Academics work together to highlight positive red meat research
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has backed a group of academics working together to project positive news about eating red meat as a result of their mutual concerns about the impact of inaccurate work in the same field of research.
The group, including Professor Dr. Peer Ederer, instigated the Dublin Declaration, which states that livestock systems are “too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry”.
Ederer is a co-founder and director of GOALSciences, the Global Observatory of Accurate Livestock Sciences, which has the mission to research and communicate scientific evidence about the role of animals in the global food system.
“The vast majority of scientists are positive about red meat’s nutritional, ecological, environmental and ethical role in society,” said Ederer.
He cited examples of where inaccurate research had been corrected or was to be corrected by scientists seeking to redress the balance, referring to them as “examples of where science is able to heal itself”.
Ederer also said an article in The Lancet linking deaths to red meat had been proven to be wrong and the revision accepted by the authors and the publishers. HCC said that similarly, a recent piece published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggesting support for dietary recommendations for limiting consumption of red meat had been rebuked.
“This same information has been republished again and again and again – and yet the scientific community has disproved it again and again and again,” said Ederer. “We need to ask ourselves a question – how come they keep on publishing this nonsense? It is always headline news in all scientific journals and then also in mainstream media. Yet the studies that are debunking it – well, they seem to get buried in some scientific and academic material that never sees the light of day.
“I cannot give you an answer, but within the Dublin Declaration we are working on trying to figure out why this is the case and making those reasons known.”
Encouraging farmers to support positive production methods
HCC’s head of strategic marketing and connections, Laura Pickup, said: “Professor Ederer’s message is important and resonates with the Welsh way of producing red meat. Wales is one of the most sustainable places on earth to produce it. Our farming systems are non-intensive and rely on abundant grass and rainfall. Welsh farms also contribute to carbon sequestration, soil regeneration and increased biodiversity.
“Lean red meat is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, and when combined with other healthy ingredients, contributes towards good health as part of a balanced diet.
“We are also pleased to hear acclaimed academics such as Professor Dr Ederer banging the drum on behalf of our industry. We would also urge farmers to become ambassadors for the positive production methods that they deploy on their farms during Great British Beef week and beyond.”
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