Marcus the sheep has got the chop.

[mrs.chappie]

I was hoping he'd be spared. [:o(

[pericat]

Im not a vegetarian so yeh I can also see both sides - probably a very small percentage of vegetarians. I would love to know exactly what lessons the kids have learned - be a fly on the wall and listen to their conversations

[mrs.chappie]

LOL @ redman!

Although I am an animal lover and have rescued many animals in my lifetime, I love meat and have no problem with farm animals going for slaughter, provided it's done humanely (which, sadly, we know it isn't always, but that's another story).

But it just feels damned cruel to me, to let the sheep be petted and bottle-fed, and obviously enjoy the company of humans, just like a pet, then send it for slaughter.

If the kids are gonna learn a lesson, the lesson should be that farm animals are not treated like pets.

[pericat]

Well said mrs.c

[Bbbananas]

Just who the hell is Marcus?
Not that one with the lamb chop sideburns off Big Brother?

[brenda]

I think it is a disgraceful event, to allow a sheep reared and loved by children to be killed.The ownng of the sheep by the school was probably some kind of school project, and would have given much to those children. Learning to care for an animal , seeing it grow , being able to develop enough confidence to be around an animal.and so on.
So what have the children learned ? A sad lesson in my view, that life is expendable, animal , human it doesn't matter to people who the power to make such decisions. A sad day indeed
The animal could have been sold , or indeed given to a caring owner, an animal farm for children perhaps, or even to an individual person
The Head .teacher the Board of Governors and the Local Education Authority should hang their heads in shame, over this incident , which has abused and broken the trust of small children.

Sorry this post is so long but I feel so angry.

[LoftyLottie]

Agree with Brenda entirely. The sheep was a pet, not an animal on a farm being bred for meat. Even the Vietnamese don't eat their pet dogs. I read that the sheep had to go to make room for more animals!!??? Bit like people who give up their pet dogs when they get old because they want a new puppy.

It was a callous act and I would be furious if my child attended that school.

[craft1948]

Allegedly the sheep is being killed to pay for some piglets for the school......to rear and kill....

[hc4361]

This sheep was never kept as a pet. The children knew from the outset what would happen to it, and it wasn't called Marcus. The school started the farm to teach all aspects of farming life. I don't have a problem with it. I grew up with chickens and rabbits in the back garden, which we ate, my grandmother had a pig ever year in her back garden.

[DEN53]

I think the reason they would'nt let poor Marcus go to anyone else like Paul O'Grady is because he had already been made into Lamb chops. I think I read last week, there was an advert for frozen chops on the school notice board.

[hc4361]

They wouldn't let him go to Paul O'Grady because from the outset the plan was the lamb would become the final product from the farm, meat for the table.

[DEN53]

I suppose is not that different Gordon Ramsey (F-Word) keeping those animals in his back garden and his children looking after them and then off they went for the chop.

[smudge]

Ah, how sad! I was convinced an 'open' farm would take him in & show him off to paying visitors & give him lots of TLC.

RIP Marcus!

[caththecrazy]

How ridiculous the idea was the children should bottle feed him and rear him, then he would be taken to slaughter so the children could see all the stages of food production.

Good result - upset children - some now want to become vegetarians and the headmistress keeping a low profile and now it's starting again with some piglets. Parents will now learn that they need to apply to a solicitor earlier.