While shopping yesterday, I spoke with both Hannah and Greg who were one of the protestors picketing Whole Foods on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul. Stores in several states were being targeted on that day. Apparently the market is promoting rabbit food in the meat department in their stores. About ten protesters were displaying their banners, offering petitions for interested people to sign who opposed the practice, and suggesting ways to persuade Whole Foods to discontinue rabbits as food. One of their objections is that the USDA's Humane Methods of Slaughter Act does not cover rabbits. I included a photo of a rabbit carcass on sale inside the store at $4.99 a lb, and this package cost $29.07.
One of the best pet we ever had was Penny, the rabbit. I can understand where these two and others are coming from.
ReplyDeleteI would also boycott a store who does this. It's really not necessary. Then again, there are wild rabbit hunters here and that's considered ok.
ReplyDeleteMersad
Mersad Donko Photography
Don't kill the messsenger, get the law changed. (Anyone want a Bunny with Pinot Noir recipe, btw?)
ReplyDeleteThe cuteness factor at work - question is which animal is not cute and does deserve a lesser fate than bunnies.
ReplyDeleteLess meat seems a good idea, though. Methinks. ;-)
RIP Flopsie, Mopsie and Cottontail.
ReplyDeleteGoing the way of horsemeat? When you stop and think about ALL the aimals we DO eat: see chickens, cows, ducks etc. Heck, why not bunnies.
I know rabbit is eaten in many places around the world but, I couldn't. I think less mean all the way around might be a good idea.
ReplyDeletehow odd that the meat is saleable here, but USDA doesn't cover it?! WTH?
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't quite know what to say. I've never eaten rabbit....that I know of. Probably tastes like chicken. I would guess there is a farm where they are raising them for the market. There are countries where dog meat is on the menu too.
ReplyDeleteI don't eat rabbit, but I don't see any difference between eating a rabbit and a chicken or another animal.
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong but don't they eat rabbit in a lot of countries? Like The Netherlands and France? I would have a hard time eating any animal I became attached to. I have a friend here who keeps chickens. I eat chicken all the time...but can't seem to wrap my head around her eating her pet. I can actually see both sides...and isn't it nice that we have the right to picket?
ReplyDeleteCuteness and favorite pet issues asides, it sounds like the issue here is the slaughter practices. Standards are met in other meat production that assure at least some humane practices. If I'm going to eat meat, I'd like to know that it didn't suffer before it got to my plate.
ReplyDeleteI think another reason they are protesting the promotion of rabbits in addition to the slaughter practices is that they don't like to see "a pet on a plate."
Deletei must say, i never liked whole foods and think it was all just pretentious...
ReplyDeletei dont eat much meat, and the stories i read make me want to eat even less. just yesterday i read that the rules for treating animals for slaughter are quite a bit less strict in the US than in the netherlands...
I don't recall ever eating rabbit myself. I do see both sides of the issue.
ReplyDeleteI had a wonderful pet rabbit. Could never eat one!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how a society decides it is OK to eat cattle but not horses, or chickens but not rabbits.
ReplyDeleteI could never.
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