vegenomics

A rather perverse argument used by guilty meat eaters is the 'if we didn't eat meat there'd be no cute farm animals'. Tossers.

This lamb lives at the Hartcliffe Community Farm. Her twin died shortly after being born, but she's flourishing and will soon join her mum, and the rest of the sheep, up on the hillside. She'll never go to the abbatoir, or the butchers, or end up on some sad hippy's plate. The farm just about supports itself, and may well become a model in the post oil era. The animals are pretty much able to wander at will at the farm, and it's great seeing the kids touching them, and sometimes getting bitten by them - it's all part of the skills and knowledge they'll need in a supermarket-free future.

Farms in the future will need to be both 100% organic and 100% arable. Farm land is too valuable to waste energy converting grain to meat, and as oil-based fertilizers first rise in price astronomically, then vanish altogether, they will all need to switch to organic farming methods. Of course farm animals will have a role in the future - sheep for wool and milk, pigs for manure, ducks, geese and hens for eggs, horses for farm work, goats for milk etc. But the mad waste of energy and the pure nastiness and unhealthyness of a meat diet will ensure that modern farms will do the right thing and stop exploiting animals and mistreating them. And as for the current crop of farmers? y Destined for the scrapheap, unless they can keep ahead and change their ways.