. Call me a softy if you like.
David Roberts,
As a small kid I heard of lambs “gambolling”. I thought they were playing poker. Am I unusual here? No, you aren’t a softy. You sound like a Christian (or someone who had a Christian upbringing) and learned to say Grace over meals. Reminds me of this.
Lobster did used to be peasant food until foodies fell in love with it. Just like tripe and rice porridge and jumbalia, stuff the peasants ate because that was all they could scrape out of the mud over time becomes posh nosh.
The fact is, they taste delicious. Shrimps and mussels too.
But i no longer eat cephalopods, even though they also taste delicious. I suppose that they are members of the cute set, for me.
Lambs are cute, but calves are cute too.
What would really make me uncomfortable is eating goat meat, because baby goats are not only cute, they have been friendly to me in a couple of occasions.
Douglas Sutherland wrote in The English Gentleman that servants in gentlemen’s households got so fed up with eating leftover salmon and venison, that they stipulated that those delicacies would not be served more than 3 or 4 times a week.
“because baby goats are not only cute, they have been friendly to me in a couple of occasions.”
Would it be indelicate to ask for elaboration? I mean I not suggesting you are a literal kiddie-fiddler but the optics aren’t looking good 😉
No physical contact: just baby goats showing interest in me at Tallinn zoo, on 2 occasions. I was the only human around, so they had nobody else to be curious about.
Tallinn Zoo has an excellent collection of goats. Also of eagles and owls, which i find more interesting (if less cute).
Snorri – Tallinn was one of the cities I should have visited when I was young, and, sadly, never did.
I envy you Sir.
Why not visit Tallinn now?
I first visited Tallinn in 1995. I wonder whether Paul considered himself young in 1995. I also wonder how much worse it must have been in Soviet times.
Anyway, what i found most interesting is how supermarkets in Estonia have changed over time. When i moved there in 2007, there were still some distinctly Commie features, such as milk sold in plastic bags (it still might be, for all i know). But at least there were no queues anymore.
Horses are very inefficient converters so raising them for meat will never be profitable unless it becomes a premium product.
Snorri – I bow to your experience. I have just seen internet film of the old town – and thought it looked like a nice place to visit.
In 1995 I was still doing my D.Phil (although I was a little bit old to be doing a D.Phil) – a thesis for which I never received a doctorate (a long story – involving the Court of Chancery, supposedly abolished in 1875, but which I found out, much to my disgust, was very much alive – in the person of the Lord Chancellor of England and Wales, then Lord Irvine – “cut to the chase” I was not failed, but nor was I passed, I will be in limbo for the rest of my life).
Did I consider myself young in 1995? No I can not honestly claim that I was young – but I was less old.
For example, I delivered some newspapers today – and got very tired, I would not have been tired 30 years ago.
I am sure that Tallinn is a great place now – and I wish you every success there Snorri.