The bovine issue

Returning to our main project: Rome, our vetinary expert has provided the necessary information on whether we can legally follow Roman tradition and slaughter the animal for the feast on site.

It appears that this is entirely practical, although there are many regulations that control the production of meat for sale on the open market the only regulations that apply to production for private consumption are the general prohibition of cruelty to animals. Fortunately Roman practices were remarkably close to present day slaughter, first the animal was stunned, then its throat cut and the blood drained.

That said an adult bull is one heck of a big animal to eat at one sitting, even with the number we expect for the event. We are looking into finding something a bit smaller such as a calf.

Since the point of the exercise is to have fun and not to upset anyone (apart from the late unlamented Mary Whitehouse and her ilk) the sacrifice will be held early in the morning and attendance will be voluntary. This is necessary in any case as a practical matter since it takes one heck of a long time to roast a whole bull.