Livestock farmers- views on climate and ruminants

Do you work with cows or sheep in Cumbria or Northumberland? I'm a researcher from the University of Gloucestershire and would like to learn about your perspectives on sustainability. I’m researching how the UK livestock sector is responding to public criticism about cows, sheep, and climate change, and I’m keen to speak to farmers and farm workers with a range of views on the topic. Interviews will be on-farm in mid-August (I will travel to you), and take less than 2 hours. For full details and to arrange an interview, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks for your time.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Do you work with cows or sheep in Cumbria or Northumberland? I'm a researcher from the University of Gloucestershire and would like to learn about your perspectives on sustainability. I’m researching how the UK livestock sector is responding to public criticism about cows, sheep, and climate change, and I’m keen to speak to farmers and farm workers with a range of views on the topic. Interviews will be on-farm in mid-August (I will travel to you), and take less than 2 hours. For full details and to arrange an interview, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks for your time.

I would place a bet that you will struggle to find ‘a range of views’ on the topic. I’ve yet to speak to any livestock farmer that isn’t exasperated at the constant blame being placed on ruminant livestock, generally by those living in cities and with far larger carbon footprints than us ‘simple’ country folk.
There also seems to be an unwillingness to consider the carbon sequestration carried out by the grassland those animals graze, which can be far greater than that by the trees they advocate replacing us with.😡

I don’t live up north though, so my views are probably unimportant to you, but good luck with your research.
 

JSmith

Member
Livestock Farmer
Go to your nearest market, plenty farmers there! Save fuel, time, and inconveniencing anybody!! As said above the answer you’ll get is that most of us are pretty annoyed with the end of the world being the livestock farmers fault!! Assassinate the cows but joe blogs can keep flying around the world because we’ve planted a tree to off-set the emissions, bôllocks!!!
 
Do you live 'up north'? and commute to Gloucestershire to university only if needed, or fancying a jolly up north? Either way, neither is very good for the environment. Can't you ask farmers in Gloucestershire?
Thanks for your question. I'm based in the South Downs and have been interviewing farmers locally- the logic for coming to Northumberland and Cumbria is to make sure hill farms are also represented in the data (I also already have some contacts in those counties). I'll be travelling north by public transport and using a hire car to get between farms, as I don't own a car. Fortunately I don't have to commute to Gloucestershire more than a few times a year thanks to the provisions for remote working. I hope this addresses your concerns.
 
I would place a bet that you will struggle to find ‘a range of views’ on the topic. I’ve yet to speak to any livestock farmer that isn’t exasperated at the constant blame being placed on ruminant livestock, generally by those living in cities and with far larger carbon footprints than us ‘simple’ country folk.
There also seems to be an unwillingness to consider the carbon sequestration carried out by the grassland those animals graze, which can be far greater than that by the trees they advocate replacing us with.😡

I don’t live up north though, so my views are probably unimportant to you, but good luck with your research.
Thanks for your comment and the good wishes, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. From my research so far I've heard a lot of similar sentiments regarding the blame being laid on livestock farmers. However, I would suggest that livestock farmers do hold a range of views on the topic- from those promoting agroecology and regenerative agriculture, to folks keen on sustainable intensification, to those that favour a productivist approach. I'm happy to be corrected on this as I learn more. My current understanding is that "livestock farmers" are a broad church encompassing a range of different approaches and mindsets (on all topics, not just sustainability!). This is partly why research is needed to explore the nuance behind these polarising topics- and communicate this to folks across the rural-urban spectrum.

Feel free to write to me if you'd like to discuss further- I'm also interviewing farmers in the South Downs so if you're based near there I'd be delighted to visit you. I've limited my fieldwork to two "case study" areas- both to include a range of farms types, and to reduce emissions from travel.
 
Go to your nearest market, plenty farmers there! Save fuel, time, and inconveniencing anybody!! As said above the answer you’ll get is that most of us are pretty annoyed with the end of the world being the livestock farmers fault!! Assassinate the cows but joe blogs can keep flying around the world because we’ve planted a tree to off-set the emissions, bôllocks!!!
Hiya, thanks for your comment and the advice. You'll see from my other responses I've chosen two "case study" areas (one local to me), to include a range of farm types while also limiting travel emissions. Don't think I can edit the original post but hopefully that's a bit clearer now.
 

BAF

Member
Livestock Farmer
Climate change is one of the buzz words of the moment. When I was a yoof acid rain was melting the country and the hole in the ozone was destroying the planet and we all had to stop using deodorant and fridges because of the CFC's they contained. Strangely enough there were quite a lot of warnings about quick sand and setting yourself on fire around at the same time? Stop! Drop! Roll!
The thing with climate change is that it's not cow farts, sheep or tractors that are the problem. On the small stage ie the UK the problem is air travel. A jet drinks enough go go juice to fuel a small African country for 6 months every time they go for a jolly. Cities and manufacturing are farting out atmosphere destroying loveliness all day every day.
But it's not the bit part players that are the issue, even if we achieved the fallacy of being carbon neutral, net zero nonsense by killing all the cows and turning all the farms into tree nursery's, we aren't going to be any more than a gnat on the windscreen of 'climate change'.
Do the big players like China, India, Russia care 1 iota about climate change? Let me give you a big hint with this one, NO they do not care a jot. They will continue to consume consume consume and pump out poisonous gas and pollute water and laugh in the face of the West when we ask them very nicely if they could possibly scale it back just a little bit please.
Then there's the hypocrisy of all cars having to become electric. 1 they're mainly sh!t. And 2 the destruction that is caused by mining for lithium to build the batteries is incredible.
The scaremongering of the MSM is incredible. "Scientists predict heat events like this weeks could be come a 3 yearly cycle" what they fail to say until right at the end of that journalistic master piece is; yes they could IF worst case scenario the earth warms 4⁰ by the end of the century then it is possible that these may become tri annual events. Worst case scenario.
But let's blame the cows and sheep and plant trees and remove good, productive, carbon sequestering grass land!
 

Wood field

Member
Livestock Farmer
Don’t really need to visit anyone, if you want to know what’s behind the blaming of livestock just “ follow the money”
From a Cumbrian, now farming in the south Pennines
I’ll talk to you, 160 acres plus moorland grazing, 900 -1200 ft
550 breeding ewes , 50 hoggs, no fertiliser, little on farm diesel use , spring water , permanent pastures
But I am the bad guy
 
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DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Hud away an shyte

Another parasitic study of why food f**ked the environment

I wonder if history will show the excessive petrochemical usage pushed upon society and the devastation it created, or whether the truth will still be modified by money poured into misdirection and pointless study?
 

Gedd

Member
Livestock Farmer
Climate change if there is such a thing is nothing to do with animals theres nothing more natural its to many people on the the planet that wont accept that they are the cause and putting planes burning fossil fuels directly into the atmosphere even if they foubled flight costs people would still pay kill sll the animals let them starve cant eat planes PRIORIETES
 

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
Climate change is one of the buzz words of the moment. When I was a yoof acid rain was melting the country and the hole in the ozone was destroying the planet and we all had to stop using deodorant and fridges because of the CFC's they contained. Strangely enough there were quite a lot of warnings about quick sand and setting yourself on fire around at the same time? Stop! Drop! Roll!
The thing with climate change is that it's not cow farts, sheep or tractors that are the problem. On the small stage ie the UK the problem is air travel. A jet drinks enough go go juice to fuel a small African country for 6 months every time they go for a jolly. Cities and manufacturing are farting out atmosphere destroying loveliness all day every day.
But it's not the bit part players that are the issue, even if we achieved the fallacy of being carbon neutral, net zero nonsense by killing all the cows and turning all the farms into tree nursery's, we aren't going to be any more than a gnat on the windscreen of 'climate change'.
Do the big players like China, India, Russia care 1 iota about climate change? Let me give you a big hint with this one, NO they do not care a jot. They will continue to consume consume consume and pump out poisonous gas and pollute water and laugh in the face of the West when we ask them very nicely if they could possibly scale it back just a little bit please.
Then there's the hypocrisy of all cars having to become electric. 1 they're mainly sh!t. And 2 the destruction that is caused by mining for lithium to build the batteries is incredible.
The scaremongering of the MSM is incredible. "Scientists predict heat events like this weeks could be come a 3 yearly cycle" what they fail to say until right at the end of that journalistic master piece is; yes they could IF worst case scenario the earth warms 4⁰ by the end of the century then it is possible that these may become tri annual events. Worst case scenario.
But let's blame the cows and sheep and plant trees and remove good, productive, carbon sequestering grass land!
Bang on ,but you have to remember that if we get rid of all livestock and import from abroad it means that we get to net zero quicker. Green washing at its very best. We all know that it’s madness but those in power have been brain washed by the 1%.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Do you work with cows or sheep in Cumbria or Northumberland? I'm a researcher from the University of Gloucestershire and would like to learn about your perspectives on sustainability. I’m researching how the UK livestock sector is responding to public criticism about cows, sheep, and climate change, and I’m keen to speak to farmers and farm workers with a range of views on the topic. Interviews will be on-farm in mid-August (I will travel to you), and take less than 2 hours. For full details and to arrange an interview, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks for your time.
They seem fairly angry about it, judging by the general tone of this thread.
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
Do you work with cows or sheep in Cumbria or Northumberland? I'm a researcher from the University of Gloucestershire and would like to learn about your perspectives on sustainability. I’m researching how the UK livestock sector is responding to public criticism about cows, sheep, and climate change, and I’m keen to speak to farmers and farm workers with a range of views on the topic. Interviews will be on-farm in mid-August (I will travel to you), and take less than 2 hours. For full details and to arrange an interview, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks for your time.
Don’t really need to visit anyone, if you want to know what’s behind the blaming of livestock just “ follow the money”
From a Cumbrian farming in the south Pennines
I’ll talk to you, 160 acres plus moorland grazing, 900 -1200 ft
550 breeding ewes , 50 hoggs, no fertiliser, little on farm diesel use , spring water , permanent pastures
But I am the bad guy

and there it is in a nutshell.

Here's my perspective Philippa. (hill farmer in wrong area)

Grazing natural unfertilised grassland with livestock - mimicking natural systems- must be as close to sustainable as a food production system can be.
And given that the methane (hydrogen and carbon) ruminants burp is very evidently made solely of grass and water, which are both part of a short pre-existing natural cycle, you'll find pretty much every damned one of us is utterly dismissive of the concept that the coos and yows are to blame.

To put it in perspective, bear in mind hydro-carbon releases from fossil fuels have previously been locked away 350 millions years. Think on that number young lady.

The concept of blaming our livestock seems to have really taken hold as one of the conscience salving, 'get out of jail free' cards for a fossil fuel dependant urban society.
Many of us understand this, and regard proponents in an accordingly poor view.
Good luck coming to terms with it.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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

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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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