Just to say I enjoyed reading your impassioned posts Vivid; whether vegetarian or not, how animals are reared for food is a matter of basic morality. I've observed sheep and cows close-up while out walking and they are creatures with intelligence - you only have to listen to a ewe calling to its young or see how protective cows are of their calfs. I'm not a total vegetarian but never eat beef or lamb because these animals have sort of become special to me (hope that doesn't sound too daft).

I saw on Countryfile a few weeks back that there are plans to factory farm cattle in a massive indoor complex in Lincolnshire, similar to US-style mega dairies, which would see up to 8,000 cows reared indoors. That as a country we that we are considering allowing such a venture is shocking - see Compassion in World Farming

I understand PepsiCo, KFK and MacDonalds (etc) are helping the Govt write a policy on obesity and diet related disease LOL ... or cry. The first thing they want to do is remove the 'traffic-light' codes on food packaging.