Vegan

Her constituency is an inner city area - I would like to know what, if any, knowledge she has of farming communities. I do appreciate that Ministers (or Shadow Ministers) can't be expected to be experts in the posts they are appointed but would hope they would have some experience of the communities they are meant to represent.

The fact she is a vegan will not endear her to animal farmers, their livelihood depending on people eating meat, however, let's hope she will be able to put aside her personal preferences and help the farmers who are currently in a dire situation.

Farming is only part of the job soon. There is environment and food as well. Anyway why do you need to eat meat to be able to plan policy? Meat production is only part of farming. So in fact there is a small part of a small area of her remit she may struggle with. Others have responsibility for things they have no interest in.

It is worse than no interest though isnt it. That is the bit I am trying to understand.

She is against many aspects of rural affairs too.

I can understand how you can do the job without wanting to embrace all that it involves yourself (anyway, she is only Shadow Minister).

However, as per my link yesterday, she does seem to be very anti-farming - describing it as 'dirty'

Where does she think her food comes from I wonder?

I read this online:

BIRDS AND THE BEES

A number of studies have shown that plants feel pain, and vegetables are picked and often eaten while still alive. Animal rights activists are often in the news, but has anyone ever protested for vegetable rights?

Perhaps someone should let Kerry know

So how are we going to feed an increasing population?

So perhaps vegans don't love animals - they hate plants

A lot of farming methods are 'dirty' and most people are ignorant about exactly how their food is produced - and are happy to stay that way because they know that they are unlikely to be happy about some of the truth. Often I have been told by someone that they just couldn't give up eating meet and would rather not know how it got to the supermarket. I rarely discuss being veggie as I know it can make some people uncomfortable. After all, it was my personal choice, but I don't believe it's my duty to convert anyone else.

As a long time vegetarian with a vegan brother, I can tell you that two reason for our choices are farming methods and the lack of control we have over how food is produced. Food production and animal welfare are subjects most vegetarians and vegans are clued up on. I have yet to meet a vegan who is well aware of where her food from. In fact, many grow their own to make sure they do - think about the waiting lists for allotments. Raising animals is not normally a choice for them for obvious reasons. I've spent many happy times on two farms(one dairy and one sheep), but am well aware that not all are as well run.

A vegan as shadow DEFRA government minister (or whatever the name is now) is an interesting choice, but it shouldn't prevent her doing her job. She's probably better informed than most.

Chomp chomp crunch crunch .....

But - if cows eat grass, surely they love cows because cows are vegan?

Good point.

I didnt know her constituecy is inner city.
Not exactly condusive to knowing about rural affairs, nor parts of food. Though I suppose she can learn.

Would you like to post you link gain please rosequartz?

x posts.

I think the lack of allotments is a bit of a national shame actually.

Oops! I meant I have rarely met a vegan who is NOT well aware of where her food comes from

I'll try soon
here goes:

www.fwi.co.uk/news/vegan-shadow-defra-secretary-leaves-farm-sector-in-shock.htm

and to be scrupulously fair (as I hope I am always ) here are two others:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/vegan-shadow-agriculture-minister-jeremy-corbyn-kerry-mccarthy
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3233981/Jeremy-Corbyn-s-shadow-Cabinet.html
The last link with some very nice dare I say stunning photographs (although I have seen better ones of Diane Abbott)

sorry, rambling on

True, she could be clued up on food.

But I cant see that she is going to be supportive in many ways at all, to farmers who she probably doesnt have much respect for.

Apparently there are 3.8 million people working in food and farming. Let alone other rural workers. That is a serious amount of voters to be at odds with.

Yes, Wilma I will agree with you.

Most farmers, I think, look after their animals well - after all it is in their own interests to do so, apart from the fact they have a healthy regard for them, otherwise there would be no living to be made from sick or ailing animals.
There is always room for improvement though.

Sadly there are many people who seem completely clueless where their food comes from - and have no idea of the hard work involved getting it to the supermarket shelves.

Well, she is MP for Bristol East, so, although you could describe it as 'inner city', Bristol is a relatively small city surrounded by rural agricultural areas.

She won't tar all farmers with the same brush, just as I don't.

I hope she confronts the 'dirty' side of farming and hopefully with the support of all the good farmers. She has a job to do and alienating the people she's represents is hardly conducive to doing that job well.

Remember she's just the shadow minister.

I just thought 'dirty' was not the best word she could have chosen to explain what she meant.

Most farming involves 'dirt' of one kind or another

Is it being mentioned she is the shadow minister, because she is expected to be against the Conservative one?

TBH I don't know when or in what context she used the word, so I may have made assumptions.

Not necessarily soon, more because she's not the one involved in EU negotiations, etc. At the moment she'll be aiming to influence the government's policy.

At least the current Minister does have a farming background!

* At the moment she'll be aiming to influence the government's policy.*

I am pretty sure I am confused, in that case by a Shadow Government Minister's role in general.
I thought, well assumed that they were still supposed to be on the same side of the people working in the industry.

So I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that a Shadow Health minister was still on the same side of doctors and nurses.
That an Education minister was still on the side of teachers. etc