Biological meat

[RagingUndead]

hy VeganAtheist and members of this forum what do you think of people that eat biologicall meat ? ( biologicall means for example a chicken that is raised in a way that the chickens like. In a open field with attention etc you get my point ). Btw I don't eat meat each day because the ecological footstep. I watched food inc the movie, so I try to treat animals in the most proper way I can. unfortunately I'm not a strong enough 14 year old that can go vegan, but I still want to adress that the eggs we receive in belgium aren't from caged stress chickens those are illegal. Could you please answer on this since I'm very inspired and also I want to get diffrent opinions from diffrent people. In this cause you A vegan atheist. ( see what I did there ? The A for atheist )

[miniboes]

Welkom!
It's great that you're trying to limit your meat consumption.

Firstly, in English the term you are looking for is organic (organisch), not biological.
The sad truth is that organic animal foods are not produced in a way animals like, in fact it is barely different. I can't remember the exact dimensions, but there used to be a sign in my local Albert Heijn that compared the chicken density of egg farms between regular, free range and organic. The numbers were astoundingly close. The goal of organic farms is to make the customer feel they are making an ethical choice, not to be ethical.

[garrethdsouza]

Isn't thw organic farming policy to not give hormones or antibiotics? I've heard it can be a problem since if the animals fall ill they're still not given any antibiotics because of the label and wind up suffering from their illnesses.

[RagingUndead]

carnebiologica.it/english/carne.htm this is of a company that sells biological food and also says what it is. Don't worry I know what I eat.

[Cirion Spellbinder]

I'm not a strong enough 14 year old that can go vegan

By this statement are you saying that you are not determined enough to go vegan or that your parents are oppose to the idea and you are not determined enough to opposed them? If it is the latter, the following response may be helpful:

I think you're underestimating the power you have at your disposal? Based on the link you provided, I will assume you live in Italy. As a citizen of Italy, you are subject to the "Convention on the Rights of the Child" (http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalint ... s/crc.aspx). Article 27 states, the parent(s) or others responsible for the child have the primary responsibility to secure, within their abilities and financial capacities, the conditions of living necessary for the child's development. Therefore, you can simply refuse to eat animal products and your parents are required by law to provide you with vegan alternatives. However, I would not recommend this if your parents do not have the funds to buy food for both you and them and doing so would economically destabilize your family or if you have abusive parents. I hope this helps!

[brimstoneSalad]

"Organic" or "biological" meat is actually LESS environmentally sustainable, so you do more damage to the environment by eating it. The lack of hormones means the animals grow more slowly, and consume more resources, thus wasting more food.

It may or may not be slightly less cruel, but you can not trust a company that is selling you a product like that to honestly tell you it's not cruel. They may just have pretty stock photos, and resell you ordinary factory farmed meat (or something barely different). Advertisement lies.

If you feel you need to eat meat, you should consider eating rope grown oysters instead. Oysters are sedentary organisms, and probably not sentient (look into the science). Their cultivation (if rope grown) is also not very harmful to the environment (maybe even helpful to the environment) because they are filter feeders.

Otherwise, the best option is to go vegan. Cirion gave you good advice above.

[RagingUndead]

Well first thing I want to say determined enough to go vegan but I want to thank you for consedering that my parents don't allow me to go vegan. Second thing I'm fRom belgium it was just a good articall I found, and now my point is that yeah I as a person isn't always sure if they really sell biological meat but people from the food sector goes to those people who sells bio meat and check if they aren't lying to the buyers. Also this..."normal" meat is a animal filled with things that don't even should be there whereas in biological meat there are only things in the animal that the animal wants also the farmers that use this way also know that they are using more ground so that's why the animals are in balance with the food they are eating. Nowhere in a artical that I read says that bio meat is bad for the environment( http://fido.belgium.be/nl/inhoud/5-kenmerken-5-voordelen) here in the federal site of belgium it even says it's good for it. You say because the lack of hormones they grow slow and wasting more food ? Well yeah they "waste" more food then a "normal" raised animal but do you think that forcing animals to cannibalism thus waisting less food is better ? I think that you did't research enough and all should look into it because you are all criticall wich I like but don't know really good what bio meat is. I also suggest that you should watch food inc. There is a part near the end where he explains a little what bio meat is I hope you know more the you knew yestersay

[miniboes]

http://fido.belgium.be/nl/inhoud/5-kenm ... -voordelen

This article is not a good source in the slightest. It does not cite any sources, forget peer-reviewed research.

And if you're really convinced this article is reputable, it clearly states that we should eat less meat and fish:
"een grote troef om onze ecologische voetafdruk te beperken is vlees en vis vervangen door plantaardige alternatieven zoals peulvruchten, noten en zaden."

[brimstoneSalad]

as a person isn't always sure if they really sell biological meat but people from the food sector goes to those people who sells bio meat and check if they aren't lying to the buyers.

You don't understand how government oversight works (and fails to work). Checks are only occasional, at best, and when the person who is checking isn't paid off (which happens more than you would like to believe), worst case common scenario is the farm just pays a small fine. This is considered the cost of doing business, because it's cheaper to treat animals worse, and just pay fines now and then when they get unlucky and have a honest inspection, since they're making such a fat markup from you, the consumer.

Do some research on companies deliberately violating government regulations and paying fines regularly and writing it off as cost of business.

Government regulations mean very, very little at all.

And as we already said: These are NOT ethical standards. They are just slightly less evil ones (if they are even followed).
Would you want to be an animal on one of these farms, killed for meat as soon as you're fat enough?

Nowhere in a artical that I read says that bio meat is bad for the environment

Of course not, they're trying to promote it. Try some better sources.

You say because the lack of hormones they grow slow and wasting more food ? Well yeah they "waste" more food then a "normal" raised animal but do you think that forcing animals to cannibalism thus waisting less food is better ?

I think veganism is better.

You don't have to eat meat. You're choosing to be more environmentally wasteful, rather than less so. If you want to save the environment, just eat the plants directly (and mindfully of where they came from). Wasting resources is an environmental and moral issue. At best, you're robbing Peter to pay Paul here.

If your parents just don't allow you to go vegan, I can understand. But if that's not the case, you should give it a try, or at least slowly take steps to become vegan over time (which may be easier), by cutting things down and out one by one. It's easier than you think.

We're glad to help you with whatever advice you need.

[miniboes]

By the way, RagingUndead, I can translate for you if you have trouble understanding something.