Cycling UK Forum

Valbrona wrote:The Guga Slaughter is supported by the Scottish government that each year issues a license permitting the activity. Is not the Scottish government representative of the Scots people?

I hope Scotland becomes precisely not the place to visit for anyone interested in issues of animal welfare. Thousands of nature-loving types visit Scotland each year to see the wildlife and contribute to the Scottish economy, only they are perhaps not aware of the dark and backward activity that some natives of Scotland choose to engage in. And I hope that anyone who chooses not to holiday in Scotland on account of this issue of animal welfare writes to the Scottish government and tells them so.

So is your problem with the fact that people are killing animals for food or that they are killing baby animals or in the manner they kill the baby animals. Whatever your issue is, if you use similar standards as a yardstick for holiday destinations I don't see you going anywhere on holiday soon. My personal view is 'who cares', but then I was munching on whale when I was in Iceland earlier this year, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

peter99 wrote:Do you boycott England where every town and city has an asian takeaway serving Halal killed meat (throat cut without any pre stunning and left to bleed to death in pain) in their curries?

What about Wales? I've heard they kill baby lambs.

Jack wrote:
What about Wales? I've heard they kill baby lambs.

It would appear that the Welsh are pioneering in the field of genetics if their lambs are having babies? Obviously Welsh lamb matures quicker than Scottish lamb!

donnieban

My personal view is 'who cares'

... and of course you're entitled to your personal view. My personal view is that someone has taken the time to make others aware of something that they feel is sufficiently out of order as to warrant a boycott. And I'm one of those sentimental, fluffy liberals who actually does consider a country's attitude to animal welfare when I think about touring there. I'm cycling down to Spain next week to volunteer on a Donkey Sanctuary. Visiting Spain feels easier because of what I'll be doing there - I struggle with the whole notion of bull-fighting. Equally though, I'm a pragmatist and am fully aware that I probably couldn't travel (or live) anywhere on the planet if I looked for perfect treatment of other animals.

That said, I applaud the original poster, who presumably felt sufficient empathy and compassion for the treatment of these creatures to want to bring it to other peoples' attention. I'd like it if everyone had this level of decency and consideration, but then of course I'm just a sentimental, fluffy liberal. Although actually I'm pretty proud of that fact .

I agree with the OP's concerns about animal welfare. However, animal welfare standards in meat production all around the world, including the UK, are vile. To start your boycott with gannet-bashing seems rather arbitrary.

To start your boycott with gannet-bashing seems rather arbitrary.

It's as good a place as any to start, if starting is your aim. However, judging by the pretty disparaging responses to the original post, I suspect that most people on here have no intention of doing any such thing. And personally, I don't care what other people do, that's their business. I do feel, however that people who express a decent point of view deserve respect. As do animals for that matter.

b1ke wrote:I do feel, however that people who express a decent point of view deserve respect. As do animals for that matter.

i agree 100 %. i fell sure that people have been moderated for mocking others like this in the past

b1ke wrote:personally, I don't care what other people do, that's their business.

me too. i haven't eaten meat for 25 years and abhor this sort of carry on. however, i honestly feel that no-one has the right to ban (or seek to ban) other people's hobbies - as long as they don't harm non-consenting adults or any children. in my view, a person's right to a hobby come before any animal's rights - the only reasonable objection to this view can only be taken seriously if coming from a vegan

a person's right to a hobby

Is this really a 'hobby'?...

The Scottish SPCA said the birds were caught using a noose on the end of a pole and then beaten to death.

The Oxford Dictionary definition of a hobby is

an activity that you do for pleasure in your spare time

(http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/hobby).

I don't think this can really be called a hobby. With regard to my comment about not caring what other people do, it was made because I realise the futility of trying to change peoples' opinions, not because I don't care about the rights of animals.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Ghandi

b1ke wrote:Is this really a 'hobby'?...

an activity that you do for pleasure in your spare time

it's not what i'd choose to do in my spare time, but then neither's watching football, playing golf & etc. even as a vegetarian, i think banning foxhunting was a step too far in government controlling the population.

remember - there's plenty of people who'd like to see bicycles banned from the roads. anyone who partakes in a minority pursuit ought to think long and hard before condemning others their minority pursuit

The Scottish SPCA said the birds were caught using a noose on the end of a pole and then beaten to death.

Or as it says in the information I linked to earlier : "The gugas are killed using a long pole with a spring loaded jaw on top. The guga is snatched from its nest and passed straight on to another man who strikes it dead with a single blow from a rock"
Seems no less swift or humane than many other methods of animal slaughter.
These are not baby gannets, but almost fully fledged adults, probably more mature than the lamb, chicken and many other young animals we eat.

b1ke wrote:I do feel, however that people who express a decent point of view deserve respect. As do animals for that matter.

This forum is as good as anywhere else for respecting peoples opinions and agreeing to differ. The replies on this topic have been, I think, influenced by the fact that the OP opened by suggesting what I think is an over the top response to a very local issue. Suggesting a boycott of a whole country because the alleged suffering inflicted by a few people from a village hundreds of miles from where most of the population live is not reasonable. It is an approach which is almost unprecedented. I can't remember anyone suggesting a boycott of England because of fox hunting, battery hens, etc.


Had the Op merely brought up the subject of the guga hunt and asked for views on whether or not it was justified I think the thread would have progressed differently.

irc wrote:

b1ke wrote:I do feel, however that people who express a decent point of view deserve respect. As do animals for that matter.

This forum is as good as anywhere else for respecting peoples opinions and agreeing to differ. The replies on this topic have been, I think, influenced by the fact that the OP opened by suggesting what I think is an over the top response to a very local issue. Suggesting a boycott of a whole country because the alleged suffering inflicted by a few people from a village hundreds of miles from where most of the population live is not reasonable. It is an approach which is almost unprecedented. I can't remember anyone suggesting a boycott of England because of fox hunting, battery hens, etc.


Had the Op merely brought up the subject of the guga hunt and asked for views on whether or not it was justified I think the thread would have progressed differently.

^^ this

Whilst I support and campaign for animal rights, if we boycotted countries because of cruel practices then I don't think we'd have many places left to go, England included.

irc wrote:Had the Op merely brought up the subject of the guga hunt and asked for views on whether or not it was justified I think the thread would have progressed differently

I for one did not take this whole subject seriously because of the title. Change the title I just might try to take it nearly seriously.

Can't find this up thread .. so ... are we also planning to take a stand against Muslims ?
The Halal method of slaughtering animals is barbaric and totaly unnessesary ... discuss...
Is the delibrate torturing to death of living creatures wheather Gannet or Lamb / Mutton acceptable in our modern society?
if it's ok for one group it must be for all....
As a carnivore i accept the use of a bolt gun to provide me with meat, but what happens to pigs would have the gannet and sheep brigade building barricades in the streets...

LANDSURFER74 wrote:Can't find this up thread ..

Er... first page, fifth post...