Christmas is past. But it has got me thinking.
Christmas and turkeys have been together for hundreds of years. These intelligent and social birds [1] which live in groups of up to twenty individuals in the wild for up to 10 years, can also bond closely to people[2].
In Consider the Turkey [3], they are described as smart and sociable companions.
However the demand for traditional christmas turkeys means that most turkeys in the UK are reared in sheds holding up to 25,000 birds in each shed [4] for just a few months before slaughter, many in appalling conditions [5].
Bad for turkeys, and with increasing antibiotic resistance and risk of bird flu transmission to humans [6], bad for people.
Immanuel, “God with us” is the heart of the christmas message, and is about far more than turkeys. But has the message been fully understood while turkeys are treated so abysmally in the course of celebrating the message?
Now this is not saying that christians cannot eat turkey and there are several reasons for this. The first is that vegans should not tell people what they can and cannot eat; rather we should be listening, discussing the issues, and helping to make informed choices.
The second is that christianity is not about piling on more rules and regulations; it is about being free to know God.
Nevertheless it is liberating for us when we know that our food choices, while being tasty and nutritious, are also not harming sentient creatures. And clearly it is liberating for the turkeys.
The amazing turkey is a part of God’s world. Let us respect and value all life that God gives, including the humble turkey.
[1] https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/nothing-to-gobble-at-social-cognition-in-turkeys
[2] https://www.communitychickens.com/turkey-talk-5-things-to-know-about-pet-turkeys
[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2010/11/consider-the-turkey/66967/
[4] https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/why-vegan/animal-impact/uk-turkey-factory-farming-facts
[5] https://plantbasednews.org/opinion/opinion-piece/bird-flu-christmas-turkeys/
[6] https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/bird-flu-h10n3-contagious-symptoms-b1859028.html
Here is a well known poem about christmas and turkeys.
Talking Turkeys by Benjamin Zephaniah [7]
Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas
Cos’ turkeys just wanna hav fun
Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked
An every turkey has a Mum.
Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas,
Don’t eat it, keep it alive,
It could be yu mate, an not on your plate
Say, Yo! Turkey I’m on your side.
I got lots of friends who are turkeys
An all of dem fear christmas time,
Dey wanna enjoy it, dey say humans destroyed it
An humans are out of dere mind,
Yeah, I got lots of friends who are turkeys
Dey all hav a right to a life,
Not to be caged up an genetically made up
By any farmer an his wife.Turkeys just wanna play reggae
Turkeys just wanna hip-hop
Can yu imagine a nice young turkey saying,
‘I cannot wait for de chop’,
Turkeys like getting presents, dey wanna watch christmas TV,
Turkeys hav brains an turkeys feel pain
In many ways like yu an me.
I once knew a turkey called…Turkey
He said “Benji explain to me please,
Who put de turkey in christmas
An what happens to christmas trees?”,
I said “I am not too sure turkey
But it’s nothing to do wid Christ Mass
Humans get greedy an waste more dan need be
An business men mek loadsa cash’.
Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas
Invite dem indoors fe sum greens
Let dem eat cake an let dem partake
In a plate of organic grown beans,
Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas
An spare dem de cut of de knife,
Join Turkeys United an dey’ll be delighted
An yu will mek new friends ‘FOR LIFE’.
Published by Puffin Books
[7] https://benjaminzephaniah.com/books/talking-turkeys
