Countryfile host Tom Heap: 'schools should visit abattoirs as part of the national curriculum' - Radio Times
Every schoolchild should visit an abattoir, says Countryfile presenter Tom Heap
Tuesday July 3rd 2018
The Countryfile presenter Tom Heap has suggested that every schoolchild should visit an abattoir in order to improve their understanding of where their food comes from. Writing in Radio Times, Heap, 52, called for greater transparency of food production practices.
“Secrecy breeds malpractice inside and, frequently unjustified, suspicion on the outside,” he wrote.
Farms and abattoirs should have transparent tunnels, like an aquarium, where families could watch animals being slaughter and the meat prepared, he suggested, “before having a pork pie or some chicken nuggets at the café.”
He proposed that each stage of the food production process could be filmed on webcam and a hyperlink to the footage put on the final packaging.
The Countryfile presenter Tom Heap has suggested that every schoolchild should visit an abattoir in order to improve their understanding of where their food comes from. Writing in Radio Times, Heap, 52, called for greater transparency of food production practices.
“Secrecy breeds malpractice inside and, frequently unjustified, suspicion on the outside,” he wrote.
Farms and abattoirs should have transparent tunnels, like an aquarium, where families could watch animals being slaughter and the meat prepared, he suggested, “before having a pork pie or some chicken nuggets at the café.”
He proposed that each stage of the food production process could be filmed on webcam and a hyperlink to the footage put on the final packaging.
Open to the public eye
Heap said: “I honestly believe that slaughterhouses, intensive chicken barns or crowded pig pens should be open to the public eye. Schools should be encouraged to visit as part of the curriculum.
“The public cares about the welfare of the animal and the health of the environment behind the food on their plate. Much of the farming industry is nervous about letting the cameras in. I’m not saying they have something to hide, but they seem to believe the consumer would rather not know.”
He added: “It’s very easy for campaign groups to fill in the void with their own version of how animals are treated.”
Countryfile controversies
The presenter said Countryfile should not be afraid to cover the issue in the programme, despite its family audience and early Sunday evening timeslot.
Heap defended the BBC rural affairs series, which received complaints from viewers in April for a report he filmed about animal activism. The section included graphic footage obtained by activists of farm animals in cramped conditions which was broadcast before the 9pm watershed.
Heap said: “While taking care not to offend gratuitously, Countryfile – like the countryside – is not a ‘safe space’ and we shouldn’t hide or gloss any uncomfortable truths.”
“Ferocious tribalism” from environmentalist campaign groups on social media was contributing to unjustified suspicion of farming methods in the UK,” he added.
The full version of Heap’s column can be read in this week’s edition of Radio Times magazine.
Countryfile's Tom Heap says every schoolchild should visit an abattoir - i news
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