It's unlikely this week's TV-inspired furore over intensive farming of poultry will have any long-term effect on the sale of chicken produced in this way. Consumers are attracted by low prices - used to them even - and many will never be able to afford the big premium on meat produced more ethically. That's unlikely to change when you consider that a shortage of organic products, and new rules covering feed for organically farmed animals, are likely to send prices for organic food higher. Our cheap food culture is here to stay and we need to work within the confines of that rather than listen to millionaire TV chefs who think we should pay £8 for a chicken that will feed two people instead of £4 for one that feeds a whole family. I've been to chicken farms. They weren't five-star hotels. But nor were they nearly as horrific as Oliver et al would have us believe. Intensive can be humane. The shared goal should be to make sure everybody can afford to eat well while minimising the suffering of animals.

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