Offtopic: as someone from India, I've seen a lot of American farms and farmers on YouTube but I don't see British farmers on YouTube, why is that?
Excellent documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pDTiFkXgEE
The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
51–60 of 75 posts
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pigs are extremely intelligent, on par with dogs at least, and I've seen rankings that place them as high as 4th, behind only apes, dolphins, and elephants.
Sure pigs are intelligent but a pig that's never seen a gun before doesn't know it's going to die.
If there are regular slaughters, smart animals might notice a pattern. "We never saw Fred again after he went to that strange shed. Then we never saw Tom after he went there. Why the hell are they dragging me over there now?!??"
This doesn't mean that any pig could articulate "I'm going to die". That isn't necessary. Nearly every ungulate (maybe not moose?) has a built-in mortal fear ready to surface at any time. New events, or repeated events with bad associations, bring out that fear. It takes a great deal of training to relax that.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pigs are extremely intelligent, on par with dogs at least, and I've seen rankings that place them as high as 4th, behind only apes, dolphins, and elephants.
Sure pigs are intelligent but a pig that's never seen a gun before doesn't know it's going to die.
It's reading emotions/social cues, not objects. Animals are frighteningly good at that.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#54For most of my life, my Mum and sister have owned horses, and unfortunately several of them have reached a state where they needed to be put down (the last two - one was due to chronic laminitis, and the last one due to old age and a pervasive respiratory issue which got drastically worse one day when we thought he was recovering). The knackerman who deal with the last pony was so good at his job, it made what was a…
I used to work on a farm run by vegetarians. As the only meat eater, they all thought it should be my job to do the dirty deed when any animal required killing. One thing I learned pretty quickly was that no animal wants to die. Killing the chickens was bearable, by I came to the end of my tether when I was called upon to help in the killing of a pig. It knew it was going to die, and fought it with all its might. Lef…
"One thing I learned pretty quickly was that no animal wants to die"
I would say, no healthy animal wants to die.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
And “Knacker” is also a sausage because it “knacks” when you break it in half. Knack in German has the meaning snap or crack.
I’m glad you added the origin - sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great.
"sausages made from old or diseased animals don’t sound great."
But that's what they were made of originally - and still are in areas with bad overwatch.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#56"None of them are easy, and in the case of animals that are insured, the owner will often make Carswell wait around for the vet to arrive, because it needs that official signature before a claim can be made. He does not like standing around beside an animal in distress waiting for a piece of paper."
The joys of bureaucratic procedures.
I know of (badly organised) farmers, who sometimes just let their sheep die in agony, rather than doing the formal procedures, as they are too complicated and expensive.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#57For most of my life, my Mum and sister have owned horses, and unfortunately several of them have reached a state where they needed to be put down (the last two - one was due to chronic laminitis, and the last one due to old age and a pervasive respiratory issue which got drastically worse one day when we thought he was recovering). The knackerman who deal with the last pony was so good at his job, it made what was a…
I used to work on a farm run by vegetarians. As the only meat eater, they all thought it should be my job to do the dirty deed when any animal required killing. One thing I learned pretty quickly was that no animal wants to die. Killing the chickens was bearable, by I came to the end of my tether when I was called upon to help in the killing of a pig. It knew it was going to die, and fought it with all its might. Lef…
Wasn't it a bit hypocritical of the vegetarians farming animals?
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure pigs are intelligent but a pig that's never seen a gun before doesn't know it's going to die.
It's reading emotions/social cues, not objects. Animals are frighteningly good at that.
Maybe dogs. Not pigs. I've seen it happen several times. The pigs didn't put up a fight or act at all abnormal.
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#59For most of my life, my Mum and sister have owned horses, and unfortunately several of them have reached a state where they needed to be put down (the last two - one was due to chronic laminitis, and the last one due to old age and a pervasive respiratory issue which got drastically worse one day when we thought he was recovering). The knackerman who deal with the last pony was so good at his job, it made what was a…
I used to work on a farm run by vegetarians. As the only meat eater, they all thought it should be my job to do the dirty deed when any animal required killing. One thing I learned pretty quickly was that no animal wants to die. Killing the chickens was bearable, by I came to the end of my tether when I was called upon to help in the killing of a pig. It knew it was going to die, and fought it with all its might. Lef…
There’s a scene in the film of Jude the Obscure where Jude helps slaughter a pig. It looked pretty real to me even if it may have been the magic of movies. I think they show the full horror of that moment because it's an important moment for the character[1].
Anyway, I've been a vegetarian since not long after seeing that, going on 25 years now. I can understand and sympathise with feeling as you did. I understand but don't sympathise with the way your colleagues left the dirty work to you, very hypocritical of them. I've known a few vegetarians like that, it's more about their personal disgust and hence, comfort, than it is about anyone else's suffering. They're also the most fickle, in my experience, hunger will soon overcome less important emotions, like notions formed as child. They're the ones you'll hear saying “I was vegetarian for years but one day I was famished and all I had available was a burger… never looked back”.
You have principles they are yet to know.
[1] http://www.gutenberg.org/files/153/153-h/153-h.htm#chap10
Re: The knackerman: the toughest job in British farming
#60I have had the weird experience of dispersing a dead whale, stuck in an urban shore. No explosives allowed, no toeing, no T. rex, no light saber ... and a ticking gas bomb indeed.
I assume you’re referencing this exploding whale - an internet classic. Or do you usually use explosives? Here they are cut up and buried - the bones are often kept for carving. https://news.yahoo.com/oregon-regrettably-exploded-8-ton-043...
Beached whales are difficult to manage considering their dimensions ... and they attracting sharks.
I was told then that explosives could still be used in some situations, especially if the "beach" was more mud than sand for instance.