So why is a vegetarian writing an article on turkey farming? Well, because I appreciate vegetarianism isn't for everyone - certainly not my husband and teenogres - and I would like to encourage meat eaters to be aware of the conditions their meat is raised in. Turkeys are reared intensively because of the demand of ‘us', the consumers, for cheap meat but the cost of your Christmas turkey is not just financial; there are welfare and environmental costs to consider too.

I'm not suggesting that once you know more about how turkeys are reared you will also want to go veggie - although you might - but you may decide to buy a turkey you know has been raised without pain and suffering.

Intensive Turkey Farming

Thousands of young birds are kept in bare sheds with only food and water troughs. The litter on the floor gives off ammonia which causes eye and respiratory problems. The overcrowding leads to stress and aggression so to prevent the birds attacking each other they are de-beaked, often without anaesthetic. There is no natural light in these sheds but a constant low level artificial lighting that encourages the birds to eat round the clock. As they grow there becomes even less room to move to avoid the heat and dirt, certainly not enough to exercise or behave naturally. Intensive farming means quick growth which produces lameness in the birds. The average age of an intensively reared turkey at slaughter is 9-21 weeks (at which point they weigh between 5 and 20kg).

Turkeys are taken to slaughter in overcrowded lorries. As they are generally seasonal and larger than chickens, handlers are often not used to them and the birds suffer injuries in the catching process. The journey is sometimes the entire length of the country as supermarkets have preferred abattoirs.

When they are slaughtered the turkeys are hung upside down by the legs for up to 3 minutes at the slaughter house. They are heavy birds and this is an extremely painful process for them, especially those with hip problems resulting from the cramped living conditions. They are then stunned by electrified bath before their throats are cut. Sometimes they partially come round before their throats are cut, or worse, during the time they are bleeding to death if both carotid arteries have not been severed properly. They are also sometimes not completely dead when dipped into the scalding tank and plucked.

Higher Welfare Farming

The turkeys are kept in open barns with natural light and ventilation. There is more room per bird and they can consequently behave more naturally. There is better air and litter quality. Perches in the barn provide environmental enrichment.

Free Range Farming

Slower growing breeds of turkey are used. They have access to open air during the day, with vegetation covering these outside areas. They have better respiratory and eye health. Outside exercise means they have stronger legs and no crippling deformities.

Free Range Organic Farming

Again, slower growing breeds of turkey are used and live for up to 5 months. They have access to a minimum of 10 square metres of vegetation-covered outside space each and more room in the shed. Small moveable houses are also used and shelter outside is provided by trees and shrubs. They are allowed to exercise and behave naturally, and there is much less need for beak trimming.

Many organic producers slaughter and process turkeys on the farm. This cuts out the trauma of transportation for the birds and speeds up the entire slaughtering process. Dry plucking (ie by hand) is recommended but wet plucking (being plunged into scalding water first) is also allowed.

For birds that are sent to a slaughterhouse, the journey must be less than eight hours, from the loading of the first bird to the unloading of the last bird. They must be treated with care at all time and have enough room in the lorry to rest and stand up without being restricted. Slaughterers must be registered with an organic inspection body and are subject to an annual inspection. This ensures the turkeys meet the quickest and most stress free death possible.

So how do you know what you are buying?

Hopefully you have read this and, after due consideration, decided that maybe an organic or free range turkey is worth the extra money. But how do you know what you are buying is really organic?? Well, basically, if it says organic, it must be organic.

Things to be aware of:

Clever marketing on labels. Not just for turkey but for any meat or eggs. The words ‘farm fresh', ‘born and bred in Britain' or ‘natural' mean nothing and give no indication of welfare standards.

Red tractor symbol - this means it complies to legal standards but offers little in assurance of animal welfare standards.

Labels to look out for:

Organic - high animal welfare levels. You know exactly what you are buying and that it has had the best life possible.

Soil Association Standard - highest welfare levels in the UK. Again, these are the 'good guys'. Their website is at the bottom of this article.

Freedom Food - RSPCA welfare standards to ensure greater space and bedding materials are used. This is really a middle ground and if you can't afford a free range turkey, at least look out for one with this label on.

Free range - animals have access to the outdoors for at least part of their lives.

So why doesn't everyone buy organic free range?

Well, the answer, as always, is price. In these credit crunching times, it is a lot to ask a consumer juggling rising prices with many mouths to feed to be concerned about the welfare of their Christmas turkey.

Here is an approximate price guide for a 5kg turkey:
Intensively reared: £10 - £20
Higher welfare: £22
Free range: £30
Free range organic: £50

Prices are an average so please shop around for the best quality free range organic turkeys you can find. Talk to your local butcher who will be able to advise you where the turkey he is selling comes from.

So all I ask is that you consider very carefully where your meat comes from...not just for Christmas but at any time of the year.

If you have found this article interesting and it has inspired you to find out more about animal welfare in farming, please have a look at the following websites:

www.ciwf.org.uk Compassion in World Farming

www.soilassociation.org Promoting sustainable, organic farming

Jo

photos (c) Dick Strawbridge 2008

Alternatively, we have some lovely vegan recipes for Christmas in this newsletter