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Eat less meat

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
The only reason that the figures are coming out in favour of cutting meat eating is because we are not allowed to offset the carbon sequestrated in the production of that meat. Having done 3 carbon audits now , i am convinced that if we were working on a level playing field ie.allowed to offset. My meat production would be carbon negative.
Your cattle/sheep are non polluting just the same as everyone else's there will be pollution associated with livestock farming but there is with veg farming
If everyone stopped eating meat the difference would be bugger all
Livestock tend not to go round digging up carbon that has been buried for millions of years, they have better things to do with their time unlike us
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
I think that in terms of what the media want to tell everyone it doesn't really matter what the NFU or AHDB think, they're largely ignored anyway. It is important at a govt level though in terms of stupid policy decisions. Govts don't need much of an excuse to invent new taxes, let alone right now when we've borrowed squizzilions, a cow tax would seem like a no-brainer for them. They don't need to be scientifically justified, it's all about the perception and the media controls the perception.

What is worrying is that no one at the top of our organisations appear to understand what is actually quite basic science. They've obv had it explained to them by (let's be frank) thick scientists and swallowed it. It's a pretty general truth that the graduates who end up in climate science aren't intelligent enough to go into more complicated areas of science. Obv there will be exceptions, but in the main it's true. It is inevitable we will end up with policies that are stupid when the source of these policies haven't thought things through properly.

It doesn't bode well. You just need to look at the bizarre direction food recommendations in general took from the 50s on the say so of one man, Ancel Keys. How may billions of people worldwide have has their lives cut short or suffered illness because of his misguided belief he knew everything? Some people knew he was wrong at the time but they got drowned out. Sound familiar?
I have pure white and deadly by John Yudkin, his career was destroyed because he disagreed with Keys (and the multi national sugar industry) and his words have proved to be prophetic, with the rising obesity and diabetic epidemics. I agree, I can see the same thing happening here, but it won't be people, it will be the soil destroyed, if we are all forced to become vegetarian by the prevailing group think. More Soya is used to feed people (and pigs/chickens) than cattle, and the south American rain forests are being cut down to grow Soya (https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/articles/dairy-cows-livestock-behind-growth-soya-south-america/) and we need as a society to get more fat from animals (rather than plants) to get to a better Omega 3:6 ratio in our diets. I am noticing all the time the BBC is having a dig at eating meat, they did yesterday on a programme about insulating houses
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
Quite. A friend of mines brother is a research scientist. He says that as long as they mention climate change when applying for funding they pretty much get the money thrown at them.

As for eating meat, less but better maybe, regarding some global systems of production but as for climate change its a red herring as far as I'm concerned to allow big business to carry on regardless.
I think Alan Savory's ideas about mob grazing and desertification is all tied in with climate change, but ranged against it, are the multinational food manufacturing companies who make money from processed food, as well as the fertliser/chemical companies too. Mob grazing which can be integrated with arable farming as a break, helps sequest carbon in the soil, reducing climate change, however a bye product of that climate/soil saving system is meat which is not giving a big profit to the multinationals (or if people are healthier by eating meat and two veg rather than processes vegan stuff the pharmaceutical conglomerates don't make as much either). I think the world needs more cattle & sheep and far far far less sugar (and I say this as a choco holic!)
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Indeed, that's what I mentioned in my post. I could've used more words of course.

Sorry. My speed reading misread your post.

Statistics are always being misused to fit agenda's but there is now huge money behind manipulating information to suit business and lobbyists. I originally thought you were using the statistic rather than highlighting its flaws.
 

delilah

Member
"Eat less, but better, bananas"
"Eat less, but better, pasta"
"Eat less, but better, avocados"
"Eat less, but better, meat"
Why are we saying one, but not the others ?
Why is it that the only food stuff we are telling the British public to eat less of, is the one that we produce ?
Lemmings.

I asked a question in the OP. What should UK ag be saying to the British public ?
There has only been one attempt to answer it:

Dont confuse extensive British / European farming methods, with the intensive US feedlots and South American rainforest destruction.

I don't buy it. Too complex. The public will only hear "blah blah blah eat less meat blah blah blah".
Why are we even going there ? Why are we giving dietary advice with regards what people should eat more/ less of ?
And before anyone says that we aren't, yes we are. Both the AHDB and the NFU, as the lady said this morning on r4, are saying that we should eat less meat to save the planet.
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
"Eat less, but better, bananas"
"Eat less, but better, pasta"
"Eat less, but better, avocados"
"Eat less, but better, meat"
Why are we saying one, but not the others ?
Why is it that the only food stuff we are telling the British public to eat less of, is the one that we produce ?
Lemmings.

I asked a question in the OP. What should UK ag be saying to the British public ?
There has only been one attempt to answer it:



I don't buy it. Too complex. The public will only hear "blah blah blah eat less meat blah blah blah".
Why are we even going there ? Why are we giving dietary advice with regards what people should eat more/ less of ?
And before anyone says that we aren't, yes we are. Both the AHDB and the NFU, as the lady said this morning on r4, are saying that we should eat less meat to save the planet.

Love our diverse planet
Enjoy a diverse diet.
 

delilah

Member
I’m not wading through the whole thread, just to say the “expert” on Radio 4 was absolutely wrong, as are the NFU on this. Everybody needs to watch “ Sacred Cow”, a film by Diana Rogers, of an hour and twenty minutes which dispels all of the clap trap the anti meat, anti cow brigade pedal.

link ?
For the NFU and AHDB lurkers on here.
 

Tim G

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’m not wading through the whole thread, just to say the “expert” on Radio 4 was absolutely wrong, as are the NFU on this. Everybody needs to watch “ Sacred Cow”, a film by Diana Rogers, of an hour and twenty minutes which dispels all of the clap trap the anti meat, anti cow brigade pedal.
Was going to say them same, watched it a couple of weeks ago, not sure its fully released yet?
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
"Eat less, but better, bananas"
"Eat less, but better, pasta"
"Eat less, but better, avocados"
"Eat less, but better, meat"
Why are we saying one, but not the others ?
Why is it that the only food stuff we are telling the British public to eat less of, is the one that we produce ?
Lemmings.

I asked a question in the OP. What should UK ag be saying to the British public ?
There has only been one attempt to answer it:



I don't buy it. Too complex. The public will only hear "blah blah blah eat less meat blah blah blah".
Why are we even going there ? Why are we giving dietary advice with regards what people should eat more/ less of ?
And before anyone says that we aren't, yes we are. Both the AHDB and the NFU, as the lady said this morning on r4, are saying that we should eat less meat to save the planet.
answer Eat meat to save the Soil and the Planet
 

Bootneck

Member
Location
East Sussex
Same scientists, same media, same political parties, same global big business interests that have pushed the covid narrative that has crushed personal freedoms and devastated small businesses across the world. They use selective data and rigged studies to push the anti farming and anti meat message. It's all bullcrap, a very sinister agenda.
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

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