Cruelty Free

Welcome to Cruelty Free - one of our "Food Issues" info pages (see menu to the right for other topics).

These Food Issues pages are designed to give you a little food for thought about some of the issues involved with sustainable eating. Think of these pages as a taster for each issue: just some brief info to introduce the concept and whet your appetite.

After sampling each issue, you may like to move onto the next "taster" or sink your teeth into some more substantial fare by using the links on each page.
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When eating animal products, such as meat, dairy and eggs, it is worth considering the impact on the animal.

Did they have a relatively comfortable life or was it cruel and miserable?

We tend to imagine your animals are raised in the idylic barn-yard environment of children's stories. However the reality today is that many animals live in "factory farms" which create a distressing and cruel life.

If you want to know more, have a look at The Meatrix: the award-winning flash animation movie about what we eat.

Some people would argue that since animals never freely choose a life dedicated to serving us dinner, that any animal-derived food has an element of cruelty. However, since most Australian diets do include animal products, it is worth asking how we can minimise cruelty and maximise ethical production.

Free-range produce basically means that the animal had a more natural life and that the farming practices met specified standards.

In general this means:

• Freedom from Hunger & Thirst
• Freedom from Discomfort
• Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease
• Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour
• Freedom from Fear & Distress

These things may seem pretty obvious and basic but they are often NOT available in normal farming situations.

So for example, if you choose free range eggs, it means that the hens have

• Better Housing: weatherproof and large enough to allow normal roosting with less crowding
• Better Food: adequate food comprising only natural products, grains and natural sources of vitamins and minerals must be used.
• Free Range Run: unrestricted access to the free-range run during the daylight hours.
• Better Husbandry Practices: no beak trimming or over-crowding

Meat eaters can also choose free range meats such as Mt Barker Free Range Chickens.

Try Mondos in Inglewood or Boatshed in Cottesloe for a great selection of free range and organic meats.