Well, naturally, I like to see a label which says the “whatever” is free from “whatever”… 
As I’ve said, if I’m not happy with the product on offer… I don’t buy it… and… as I have also said… I buy local products wherever possible. … and we soon know if there are any problems locally… thank heavens.
Rather than looking for a label on a wrapper, if as occasionally happens I wasn’t buying on the market from my normal local source for duck and chicken (in the next village but one) or buying on an unfamiliar market, I’d look for a small stall that just had a few chickens and maybe a cheese made on that farm.
OTOH I recognise that for economic ofrgeographic reasons, not everyone has rich choice of high quality local markets and in that situation, I’d suggest if you’re uncertain about the provenance and quality (and of course if you can afford it) buy bio.
We can usually buy a small chicken for under €15 that will provide two meals for two and a good litre of stock.
I know I have taken your comment out of context but read another way not everyone is rich enough to choose.
As has already been said, reading the label is one thing but believing what it says is quite another.
As you say the only proof of provenance is buying from the person on a local market who ‘grows their own’ but even then that doesn’t prove good welfare of the animal during its short life.
While ever supermarkets are selling chickens for 5 euros against your15 euro chicken at a local market the masses will see value for money rather than the value of good animal husbandry.
Something i only discovered recently is that farmers have to pay to have the label rouge!
To be fair, our €15 chickens are around 1.5 kilos whereas the €5 Aldi et al 'poulet fermiers ’ are about a 1 kilo. But as you rightly note, I wouldn’t knock anyone for choosing the latter, and of course, there’s a level below that of anonymous ‘poulet’
[quote=“Stella, post:17, topic:47635”]
I read the small print, which says where the product was raised, how it was treated and fed etc
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What products are buying that say all that ? Would love to know ? Is there a brand ?
Hopefully you’ll be coming along to the SF lunch so you can reveal more!
True, but a small producteur is unlikely to be engaged in industrial farming practices. The former’s chickens grow more slowly. *
Similarly, the three different farmers from whom we now source our outdoor-reared porc fermier, only slaughter one animal a week. The Cantal nose to tail butcher whom we go to for beef and veal selects his animals from a local farm. I eat a lot of bits of animals that other people seem repelled by, but I’d be nauseous trying to eat industrial porc, or chicken and neither will I eat French farmed rabbit.
Excellent investigative work by RTE (Irish public service broadcaster) journalists.
FFS….! That has put a final dent in my respect for these things. Bit like Plus Beaux Villages then, but for chickens. I thought the were independent but just poorly monitored.
Can just imagine farmer telling an inspector that “I pay for this so you will certify me”.
Its a BS world, like checka***** etc pay a few quid and you get listed.
In the UK Red Label is the weakest of the 3 standards - barely there at all (I’ve forgotten the other 2).
But I guess we have to encourage producers of food to start somewhere.
Is it red because its a chinese std chicken? 