THIS is the season for indulging - a time for treating ourselves and others!
But, as a keen cook, I am also passionate about animal welfare. Shopping and cooking with ethics in mind is really important to me and so I ask your readers to please spare a thought for the lives of all those animals - especially the millions of turkeys - farmed for our Christmas dinners every year.
Most people will probably be shocked to know that the majority of turkeys in our supermarkets come from farms where they are kept in very barren environments and don’t have enough space to move around and exercise properly.
Turkeys are intelligent birds and they need things to do, such as objects to peck at and perch on and space to stretch their wings.
The good news is we can all do our bit to help by only choosing turkeys with higher welfare labels such as Freedom Food.
However, only about 14 per cent of British farmed turkeys are from Freedom Food farms - where they are inspected to RSPCA standards - so we need supermarkets to help, too, by listening to consumer demand for higher welfare food and stocking more of them.
That way more of us can have a welfare-friendly and happy Christmas!
Check out www.freedomfood.co.uk for more information on turkey welfare and some great festive recipes.
Linda Barker
TV presenter
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article