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| Source: wikimedia.org, getting ready for Christmas, by Kenneth Allen. |
According to britishturkey.co.uk people in Britain consumed approximately 10 million turkeys last year. And with Christmas upon us again and our American friends celebrating Thanksgiving today, it is the perfect occasion to talk about the debate whether or not organic, free range turkeys are actually worth the extra money.
What does free range or organic mean?
Families all across the UK are prepared to dig a bit deeper into their pockets to buy a free range turkey. A turkey that has lived its life to the fullest, happily waddling around the farm, enjoying the fresh air and the warm sun, until its untimely demise. We have all seen the horrifying images of the battery farms, where thousands of poor animals are crammed into cages, not able to move, with their beaks trimmed. No, we do not want to be part of this. So we go for the more 'animal friendly' solution (as animal friendly as eating 10 million turkeys can be). But what are we actually buying when we decide to put an organic or a free range turkey in our basket?
The Soil Association sets out the ideal conditions as follows:
"Organic chickens and turkeys are able to behave naturally - grazing, pecking the ground, scratching and dust-bathing. Organic poultry must have continuous and easy daytime access to pasture or range covered with suitable vegetation, except in adverse weather conditions. Organic poultry cannot be permanently housed, though shelter and protection from predators must be provided at all times." (http://www.soilassociation.org/).
It is important to note that organic and free range do not mean the same thing. A point that is often neglected. While organic describes the standards that need to be adhered to when raising the animals (which also includes a certain amount of outdoor access), standards which are set out by institutes and government agencies and that emphasize the non-use of any chemical food additives, free range is exclusively concerned wit the animals' access to the outdoors.
Some people might have heard the expression 'free run' chicken or turkey. A free run chicken raising method means that the chickens are not confined to small cages, but can roam freely. However they are in a large enclosed structure like a barn.
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The labels free range, organic, free run are nowadays so closely administered and scrutinized that it becomes difficult to slip through the audit mechanisms that are administered before you get to use the labels. However, there will always be one or two that break the ranks and operate at the fringe of what is allowed to be called free range.
Effects on the environment
But does the environment benefit from free range farming? Well there is no direct correlation between the impact on the environment if the turkeys are not caged anymore but walk around outside, apart from maybe the fact that a larger space is needed. The real link that can be made is the one when we talk about whether or not the animals are raised organically. Feeding chickens antibiotics and soy based food supplements instead of allowing them an organic diet can have disastrous effects on the environment.
"More than 10,000 tons of antibiotics are consumed in Europe each year, and 30-60% pass through animals and humans completely unchanged. The different substances then reach the ocean via hospitals, municipal sewage, fish farms and run-off from agriculture and landfills." (Science Daily)
Our bodies become resistance to it and the same process can be observed in various ecosystems. Having antibiotics in the groundwater or seeping into seawater will lead to a spread of resistance to antibiotics in marine bacteria. If antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria develop, it could disturb natural bacterial ecosystems, which in turn could have serious impacts on human health.
Another point of concern is the use of soy supplements in the diet of chickens and turkeys. Regions of fragile ecosystems in South America are being used for soy plantations and it severely impacts the rainforests and furthermore, devastates the livelihoods of local farmers who are forced to relocate. Due to the move to large monocultures, soy bean agriculture threaten the biodiversity of the region and the deforestation of the rainforest exacerbates the threat of climate change. And last but not least, the soy agricultures rely heavily on agrochemicals which raises further social and environmental issues. According to The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics 35% of all pesticides used in Brazil are for soy farming.
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Pic by Neil Palmer (CIAT). Soy bean at Carimagua, in Colombia's eastern plains, or Llanos
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What to do?
If your are mainly concerned whether your Christmas turkey had a happy and carefree live, you will be content with a free range chicken. However, if you are worried about your environment and the effects your turkey consumption might have, I suggest you find a local turkey farmer by using websites such as www.nfuonline.com and do your research on what the animals are being fed and how they are kept. And if you truly truly are concerned about the environment, why not go for a veggie Christmas dinner this year?
Bon appetit.
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