A new study, published in Nature Climate Change is, said co-author, Prof Keith Richards: “Not a radical vegetarian argument; it is an argument about eating meat in sensible amounts as part of healthy, balanced diets.”
This has been interpreted in many parts of the press as a call to action for consumers to eat less red meat.
However, the study’s authors say we should all think carefully about all the food we choose and its environmental impact. A shift to healthier diets across the world is just one of a number of actions that need to be taken to avoid dangerous climate change and ensure there is enough food for all.
The report also followed hot on the heels of the BBC’s second Horizon programme focusing on beef production, acknowledging as EBLEX’s Nick Allen said: “That our extensive, grass-fed production systems in the UK are ‘low impact’ although it could have gone further and explained that grass acts as a carbon sink.
“The programme did go some way to highlight the complexities of this issue, but failed to take into account the economics of livestock production. It referenced alarming figures about the future impact of the industry if it expands in line with global population, but didn’t relate this to the fact that, globally, beef farmers are making little or no profit.
“As anyone in the industry knows, farmers will only increase production in line with an increase in the price of the product to ensure their enterprises are sustainable and protected against potentially negative influences on the market.
“It’s essential that any debate on sustainability considers profitability along with environmental impact to ensure a balanced dialogue is maintained.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
