Horse meat crisis

[viper]

im expecting to see Cows running at royal ascot this year as they may be all out of horses, the 3.30 could be an interesting race

[Debs]

Im going to start using soya mince from now on for when i make Spag Bol 

[stoketim]

soya mince really? god know whats in that 

[O.C.]

Debs, just buy BRITISH beef at your local butchers  .....sorted 

[Debs]

soya mince really? god know whats in that 

Soya mince, often called soy mince, or soy ground beef, is a product made out of textured vegetable protein. It is textured and shaped to resemble mince, or ground beef, and is usually colored and seasoned so that the look and flavor of the soy product is the similar to that of beef. A versatile food, soya mince can be used in any recipe that calls for ground beef or any other type of ground meat, making the dish suitable for vegetarians or vegans and reducing the fat and calories of traditional dishes.

There is no  in it 

[mecki]

Debs, just buy BRITISH beef at your local butchers  .....sorted 

And where does the local butcher gets his meat from?
I doubt that he buys live animals and kills them himself.
So he buys his meat from a wholesaler like everybody else.
And where does the meat wholesale company get their meat from?   

[mecki]

There is no  in it 

How do you know? After all you're talking about artificial meat and there could be anything (including real meat) in it.
Most likely at least genetically modified soy beans from god only knows where from since they don't grow those over here and hell knows what else. 

[Lonewolf]

Mecki, there are many local farm shops near to where I live and indeed farm shops are scattered in most villages and small towns. What they sell is local produce and in some cases they raise, slaughter, prepare, and sell their produce. A chap on my team at work lives on his fathers farm and they do just that. I've had many a succulent steak from local farm shops whilst on holiday in Scotland, Cornwall, Lincolnshire etc and it tastes totally different from the equivalent at Morrison's and is well worth the extra you'll pay for it. 


Alternatively buy from the local butcher.

[coman37]

I think the idea when buying from the local butcher is that you can see the unrefined meat and often the bone it is attached to. Any good butcher can tell which animal it comes from by the colour and texture.

ps, I agree with Mecki about the soya stuff, You could be eating horse as well, just cos its says its soya doesn't mean it is (tastes like beef, looks like beef, where have we heard that before?????)


Coman

[O.C.]

Mecki, there are many local farm shops near to where I live and indeed farm shops are scattered in most villages and small towns. What they sell is local produce and in some cases they raise, slaughter, prepare, and sell their produce. A chap on my team at work lives on his fathers farm and they do just that. I've had many a succulent steak from local farm shops whilst on holiday in Scotland, Cornwall, Lincolnshire etc and it tastes totally different from the equivalent at Morrison's and is well worth the extra you'll pay for it. 


Alternatively buy from the local butcher.

Correct Steve, it seems that some folk are unaware of this fact, the lamb from my local butcher is actually grazing in the field in front of my house as I'm typing this 

I know where my produce comes from, even the eggs I buy are from a local farmer and If I want i'm sure he'd let me sit and watch them being laid

It's amazing that some people can be so thick as to assume that everything has to be sourced at a supermarket 

[Winston Smith]

We do use the supermarket, Asda, Morrisons etc. for convenience.  Tend to get mince from M&S.  Don't really give a toss what's in it to be honest, it's only an issue in this country with all the dobbin lovers - and yes I know about the 'oss drug issues, but who knows what the moo-moo's have been given as there seems to be no real testing of the meats we eat.

The media have made this 'scandal' into one.  Most folk I speak to think it's all a big fuss over nothing.

Re local butchers, the one I tend to use goes to the slaughter house and selects his meat at that source.  He doesn't deal in 'oss!

[mecki]

Correct Steve, it seems that some folk are unaware of this fact, the lamb from my local butcher is actually grazing in the field in front of my house as I'm typing this 

I know where my produce comes from, even the eggs I buy are from a local farmer and If I want i'm sure he'd let me sit and watch them being laid

It's amazing that some people can be so thick as to assume that everything has to be sourced at a supermarket 

In every civilized country (afaik at least since BSE in the UK too) it is strictly prohibited to sell meat from home kills.
All animals killed for meat have to be slaughtered in approved and controlled abattoirs. There are very strict rules and high penalties in place for non compliance. So your local butcher or farmer is either breaking the law if he actually sells meat from a home kill or is telling lies where the meat comes from.

That doesn't mean that a farmer can't have his own animals slaughtered in an abattoir and then take the carcasses home. But like many other products sold in farm shops a lot of it comes from the same market or wholesaler the supermarkets buy their produce from. You just pay more for it. 

I used to own a beef farm with 50 breeding cows in New Zealand so I know what I am talking about. It would have been impossible to sell meat from my own animals on a daily basis all year round since you only sell them once they are ready for slaughter. And normally that happens within a very short period. If your calving season is 3 months in Winter all your calves will be ready for slaughter 18 or if you feed only grass 24 months later also within 3 months and the rest of the year you would have to buy meat from the abattoir if you wanted to sell it in a farm shop.

But if you know how a good piece of meat is supposed to look like then you can source it nearly everywhere. And as far as beef is concerned the most important thing is ageing and then how you cook it. If you prefer your steak well-done then it doesn't really matter where the meat came from - it's ruined anyway.
Of course the cheap cuts sold in the bargain chiller at Morrisons or Asda are normally old dairy cow, tough as an old boot and taste accordingly. But you can also source well-aged prime Angus in supermarkets like Waitrose if you are willing to pay a few bob more.
By the way the best beef is from a heifer that just had her first calf not from steers or bulls.

[O.C.]

Using my post as a quote in order to support your supposition about "home kills" basically demonstrates the weakness of your argument.

The  local farmer who I used as a reference happens to be a good pal (and biker  ) he sends his animals to a professional/licensed local abattoir for slaughter before he presents the meat for sale, it is extremely unlikely that he is breaking any law in this connection. I have every confidence in him and his produce.

I am aware that abattoirs have to comply with government guidelines, there are several such facilities in this area, as indeed I know there are in many rural environments.

I am not sufficiently informed enough to be able to quote the laws that apply in New Zealand past or present with regard to this subject ~ so I wont.

I've always accepted that the cooking of any meat is down to individual choice and preference.

[mecki]

Using my post as a quote in order to support your supposition about "home kills" basically demonstrates the weakness of your argument.

I am not sufficiently informed enough to be able to quote the laws that apply in New Zealand past or present with regard to this subject ~ so I wont.

You either didn't read my post or you didn't want to understand it. 
It has nothing to do with laws in New Zealand but with animal farming in general.
And since you talk about lamb in your post it is the same story as with beef.
In a climate like the UK as a farmer you just cannot sell your own fresh lamb every day all year round.
To do that you would have to have ewes lambing all year and not just in spring.