i'm in madeira now... it's really not flat enough to run cattle, only sheep and goats here, mostly penned in small enclosures and moved around from place to place, often they are tethered (the goats and cows, that is) - mostly for their own protection (and also so they don't eat people's front gardens or poop on the road)
Discussion
Nothing wrong with sheep or goat dairy and some people handle those better than cow dairy. I would actually drink goat milk more but a little pricier
unfortunately all the goat milk goes directly to making white cheese here... i've asked around and buying the fresh raw milk doesn't seem to be a thing... i mean, i'd pay more than the cheese factory is buying it for, of course... i should try harder to get hold of it... in soviet EUSSR goat milk drink you
Oh damn that sucks. Was under the impression things like this were actually better for ya'll over yonder.
yes, EU trade rules have totally distorted the market in favor of high value durable export goods, like cheese and canned goods... i mean, idk what to say, half the catfood is actually gravy slathered over TVP, and the cats hate it, of course, because it's not fucking meat... UHT milk everywhere, half the shops don't even stock fresh pasteurised milk
it's one of the things that makes me want to go to the high country east of the rockies in a bad way
Wow, thats quite the opposite of the impression I've had about food laws/rules in EU. Guess I missed some slow creep food tyranny
i think it's now definitely worse than usa... seems like everyone is just eating pork and chicken in the eu now, and beef and lamb barely even register a blip
and most cow meat is veal... the people are so unfamiliar with it they don't even get what i'm saying when i say beef... confusing also maybe because "bife" is the portuguese word for steak... which is almost always veal here, it's disgusting, i hate veal, pale, pink, lean, stringy yecch bad smell
Other than one online merchant that goes above and beyond on proper livestock raising and/or sourcing, I refuse to eat chicken or pork anymore. Proper fed cows are easy, but the chickens and pigs seems to exist in a regulatory grey zone where its harder to figure out how they are raised so I just go with the certainty of local beef
there is local Pasture Raised poultry as an option in most areas also, but I agree that it is difficult to trust any grocery store poultry regardless of labels
Sadly only one place i know of with good poultry, at least by my standards. Oddly enough though, i have access to quality eggs (pasture raised with non-gmo and soy free supplemental feed)
it's definitely a complex market, as a producer it is tough to balance my standards against market demands for lower pricing. Pasture Raised birds being a niche themselves, further niching down to soy free, organic, whole grain, etc greatly increases costs in my region and has pushed me out of the market in the past.
I've settled on ducks rather than chickens and what I call "conventional organic" feed, ie certified organic but still contains soy and is sold in crumbles. if I were to upgrade feed I'd either have to grow my market by 15-30x current size and maintain razor thin margins or greatly increase prices and lose what little market I've got.
I couldnt begin to imagine the headaches you have to deal with. But, I am very grateful for what you and those like you do. My state (PA) is quite amenable to small farming and that I am also grateful for. Swore off cafo maybe a decade ago and gonna be hard pressed to ever eat that slop again.
You're making me glad I live in Germany. 😂
I can literally grab my milk pail and basket and walk down the street and watch the cows get milked and the chickens running around in the yard.
They make noodles with their eggs and spelt that they grow themselves and it's so delicious and crazy cheap.
And they have ducks and geese. 🤤
We also have a lot of wild meat. Venison and boar, mostly.