Page 25 - Blue Valley Issue 4_2022

ADVERTORIAL

WHY THE STORY OF THE

MEAT YOU EAT IS IMPORTANT

PHOTO BY SVEN BRANDSMA

t is hard to defend being a meat eater to Francis Brambell researched a basic set whilst in a fit of adrenalin-induced fear. The
those who graphically describe the inhumane of standards for all animals under human adrenalin changes the colour and smell of the
Itreatment animals suffer on the way to your control. He recommended five freedoms. meat and it is much tougher,” says Justine.
plate.
These are the Five Freedoms that have since But the Five Freedoms are a problem. They lead
But all that falls away if the animals have had a been developed and adopted by organisations to ‘humane washing’ through the unethical
life worth living and a humane end. and authorities in Europe and the USA: practice of marketing with misleading claims.
• Freedom from hunger or thirst Their weakness is they are vague and open to
Justine Reardon’s remarkable story of how she • Freedom from discomfort interpretation. So, while factory farms might
transformed herself from a third generation • Freedom from pain, injury or disease provide the appropriate facilities, they barely
fashion designer, cutting and trimming • Freedom to express normal behaviour consider the animals’ well-being.
material for dressing Joburg’s young social • Freedom from fear and distress
set, to cutting and trimming meat, has a The USA-based Humane League points out
foundation in ethics and healthy living. These are not only good for the animals that the Five Freedoms minimise the negative
destined for the table, they are good for the but they do not promote the positive and it
According to Justine, raising the bar for the people consuming the meat. “At the butchery leads to animals surviving rather than thriving.
humane treatment of animals in the food where I worked in Morningside, you could tell
system began in 1965 when Irish zoologist the difference when an animal was slaughtered In line with this, Justine believes that the

BLUE VALLEY NEWS • Issue 4 2022• 23