Why can't we have dog for dinner? TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall sparks outrage by claiming puppy meat is no worse than a pork chop
TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has sparked outrage after claiming eating puppy meat is no worse than eating a pork chop.
The River Cottage star, who regards himself as a ‘real food campaigner’, suggested that society has unfairly dictated which animals can be farmed and which can be kept as pets.
His comments were criticised by animal charities as ‘wholly unacceptable’.
Fearnley-Whittingstall told the Radio Times: ‘In principle, but not in practice, I have no objection to a high-welfare organic puppy farm.
‘You can’t object, unless you also object to the farming of pigs.
‘It’s an artificial construct of our society, a cultural decision, to make pets out of dogs and meat out of pigs.
‘Both animals could be used the other way round – although pigs probably do make better meat than dogs and dogs better pets than pigs. But it’s not a foregone conclusion.’
However, the 46-year-old did admit he would only eat loin of labrador or cat liver if ‘I was on the point of starvation’.
Last night a Dogs Trust spokesman said: ‘We believe that the concept of breeding dogs for food in any conditions, high welfare or not, is wholly unacceptable.