Teachers info sheet on cows and climate change

delilah

Member
OK. Am sick to death of reading on here about how kids are coming home from school with stories of anti-cow lessons.

Have just banged out the below.

Yes it's simplistic, yes it's biased, yes it's most likely wrong on the science. Whatever. I am sending it to the schools in our village, feel free to do the same if you wish.

Or alternatively, if you want to distribute the proper stuff produced by the professionals who have all day every day to work on this, go on to the NFU education website and download their information pack for teachers on cows and climate change.
Good luck with that.



Cows and Climate Change
Teachers: Your questions answered

“Cows cause climate change, yes?”
No. Cows are an important component of a stable climate.
Grassland covers much of the Earth’s surface, and through the process of photosynthesis plays a crucial role in removing carbon from the air and storing it in the soil (carbon sequestration).
Grassland only exists because it is grazed, by ruminants. Throughout history this grazing has been carried out by wild animals; buffalo, deer, camels. Today this role is played in much of the World by domesticated cattle.

“What about methane?”
Cows burp methane. This methane is rapidly broken down as a natural part of the carbon cycle. The problem we have today is the methane being released into the environment as a result of our use of fossil fuels, which is entering the environment far quicker than it can be broken down. Sources of this methane cover all aspects of our exploitation of fossil fuels, from fracking to plastic bags (which release methane as they break down).

“We can manage without cows though?”
The alternatives to beef and milk are based on products such as soya and palm oil, grown on land the other side of the planet that has had its rainforest destroyed to grow them. Cows also provide us with a huge range of products used in everyday life which would otherwise have to be made from oil. It’s not ‘vegan leather’, it’s plastic.

“Why are we being told that cows are bad for the planet then?”
Two sectors are pushing the anti-cow agenda for their own interests:
- Animal rights extremists, who have jumped on the climate change issue to scare people into giving up all contact with animals (including pets).
-Global corporations, who see vast amounts of money to be made from producing ‘food’ in factories from artificial ingredients. These companies are funding anti-cow campaigns.

“Where can I find out more about this issue?”
Visit www.thefarmingforum.co.uk and read the many threads on cows and climate change.
 

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kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
OK. Am sick to death of reading on here about how kids are coming home from school with stories of anti-cow lessons.

Have just banged out the below.

Yes it's simplistic, yes it's biased, yes it's most likely wrong on the science. Whatever. I am sending it to the schools in our village, feel free to do the same if you wish.

Or alternatively, if you want to distribute the proper stuff produced by the professionals who have all day every day to work on this, go on to the NFU education website and download their information pack for teachers on cows and climate change.
Good luck with that.



Cows and Climate Change
Teachers: Your questions answered

“Cows cause climate change, yes?”
No. Cows are an important component of a stable climate.
Grassland covers much of the Earth’s surface, and through the process of photosynthesis plays a crucial role in removing carbon from the air and storing it in the soil (carbon sequestration).
Grassland only exists because it is grazed, by ruminants. Throughout history this grazing has been carried out by wild animals; buffalo, deer, camels. Today this role is played in much of the World by domesticated cattle.

“What about methane?”
Cows burp methane. This methane is rapidly broken down as a natural part of the carbon cycle. The problem we have today is the methane being released into the environment as a result of our use of fossil fuels, which is entering the environment far quicker than it can be broken down. Sources of this methane cover all aspects of our exploitation of fossil fuels, from fracking to plastic bags (which release methane as they break down).

“We can manage without cows though?”
The alternatives to beef and milk are based on products such as soya and palm oil, grown on land the other side of the planet that has had its rainforest destroyed to grow them. Cows also provide us with a huge range of products used in everyday life which would otherwise have to be made from oil. It’s not ‘vegan leather’, it’s plastic.

“Why are we being told that cows are bad for the planet then?”
Two sectors are pushing the anti-cow agenda for their own interests:
- Animal rights extremists, who have jumped on the climate change issue to scare people into giving up all contact with animals (including pets).
-Global corporations, who see vast amounts of money to be made from producing ‘food’ in factories from artificial ingredients. These companies are funding anti-cow campaigns.

“Where can I find out more about this issue?”
Visit www.thefarmingforum.co.uk and read the many threads on cows and climate change.

The problem with that is the kids tell their parents what they read and the parents pick holes in it and you've lost them.
If you care about it enough you have to be prepared to meet people and actually talk to them and make an impression. Contact your local school and offer to visit and talk to the children and have a good presentation.
This is far more likely to stick with the kids even if the parents tell them its rubbish.
People like The millennial farmer on youtube do this quite a bit and seem to get a good response and requests for more.
Not everyone has the time or ability to do this of course but I'm not sure sending out fact sheets is going to do much good. If they are economical with the truth it could make things worse.
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
The problem with that is the kids tell their parents what they read and the parents pick holes in it and you've lost them.
If you care about it enough you have to be prepared to meet people and actually talk to them and make an impression. Contact your local school and offer to visit and talk to the children and have a good presentation.
This is far more likely to stick with the kids even if the parents tell them its rubbish.
People like The millennial farmer on youtube do this quite a bit and seem to get a good response and requests for more.
Not everyone has the time or ability to do this of course but I'm not sure sending out fact sheets is going to do much good. If they are economical with the truth it could make things worse.
Downright lies seem to work well enough for the other side, Donald Trump and our own Boris Johnson. It is increasingly used by all and sundry and a significant proportion of people don’t see through it.
 

SteveHants

Member
Livestock Farmer
Some peer-reviewed stuff, some more accessible news articles etc in amongst this pile:

Steinfeld, H. (2006) Livestock long shadow: In Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations Corporate Document Repository. Retrieved from
Metz, B et al (eds) (2007) Climate Change2007: Mitigation.
Contribution of Working Group to the Fourth Assesment Reportof the IPCC, IIPCC, Cambridge University Presss.
Baument, K et al (2005) Navigating the numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Change Policy, World resources Institute, 2005,
Retreived from www.wri.org/publication/navigating-the-numbers
Judith D. Schwartz (2013). Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 60–66. ISBN 978-1-60358-432-6
Nicolette Hahn Niman (2014). Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 34–44. ISBN 978-1-60358-536-1.
Food & Nutrition Research 2014, 58: 20687 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v58.20687

Ray, D. K., Mueller, N. D., West, P. C., & Foley, J. A. (2013). Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050. PloS one, 8(6), e66428. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066428
Mottet, A., de Haan, C., Falcucci, A., Tempio, G., Opio, C., & Gerber, P. (2017). Livestock: On our plates or eating at our table? A new analysis of the feed/food debate. Global Food Security, 14, 1-8.
 

vantage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembs
Some peer-reviewed stuff, some more accessible news articles etc in amongst this pile:

Steinfeld, H. (2006) Livestock long shadow: In Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations Corporate Document Repository. Retrieved from
Metz, B et al (eds) (2007) Climate Change2007: Mitigation.
Contribution of Working Group to the Fourth Assesment Reportof the IPCC, IIPCC, Cambridge University Presss.
Baument, K et al (2005) Navigating the numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Change Policy, World resources Institute, 2005,
Retreived from www.wri.org/publication/navigating-the-numbers
Judith D. Schwartz (2013). Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 60–66. ISBN 978-1-60358-432-6
Nicolette Hahn Niman (2014). Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 34–44. ISBN 978-1-60358-536-1.
Food & Nutrition Research 2014, 58: 20687 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v58.20687

Ray, D. K., Mueller, N. D., West, P. C., & Foley, J. A. (2013). Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050. PloS one, 8(6), e66428. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066428
Mottet, A., de Haan, C., Falcucci, A., Tempio, G., Opio, C., & Gerber, P. (2017). Livestock: On our plates or eating at our table? A new analysis of the feed/food debate. Global Food Security, 14, 1-8.
Fantastic!
 

delilah

Member
Some peer-reviewed stuff, some more accessible news articles etc in amongst this pile:

Steinfeld, H. (2006) Livestock long shadow: In Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations Corporate Document Repository. Retrieved from
Metz, B et al (eds) (2007) Climate Change2007: Mitigation.
Contribution of Working Group to the Fourth Assesment Reportof the IPCC, IIPCC, Cambridge University Presss.
Baument, K et al (2005) Navigating the numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Change Policy, World resources Institute, 2005,
Retreived from www.wri.org/publication/navigating-the-numbers
Judith D. Schwartz (2013). Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 60–66. ISBN 978-1-60358-432-6
Nicolette Hahn Niman (2014). Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 34–44. ISBN 978-1-60358-536-1.
Food & Nutrition Research 2014, 58: 20687 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v58.20687

Ray, D. K., Mueller, N. D., West, P. C., & Foley, J. A. (2013). Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050. PloS one, 8(6), e66428. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066428
Mottet, A., de Haan, C., Falcucci, A., Tempio, G., Opio, C., & Gerber, P. (2017). Livestock: On our plates or eating at our table? A new analysis of the feed/food debate. Global Food Security, 14, 1-8.

There is a wealth of excellent material there.
To the lurkers on here from the NFU: You have had the hard work done for you in having this info pulled together. Could you ask your communications team/ education department to produce a teachers pack from it. Soon. Thanks.
 

delilah

Member
Animal Rebellion
1 hr ·
Meet the rebels: Monica.
“I’ve been in this movement for 22 years and we have to get our message into the educational institutions. Somebody should contact us if they can help us do this. Young people need to know about animal agriculture, I mean if it was okay we would take them to visit abattoirs, wouldn’t we? We need speakers to go into our schools and colleges and tell young people the truth. Go vegan immediately, first and foremost for the animals, not just to save our own skins, and then for our beautiful planet. Come on everyone... just do it, do it, do it.”
 
Animal Rebellion
1 hr ·
Meet the rebels: Monica.
“I’ve been in this movement for 22 years and we have to get our message into the educational institutions. Somebody should contact us if they can help us do this. Young people need to know about animal agriculture, I mean if it was okay we would take them to visit abattoirs, wouldn’t we? We need speakers to go into our schools and colleges and tell young people the truth. Go vegan immediately, first and foremost for the animals, not just to save our own skins, and then for our beautiful planet. Come on everyone... just do it, do it, do it.”
That's not a bad suggestion, eh, maybe schools should organize trips to the abattoirs, freezing works or butchers shop, shouldn't be any problems there with the parents or balanced/unbiased education by the teachers.
 
Animal Rebellion
1 hr ·
Meet the rebels: Monica.
“I’ve been in this movement for 22 years and we have to get our message into the educational institutions. Somebody should contact us if they can help us do this. Young people need to know about animal agriculture, I mean if it was okay we would take them to visit abattoirs, wouldn’t we? We need speakers to go into our schools and colleges and tell young people the truth. Go vegan immediately, first and foremost for the animals, not just to save our own skins, and then for our beautiful planet. Come on everyone... just do it, do it, do it.”
Incidentally similar logic used by so called animal fights activists in Canada, "If farmers have nothing to hide then why do they have problems with animal rights activists coming onto their property?"
Nothing to do with them entering unannounced or in the hours of darkness? :rolleyes:
 

cows r us

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Buckinghamshire
Some peer-reviewed stuff, some more accessible news articles etc in amongst this pile:

Steinfeld, H. (2006) Livestock long shadow: In Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations Corporate Document Repository. Retrieved from
Metz, B et al (eds) (2007) Climate Change2007: Mitigation.
Contribution of Working Group to the Fourth Assesment Reportof the IPCC, IIPCC, Cambridge University Presss.
Baument, K et al (2005) Navigating the numbers: Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Change Policy, World resources Institute, 2005,
Retreived from www.wri.org/publication/navigating-the-numbers
Judith D. Schwartz (2013). Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 60–66. ISBN 978-1-60358-432-6
Nicolette Hahn Niman (2014). Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production. Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 34–44. ISBN 978-1-60358-536-1.
Food & Nutrition Research 2014, 58: 20687 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/fnr.v58.20687

Ray, D. K., Mueller, N. D., West, P. C., & Foley, J. A. (2013). Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050. PloS one, 8(6), e66428. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066428
Mottet, A., de Haan, C., Falcucci, A., Tempio, G., Opio, C., & Gerber, P. (2017). Livestock: On our plates or eating at our table? A new analysis of the feed/food debate. Global Food Security, 14, 1-8.
That really helpful stuff. My other halfs a teacher and I go in and teach about climate change and how farmers can reverse many of the issues around carbon emissions. I often get a know it all vegan teacher who starts questioning me on methane emissions. We always end up drawing a big carbon cycle and get the kids to teach the teacher about where the carbon goes. ? Think I've blown a few minds with GCSE level geography.
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
Supermarket tv ad new on in the evening about a little girl telling her dad ," im not eating animals any more', REALLY EMOTIVE don't do any favours plus if you watch ,kiddies channel 4 early mornings most if not all favourite story characters promote or use most items not meat?
What's all that about?
You watch them???
 

SteveHants

Member
Livestock Farmer
Animal Rebellion
1 hr ·
Meet the rebels: Monica.
“I’ve been in this movement for 22 years and we have to get our message into the educational institutions. Somebody should contact us if they can help us do this. Young people need to know about animal agriculture, I mean if it was okay we would take them to visit abattoirs, wouldn’t we? We need speakers to go into our schools and colleges and tell young people the truth. Go vegan immediately, first and foremost for the animals, not just to save our own skins, and then for our beautiful planet. Come on everyone... just do it, do it, do it.”

I do take my students to visit abbotoirs...…:ROFLMAO:
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 43.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.6%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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