Comedian saves sheep raised by British primary school pupils from slaughter

**Jenna** · 09-12-09, 08:43 PM

Paul O'Grady, the Comedian, has offered to buy a sheep which is at the centre of a row over whether it should be sent to slaughter after it was raised by school children who view it as a pet.
Teachers at Lydd Primary School in Romney Marsh, Kent, have faced criticism for allowing Marcus the sheep to be sent to an abattoir after pupils were allowed to become attached to him.
Now O'Grady has stepped into the row by saying he believes it is ''wrong'' for children to hand-rear and name a sheep before being told it could be slaughtered.
The host of Channel 4's Paul O'Grady show, who lives near Ashford, has offered to buy Marcus and allow him to see out his days along with his own sheep.
He told BBC Radio Kent: ''I'm all for teaching children animal husbandry but what happens is that on a farm it's different. The sheep that go to slaughter are not made pets of.
''But a lamb that you hand-rear, that you personalise, that you give it a name and then announce that is going off to the abattoir is wrong. You can't do that.''
He added: ''I've got 11 sheep of my own that have all been hand-reared. I will pay the school for him and I'll bring him over here and he can go in with my sheep and have a ball.
''And I'll keep the kids updated. I'll let them know on the show how he's doing and I'll send photos.''
Headteacher Andrea Charman defended the decision to sell Marcus off for meat, saying pupils voted in favour of selling lamb to raise money to buy more animals.

More here:

Paul O'Grady offers to save lamb Marcus destined for chop - Telegraph

**Captain America** · 09-12-09, 08:54 PM

Makes you wonder if Mr. O'Grady has ulterior motives for wanting to rescue the sheep.

**Pinki** · 09-12-09, 09:03 PM

I'm happy the sheep is being rescued

**pgg** · 09-12-09, 09:23 PM

Sounds like the kids did a type of "4H" program, where the animal was raised to slaughter. Bring it here.... I'll eat it.

**Wolven** · 09-12-09, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by Pinki

I'm happy the sheep is being rescued

Me too.

**Wolven** · 09-12-09, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by pgg

Sounds like the kids did a type of "4H" program, where the animal was raised to slaughter. Bring it here.... I'll eat it.

Look..its pgg...he'll eat anything

**pgg** · 09-13-09, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by Wolven

Look..its pgg...he'll eat anything

Yep, thats cause I'm hungry

**Jenna** · 09-13-09, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by Pinki

I'm happy the sheep is being rescued

Originally Posted by Wolven

Me too.

Love the

in your signature, Wolven!

**Buttercup** · 09-13-09, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by pgg

Sounds like the kids did a type of "4H" program, where the animal was raised to slaughter. Bring it here.... I'll eat it.

According to the rest of the article, the lamb was part of a learning experience about the food cycle. I love lamb chops.

Here's the rest of the article:

Marcus, who is understood to be with an agricultural contractor, was one of three bought for pupils to rear.

Ms Charman said the aim was to educate children about the food cycle, and that she had received support from parents, other schools with farms and the general public.

She said in a statement: ''Since the Wether lamb arrived, it has always been made clear in a tactful and factual way that lambs are meat.
''The children have had a range of opportunities to discuss this issue, both in terms of the food cycle and the ethical aspect.
''Children from Years 2 and above were given the opportunity to choose what happened to the Wether lamb.
''It was made clear that it could be kept as a pet, or sold to go for meat to raise money for the school farm to buy more animals. It was discussed in School Council. Each class had the opportunity to discuss it.
''The following week the children voted by an overwhelming majority for the lamb to be sold for meat.
''When we started the farm the aim was to educate the children in all aspects of a farm and everything that that implies.''

But Jo Davis, whose eight-year-old daughter Megan helped rear the sheep, said she was concerned at the plans to kill Marcus.
She told the BBC: ''I feel this is the same as my daughter coming home from school to find her pet rabbit bubbling away on the stove in a stew.
''My daughter was told it was no different to buying lamb from the supermarket.
''I really don't think this is the same thing.''

**Jenna** · 09-13-09, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by Buttercup

I love lamb chops.

**Buttercup** · 09-13-09, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by Jenna

**Jenna** · 09-13-09, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Buttercup

**Ducky** · 09-13-09, 03:34 PM

My best friend and I were talking about this kind of thing yesterday. We decided while we both are definite meat eaters, there's a big difference between eating something that someone else raised and eating something you yourself raised. I will happily munch on an anonymous critter, but to munch on Fluffy or Snorty that I cared for and raised as a pet feels too much like eating the family dog.

**Wolven** · 09-13-09, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by pgg

Yep, thats cause I'm hungry

You are always hungry. A freakin bottomless pit!

**CTR man** · 09-14-09, 01:40 AM

Originally Posted by Wolven

Look..its pgg...he'll eat anything

Originally Posted by pgg

Yep, thats cause I'm hungry

Does this mean that PGG is our designated Mikey?

Originally Posted by Ducky

My best friend and I were talking about this kind of thing yesterday. We decided while we both are definite meat eaters, there's a big difference between eating something that someone else raised and eating something you yourself raised. I will happily munch on an anonymous critter, but to munch on Fluffy or Snorty that I cared for and raised as a pet feels too much like eating the family dog.

Same here. I can't even stand to prepare the meat if it comes from a live kill the way hunters would.

**pgg** · 09-14-09, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by CTR man

Same here. I can't even stand to prepare the meat if it comes from a live kill the way hunters would.

Meat has to come from somewhere, at least with a hunt you can tell where it came from, how it was prepared, and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor

**CTR man** · 09-14-09, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by pgg

Meat has to come from somewhere, at least with a hunt you can tell where it came from, how it was prepared, and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor

I'll leave that to the experts and then take their word for it.