Re: UK battery production and the population

"Jill" <news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:45a7a97d$0$8733$ed2619ec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Curious
I was led to the British Parliament e-petitions site from a completely
different connection and out of curiousity put chickens in the search
I found a petition against the sale of battery eggs
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Chickens/ 35 signatures
and against selling /importing ducks that are not free range
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/freerange/ 14 signatures

To see how busy the site is
Repeal the Hunting ban 19101
Proclaim St DAvids day a national holiday in Wales 7760
Abolish all faith schools and prohibit the teaching of creationism and
other religious mythology in all UK schools 4623
reduce the classified period for census data from 100 years to 70 years
1875
change the tax exemption laws for historic motor cars 1293

i know it isn't right....

replace the national anthem with 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet 970

.... but this made me laugh my head off :-D

etc etc

This country has a few loud voices but otherwise a complacent population

what is the market share for free-range and barn-laid eggs? i think that,
much as i disapprove heartily of market-led economics in most ways, the
reality is that people need to put their money where their mouths are and
_that_ is how a lot of change actually happens. most people when asked will
approve of free-range eggs, but then a large proportion of them will go on
to buy battery eggs simply because they're cheaper. but, when people are
more aware of the reality of battery farming, and considering how easily
available free-range or barn eggs are (certainly in australia) and not for
an outrageous price by any means, that person is thusly converted. i don't
think people stop buying free-range just because they're a bit broke that
week, because it simply becomes what one does.

so the answer in this case is probably education, which increases market
share for free-range chooks, which diminishes battery farming because it
becomes a less economic choice. the answer probably isn't a petition, even
if a petition actually had the numbers. a petition with the numbers is no
good if only <tiny> percent of people buy free-range - there'd be too much
discrepancy between what people think & what they do if that was the case. i
think very little is achieved combatively, actually.
kylie


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