HAGGIS

THE HAGGIS


I have discovered that the haggis is an endangered species. I should probably have known this already. Of course, in America the haggis has scarcely ever lived. A true haggis contains sheep lung (part of the “pluck” – along with liver and heart) which is illegal here, dismissed as unfit for human consumption. There were some reports in 2010 that the ban was to be lifted but it came to nothing, and frankly I never expected it to. Most Americans seem to be untroubled by this situation.
But even in Scotland there are problems, apparently, and they are, wouldn’t you know, caused by global warming. Because the Scottish climate is now less icy and windblown than it used to be, the lungworm parasite that affects sheep is suddenly thriving. The rest of the sheep remains good, but the lungs become inedible. Consequently Scottish butchers are importing lungs from Ireland; though I must say I’m slightly baffled by that. Has global warming not affected Ireland? Is Ireland now colder than Scotland? Or are their sheep simply more resistant to lungworm ?