What boycotts/changes/discoveries have you made?

[Kazbah]

The biggest thing for me was reading "the ethics of what we eat" - finding out that the "grain-fed beef" is so disgusting and makes cattle sick - and that pasture fed is the most ethical choice if you're eating beef.

I find the hardest thing is trying to get DH to buy ethically instead of cheaply.

[Trillian]

The biggest thing for me was reading "the ethics of what we eat" - finding out that the "grain-fed beef" is so disgusting and makes cattle sick - and that pasture fed is the most ethical choice if you're eating beef.

I find the hardest thing is trying to get DH to buy ethically instead of cheaply.

I'd just like to point out that that book was mostly based on US feedlotted beef and as taken from the book;

Many pages detail sickening beef feedlot (mass pens) conditions not present in Australia. The book acknowledges this, but reference to the Australian situation is piecemeal and uneven, with figures not always converted to metric and not applicable to our industry.
The authors acknowledge that Australia's feedlot industry is relatively small, mainly for "finishing" export beef. Their reckoning is 70-day confinement for 25 per cent of the beef industry. In fact, most of the 29 per cent of feedlot cattle here are "medium-fed" for 120 days, or "long-fed" for 200 days, according to the Australian Lot Feeders Association.

The bold type is mine

Very very little purely feedlotted, grain fed beef makes it's way onto your dinner plate. It is expensive to buy and grain is used purely to bulk up the animal for export because of the high protein content in the grain. Now I don't necessarily agree with feedlotting animals on a long term basis - mainly from an animal welfare perspective because there are no trees or shade and they are on bare dirt nearly the entire time they are in the feedlot. BUT feeding both grain and grass is the ideal because feeding cattle only on grass is not without it's evnironmental toll either simply because of the sheer volume that they need to eat in a day, hence why they are supplemented with grain. And Australia does NOT import beef or beef products at this stage but there are moves to open import markets for beef which is currently being fought against.

[Kazbah]

I went on a pub crawl around Glen Innes - and there is the largest feedlot in the southern hemisphere there (this was around '95). It was disgusting. Owned by a Japanese multi-national, all the meat is for export!

Ummm my choice however is to eat pasture-fed meat, and to stay away from the "finished on grain for 120days" steaks at pubs & restaurants. I buy free-range organic meat (lucky that's our only butcher up here!) and grow my own eggs. DH & I are in negotiation for our own chicken meat - I think it's better ethically to care and kill for our own meat, but DH is a bit of a soft touch when it comes to slaughter.

With McDonalds, for all their evilness, they are working across the world to increase the cage size of their producers.

Woolies got done for one of their primary producers having inhumane conditions for chooks (or was it pigs? can't remember exactly)

[Trillian]

That's fair enough and like I said, I don't agree with feedlotting 100% either, and raising beef on pasture only still has an environmental toll because you have to work the paddock, sow the pasture, and then cut it for hay, all of which leave a hefty carbon footprint. It would be more environmentally friendly to not eat beef at all due to the carbon footprint they leave themselves

[C~Q]

I went to the movies last night and it was so hard...everything there was either Nat Conf Comp, Mars or Nestle Ended up having a frozen coke (not real Coke)...guess popcorn would have been ok though!

[Madissun]

It's hard isn't it hun! Once you start taking notice, you realise just how much the larger companies have their grubby little fingers in everything!

[jessenna]

I boycott all meat after subjecting myself to watching "Meet your meat" and other PETA videos. Not good!!! I do not buy any MARS products/confectionary, they test on animals. I only buy free range eggs if i have to, i usually get them from my sister who has chickens (I am planning on getting my own soon, best idea ever).
I do not use any procter and gamble products, or nestle now that I know about the Palm Oil issue.
I drink soy milk and also buy cheeses that do not contain "Rennet", sometimes labelled "enzyme", made from animal bones and sinues that harden cheese.

My changes have mainly been about the ethical treatment of animals, but have also started to boycot certain animal products to look for green choices.

[Inanna]

I just want to applaud all of the wonderful people in here doing their bit to make a difference.

I am in the process of yet again converting to vegetarianisim. I only buy organically grown meat & since the snake ate all my chooks I only buy organic eggs (not cheap)... However I do believe the world would be a healthier place & karmically so if we didn't kill and eat & farm so many animals.

It's not easy to be green (sorry couldn't help it! ) but it makes a difference.

[Miss.September]

I'm definately ditching my mum deodorant. Didn't know that one. Have recently ditched Nestle, even though Kit Kats are my favourite chocolate ever. Like orangutans more though.

Our vet told us that Eukanuba is owned by a cosmetics company that has been known to test on animals. How would I find out for sure? I don't buy it any more, but I don't want to dish out on them if it's not true.

I'm having trouble though with yoghurt. The only ones I can find that don't have apple, apple juice or strawberry are Nestle branded, so if anyone knows any other one, please let me know. DD is allergic to apples and we've been advised to avoid strawberries too.

Corelly x