Brixton market snails - are they available in wint

[morningcoffee]

Dec 15, 2012 8:45:41 GMT snails4you said:

Hi there I normally buy adult margies from a shop up deptford then nurse the snails back to health and de worm them, tame them etc before finding them a new home. Kind of like a snail rescue cause. However I went up there recently and was told by the person I usually buy of that they don't stock them during winter but I would still like to rescue any I can. I heard you can get them up brixton market but does anyone know if they will have them during winter months or not? Any help is greatly appreiated.

No, they don't have them in winter.
Best bet is to try from May onwards through the summer.

[starcrazy19]

I know it's awful to see animals being kept in bad conditions and it makes you want to buy them and rescue them and save them... But my mother would always tell me, and as an adult I completely agree, that by buying that animal you are only re-enforcing the system that got them there. They will take your money and buy two more, and keep them in the same conditions. The animal you buy to save, will only be replaced by more who will suffer just the same as the ones before them - if the seller knows they can still make a profit by selling animals who are poorly kept, nothing will change. You can't save them all.

[Evil Angel]

I agree Starcrazy, that's the very reason I don't buy from places like petshops and markets, by saving one, you are causing the suffering of others. Once they're stock is sold, they'll simply get more because they know people will by them. so by buying snails from these people you are just convincing them they should get more...

[rapalje]

Tame them!?

[vallery]

Hi ,

I live in Canada. I don't know anything about Brixton market. Could someone tell me about this place?

vallery

[morningcoffee]

Jan 20, 2013 17:06:49 GMT vallery said:

Hi ,

I live in Canada. I don't know anything about Brixton market. Could someone tell me about this place?

vallery

Hi vallery,

Brixton is an area in south London which has a high percentage of residents of African and Carribbean descent. It's generally quite a poor and rundown area with a bad reputation, commonly associated with crime and gang activity. There were serious riots in Brixton in the 1980s. However, in recent years its reputation has started to improve somewhat due to development and the council's attempts to improve the area.

It has several markets, including a couple of indoor markets. The indoor markets have a lot of African and Carribean stores, selling all kinds of products and foods that are common in those areas. Several of the African stores sell many different African foodstuffs, one of which is giant snails - usually margies but sometimes also tigers. They are imported from Africa (usually Ghana). It's legal to import them and sell them for food here as long as you have a licence and the correct paperwork, and as long as you are complying with food safety regulations. Much of the controversy with snail-lovers in the UK is that they are sold in poor conditions, alive and usually piled up in baskets or buckets. They're usually only sold during the warmer months - mainly during summer and early autumn. Unfortunately although it seems unpleasant to us as snail lovers, they are commonly eaten in many parts of Africa. Because they are found and collected easily, they are seen as a cheap and quick source of meat for people who may not be able to afford to buy it.

The argument of "if you buy them, they will import more next time" is actually incorrect, as there are quotas set by the Department for Food and Agriculture in the UK for how many snails can be imported, which species can be brought in etc. If they are being imported legally, there is a limit to how many snails sellers allowed to bring in. The best thing to do is actually to contact your local MP or someone else who may have some power to look into the situation, although unless you live near Brixton or another area where giant snails are sold for food, they are unlikely to have much interest or be able to do much.

I live very near Brixton and go there quite often, and in the past I've contacted the council and my local MP about the shops that sell snails. They have sent food safety teams to investigate, and on a couple of occasions have caught shops selling them without the correct paperwork to prove they are legally imported, and have given them warnings. They have left hygiene and food safety information with the shops/stalls that had the correct paperwork to sell snails. When I go to Brixton and see snails being sold, I make a note of which shops/stalls are selling them and then inform the local council so that they can check up on it.

[vallery]

Thank You morningcoffee ,

I had noticed posts about Brixton market but had no Idea about it.
Maybe you could let people there know how to contact the council and MP to help the situation.
I don't know if I could be of any help being in Canada. They don't even sell land snails here in petshops, some sell water snails, and then here there is China Town which has outdoor open markets snails, fish etc. But so far I have never come across any live snails or bad conditions, their markets seem to be very orderly and clean, smells awful but naturally it would to someone like me that isn't a fish or seafood eater.
Thank You again for telling me about the market.
vallery

[pinkunicorn]

Farmed snails are also sold in similar fashion like vegetables on markets in Italy. It's awful. Even fishes are killed soon after catching (well, most of them), but the Brixton snails probably aren't overseen by any regulator. Good thing you report them when you see them. Awful awful awful.