Celebrity Chefs Show Support For Farms

Each video shows a famous chef preparing a pork dish while describing the difference in taste and texture between high-welfare and factory-produced pork. The chefs explain why they would only ever serve high-welfare meat to their customers “who are increasingly concerned about cruel and unhealthy practices in factory pig farming”.

The video series features a long list of restaurant owners, famous food fans and celebrity chefs, such as Mark Hix, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Amelia Freer.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said, “I want to eat pork from pigs that have been reared outdoors, free to enjoy the rooting, snuffling and social interaction that are so essential to them. In fact, that’s the only pork I’m prepared to eat. The alternative - intensively-reared, antibiotic-laden meat from stressed animals confined in high numbers in cramped indoor conditions - is simply not acceptable. Choosing free-range or organic pork is a no-brainer for me because of the welfare issues alone - but I can assure you it tastes far better, too!”

Also appearing in the videos are the farmers who raise their pigs in natural, humane and healthy surroundings, such as Peter Gott who raises woodland wild boar on a Cumbrian hillside, and Peter Greig who runs the award-winning Pipers Farm co-operative in Devon. The farmers describe the benefits of raising happy pigs in spacious outdoor or deep straw conditions, as opposed to intensive units.

Mark Hix said, “Intensively reared pork doesn’t taste of a lot. It’s not until you get into the proper free-range pork - they’ve got lots of land to roam around in - those are the ones that are tasty.”

Peter Gott said, “I need the likes of Mark Hix who sees that welfare, outdoor reared and the total integrity of what we do is just as important as the service and the food on the plate.”

Each video promotes native and slow-growing pig breeds and products, including the slowly-produced Karma Ham.

The series also calls on consumers to only buy meat with a high animal welfare label, namely RSPCA Assured, Outdoor Bred, Free Range or Organic.

The video series is part of Farms Not Factories’ ongoing #TurnYourNoseUp campaign which aims to strengthen the consumer revolt against factory pig farming.

The #TurnYourNoseUp campaign is supported by well-known names such as Jeremy Irons, Jon Snow and Rupert Everett, who appear in campaign videos which have generated over 3.5 million views.

Tracy Worcester, founder of Farms Not Factories said, “Armed with the truth we can close these inhumane and dangerous animal factory by simply using the power of our purse and only buying meat, both in shops and restaurants, that comes from high welfare farms.”