UKC

Should the UK ban the eating of dogs and cats as is being suggested?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46553064

Or is it just another form of hypocrisy from selective meat eaters?

Pointless. The UK isn't renowned for our eating of dogs/cats

My heart says of course eating cats and dogs should be banned...

My head struggles to justify why because i admit i am  a hypocritical meat eater.

From a selfish perspective, eating carnivores isn't right is it? I always thought the higher up the food chain you get the more contaminated the meat is? Also, what's wrong with you - they're man's best friend... and useful to have around!

Arent pigs omnivorous.... and they taste great

 they're man's best friend... and useful to have around!

Even cats?

And intelligent too, I've heard the slaughtering process is really inhumane. Think I might give up pork.

Good point, but seeing the shit (sometimes literally) my hound likes to snack on I can't say I fancy lurcher butties.

Yes, but the pigs you're eating don't get fed any meat

Post Brexit folk will probably like a change from rat..

Perhaps it is safer for everyone to know it is illegal just in case there are those who would not only eat it themselves but also happily serve it up or put it into the food supply for others thinking it to be of no importance.

I think the UK should look at stopping it raining cats and dogs before it stops eating them. Seems incredibly cruel! 

I think the need for a ban might arise as you can easily end up with a market for people's domestic Moggies and Rovers.  Its pretty unsettling to think your pet might get nicked.  Its worse if you have to worry about folks picking them up and turning them to hamburger patties.

Otherwise, I don't see any particular problem with munching on cat or dog.  Cows, pigs and just about everything else we eat are nice, intelligent, creatures.  Drawing the line at them is hugely hypocritical.

I've already come to terms with the fact my offspring, generations down the line, will look at me with all the hatred we look at slave owners today, for my meat-eating ways.

Wouldn't eat a carnivore, too high up the food chain so more chance of disease being passed on.

I'm just about at that point. 

Hypocritical it Deffinatly is but I couldn't eat a dog, cat or rabbit, pork, beef and chicken are fair game though.  Not piglets though. I don't like lamb so I'm okay there. The defining factor is cuteness, if its cute and especially fluffy it's not on my menu. 

A Fluffytarian

It popped into my head that it could be a solution to proving meat and not having animals being stuck in kennels - so remove that kind of suffering, but the integrity/health of the meat could be questionable, and we need to eat less meat anyway.

There seem to be no recorded cases of eating dog in UK (according to the report) - though I am sure it has happened.

Is this a good time to bring up a change in the law for something irrelevant and parliament to effectively waste time on? Non news, but when MP's have absolutely nothing to do and are sitting there twiddling their thumbs with boredom, by all means discuss legislation.

What - even hot dogs?

Chickens eat worms

Tuna eat small fish

But I get your point in general, and with fish mercury accumulation increases up the food chain.

Horse are vegetarian, but you wouldn't want to eat a race horse. I think there is at least a perceived security about eating food produced within normal farming.

I think that's already sufficiently covered by laws on accurate food labelling.

Are you serious? That doesn't seem like a very practical business model.

Wouldn't Fluffytarian eat fluffy animals ?

Touché sir, touché.

You sure? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/3353985/One-third-of-fish-...

Probably should have said mamals which eat other mammals, rather than carnivores.

Mercury buildup in tuna and other fish is interesting and often overlooked by those who reckon its a healthy protein option to eat regularly. 

Not quite sure why you wouldn't want to eat a race horse, unless its muscle tone doesn't translate well onto the plate.

Don't you remember the horse meat scandal? Vetinaey drugs routinely used on horses in this county are considered to contaminate the meat so it is not safe for human consumption. 

I can't see any real logical grounds to differentiate between mammals used for our food. The same laws concerning animal welfare and healthiness of our meat should apply for all. If we ban eating dogs then also ban eating cow etc.
Perhaps there is some justification on environmental/sustainability grounds for not eating carnivores but I imagine those who want to ban eating dog would still do so for emotional reasons even if the dogs were reared on plant derived food.
I and many others are hypocritical, or turn a blind eye, about which animals should be allowed to suffer more. Birds are generally considered similar to mammals. Fish are probably allowed to die from suffocation or may be eviscerated while still living. Invertebrate suffering is not usually considered and they can be boiled or eaten alive.
 

I've eaten horse before - it's OK, nothing special. Zebra was actually a lot nicer, perhaps surprisingly. Neither compare to the deliciousness of Alpaca though. Maybe the cuter an animal is, the better it tastes? Guinea pig is not bad, a bit like chicken. Can't see KFC taking that up somehow though. Minke whale is superb too, nearly forgot that one. Try it before it goes extinct!

I've had zebra in Africa - it was very nice barbequed, but not quite as nice as the waterbuck.

Also had ostrich and crocodile that night - the ostrich was nice, sort of a cross between chicken and beef, but wasn't that bothered about the croc.

Ah, nearly forgot, had yak too. "Super-beef" is the best way I can describe that. Or maybe it was the altitude talking. Not too sure about the croc though. I've had ostrich too actually, yep pretty chicken-like. Would like to see a lot more of the more exotic meats being farmed commercially (and responsibly!) in the UK.

My grandmother tried whale meat during the war as it wasn't rationed and was cheap.

She believed in good old fashiowd value for money and said it was horrid, so the one time I had the chance to try I wasn't tempted. 

I've had yak in Nepal, barbequed goat in Africa, rabbit in the UK and France and shark in Australia.

Had kangaroo the first night I was in Australia - it was so nice, I actually avoided it for the rest of the trip, in case it wasn't as good!

I bought some venison yesterday, too - really nice if done properly. I once had venison curry in a restaurant, out of interest, but wouldn't have it again. Wrong flavour mix.

It is probably worth legislating about.

Sorry to mention the B word but once we have stopped those pesky Europeans queue jumping, our workforce will be drawn from further afield where such delicacies are enjoyed.

Swan and Carp have been making it to the tables of our eastern European friends. It takes no great leap of the imagination to see Tiddles and Rover disappearing in the future.

I thought that was tigers

the ostrich I've eaten was more like steak, both in texture and taste.

Exactly. It's probably already happening.

There's nothing like a bit of pussy

I had a Yak steak in Namche Bazaar.  It was delicious, even more so after 3 weeks of pasta and veg whilst up in the mountains. 

I had horse when I was in Uzbekistan. It was served as a hors d'ouerve at a club I was socialising in. Very gamey. 

By that dodgy reasoning we could stop car theft by banning people from driving cars!

Agreed. Osterich is nothing like chicken. 

I’m not sure I agree with peoples line of reason that you must be a hypocrite to eat some but not all animals. Pork, beef, chick and other commonly eaten animals are just nicer, easier to rear and less useful alive than those we don’t often eat. 

I once hitched a ride on a banana boat out of Saint Lucia, heading for Saint Martin. Off the port bow, a big school of dolphins came jumping out of the wine dark sea. The captain, a big, tall black Ahab of a man, lurched forward and picked up a harpoon.  A harpoon!  He threw it down hard, hollering. The rope ran out, tightened, and he hauled him in. That dolphin lay on the deck twenty hours before it died. I looked into its eyes. I saw thought. 'What you gonna do with it?' I asked skip. 'Sell it for steak in St Martin'. 

I am still trying to be a vegetarian. 

Do you like yours smoked?

Total hypocrisy from pet lovers IMHO.

I don't see why raising a dog for food in the same way that we raise pigs should be seen as anything different. Some people keep pigs as pets, and I hear they are as intelligent as dogs. The idea that one is a friend and the other is food is just a long standing convention, not a fundamental truth. We have absolutely no right to legislate to preserve our conventions against anyone else's, especially if the intention is to spread the idea to countries where eating dogs is the convention.

I'm of the opinion that as a carnivore I need to be honest about what I'm eating, which means seeing the animals alive and cute and accepting that they will be killed for my food. I try to buy mostly game and meat from local farms where I can see the animals.

I've never knowingly eaten dog, although I've had some pretty dubious meals in far-eastern countries, so I might have done. I have tried whale, horse, kangaroo, crocodile, ostrich, various bugs and a load more. The only thing I've declined was a fried rat on a stick in Laos, but that was for hygiene reasons.

Except maybe the Indy 500

Recent news suggests we should eat less meat due to the amount of greenhouse gas that cattle produce. Simple eat all the cats dogs and horses that don’t actually have any use in the world before we get rid of cattle which actually do have a use. Controversial.............

It is simple, apart from the possible problem of eating carnivores, we do not eat dogs and cats because they are part of the family. Even cannibals do not, I think, eat members of their own family.

Dave

I would not eat dog or cat here in Europe, but I would not reject it when offered a dog dish in, say, rural Korea, China, or Vietnam (or seal or whale in Greenland).  I fail to see how raising dogs for food (Pekinese and related breeds) should be different ethically than raising pigs.

CB

Why would it matter where you were offered a plate of roast Labrador? It's just as dead in Sunderland as in Shanghai. Do you just not trust Europeans to cook them properly?

What about Trout, Bass or Cod etc ?