Doco exposes reality of meat production
A gripping documentary about what happens to our pork and chicken before it arrives at the dinner table is now free for Herald readers to watch.
MEAT is a documentary about the modern story of the animals we eat and all the gritty details that go along with it.
“Dive into the life and work of four profoundly different meat producers — discover how the food on your table is shaped by the great issues of our age: feminism, waste, philosophy, greed, morality, health, welfare, environmentalism, even terrorism,” says the New Zealand Film Commission description of the movie.
“From the solitary hunter who believes everyone needs to be educated about their food, to an industrial pig farmer who argues that money isn’t his primary driver.”
Film-maker David White said he was excited to bring the facts of meat processing to Herald readers and give them the choice of deciding where they stood on the issue.
White, who grew up on a cattle farm, decided to make the film after realising he had no idea how chickens and meat were processed.
His hope for the film is to start a conversation about how meat is sourced. He was intent on giving viewers the reality while not telling them what to think.
“I’d like to think it creates a conversation.
“We had an activist and a pig farmer chat at a screening, they had
We had an activist and a pig farmer chat at a screening, they had a great conversation.
David White, director
a great conversation.”
The harsh reality of the film had an impact on one of his friends who was a “meat lover” and had turned vegetarian after watching the film.
The film follows a man who has dedicated his life to producing 400 tonnes of pork a year, another man’s philosophical attitude to killing almost 1000 chickens a week, as well as Jill, the one-woman farming operation.
During filming White was given unrestricted and unfiltered access to allow him to present a realistic view of the meat industry without taking a stance or telling viewers what to think.