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We must face facts - meat is the problem
- Thread starter mspohr
- Start date
Man v food: is lab-grown meat really going to solve our nasty agriculture problem?
The long read: If cellular agriculture is going to improve on the industrial system it is displacing, it needs to grow without passing the cost on to workers, consumers and the environment
www.theguardian.com
Our current animal agriculture policies and practices do immense damage, and uprooting them will require enormous collective effort, but history shows that the system can change radically, even in the course of a generation
Meanwhile, experts on the environmental impacts of the food system mostly concur that we need to eat much less meat. Some propose vegetarian and vegan diets as solutions.
For instance, many companies’ current production techniques, including the ones Eat Just used for its Singaporean nuggets, use foetal bovine serum as a cell growth medium, which is harvested from the blood of cow foetuses during slaughter.
Federal Judges Reject Meat Industry’s Attempt to Overturn Animal Welfare Law
A panel of three judges strikes down the pork industry’s attempt to overturn California’s Prop 12—a law that mandates minimum space requirements for farmed animals.
vegnews.com
As it is common practice in the factory farm model to subject animals to extreme confinement to increase profit margins, this potential profit loss has sparked several meat industry attempts to tear down Proposition 12. “The 9th Circuit’s unanimous decision comes on the heels of the Supreme Court’s recent rejection of a separate meat industry challenge to Proposition 12,” Rebecca Cary, senior staff attorney at HSUS, said. “It affirms yet again what the meat industry should hear loud and clear by now: that states have the right to pass laws that reject cruel products and protect their citizens’ health and safety.”
The Guardian: The ‘queen of vegan cheese’ wants to change the dairy industry. The ‘queen of vegan cheese’ wants to change the dairy industry
An Oxford University study showed that we could actually reduce global farmland by nearly 80% by switching to just growing crops rather than using land to produce animal protein. So there’s huge benefits, it’s not just carbon emissions; we’re talking about land use and water use
We are encouraging farmers to switch to a lower water-intensive and less taxing farming system that would entail growing drought-resistant crops that can become part of the new plant-based economy.
An Oxford University study showed that we could actually reduce global farmland by nearly 80% by switching to just growing crops rather than using land to produce animal protein. So there’s huge benefits, it’s not just carbon emissions; we’re talking about land use and water use
We are encouraging farmers to switch to a lower water-intensive and less taxing farming system that would entail growing drought-resistant crops that can become part of the new plant-based economy.
Reduce methane or face climate catastrophe, scientists warn
One of the key action points for policymakers is likely to be a warning that methane is playing an ever greater role in overheating the planet. The carbon-rich gas, produced from animal farming, shale gas wells and poorly managed conventional oil and gas extraction, heats the world far more effectively than carbon dioxide – it has a “warming potential” more than 80 times that of CO2 – but has a shorter life in the atmosphere, persisting for about a decade before it degrades into CO2.
One of the key action points for policymakers is likely to be a warning that methane is playing an ever greater role in overheating the planet. The carbon-rich gas, produced from animal farming, shale gas wells and poorly managed conventional oil and gas extraction, heats the world far more effectively than carbon dioxide – it has a “warming potential” more than 80 times that of CO2 – but has a shorter life in the atmosphere, persisting for about a decade before it degrades into CO2.
Why salmonella is a food poisoning killer that won’t go away in the US
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations aim to curtail – but not eliminate – the bacteria. Under the current “performance standards”, for example, up to 15.4% of chicken parts leaving a processing plant are permitted to test positive for salmonella. Contamination exceeds those levels in about one in 10 plants, according to a report in July by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
Over the years, advocacy groups have petitioned the USDA, without success, to enact a zero-tolerance policy for certain types of salmonella in poultry. The department’s reluctance probably stems from the loss of a court case against the Texas-based meat-processing company Supreme Beef in 2001. A federal court ruled that the USDA could not shut down a plant for failing to meet salmonella standards because the bacteria occur naturally in animals and can be destroyed by proper cooking.
Furthermore, the trade organisations claim, the FSIS has no jurisdiction over farms and cannot legally compel processors to take responsibility for how poultry growers raise their birds. Finding a solution that reflects the public health science, but that is also workable – given the realities and practicalities of poultry production – is going to be a long process, says Mike Taylor, former head of the FSIS and currently a board member for the advocacy group Stop Foodborne Illness.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations aim to curtail – but not eliminate – the bacteria. Under the current “performance standards”, for example, up to 15.4% of chicken parts leaving a processing plant are permitted to test positive for salmonella. Contamination exceeds those levels in about one in 10 plants, according to a report in July by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
Over the years, advocacy groups have petitioned the USDA, without success, to enact a zero-tolerance policy for certain types of salmonella in poultry. The department’s reluctance probably stems from the loss of a court case against the Texas-based meat-processing company Supreme Beef in 2001. A federal court ruled that the USDA could not shut down a plant for failing to meet salmonella standards because the bacteria occur naturally in animals and can be destroyed by proper cooking.
Furthermore, the trade organisations claim, the FSIS has no jurisdiction over farms and cannot legally compel processors to take responsibility for how poultry growers raise their birds. Finding a solution that reflects the public health science, but that is also workable – given the realities and practicalities of poultry production – is going to be a long process, says Mike Taylor, former head of the FSIS and currently a board member for the advocacy group Stop Foodborne Illness.
‘They rake in profits – everyone else suffers’: US workers lose out as big chicken gets bigger
The tight grip that America’s largest meat processing company has on the chicken industry has generated dire consequences for its workers, farmers and the environment in one of the US’s leading poultry-producing states, an investigation has found.
The tight grip that America’s largest meat processing company has on the chicken industry has generated dire consequences for its workers, farmers and the environment in one of the US’s leading poultry-producing states, an investigation has found.
Greenhouse gas emissions must peak within 4 years, says leaked UN report
Group of scientists release draft IPCC report as they fear it will be watered down by governments
www.theguardian.com
Eating patterns in many parts of the rich world will also need to change. “A shift to diets with a higher share of plant-based protein in regions with excess consumption of calories and animal-source food can lead to substantial reductions in emissions, while also providing health benefits … Plant-based diets can reduce emissions by up to 50% compared to the average emission intensive western diet,” the report says.
‘How is it sustainable if only 1% can afford your food?’: the man on a quest to change farming
If you were to come here, you would find a ranch that was overwhelmingly forest – some of it grass. You’d find us doing rotational grazing with our cattle. You’d see our pigs in the forest. You would find we have no chemical fertilizers because we range our poultry across the grass so that we don’t have to import any fertilizer. Without that mass participation, then all we’re really doing is creating castles in the sky Chris Newman Our egg-laying chickens follow behind our cows in order to keep the fly populations down. Our hens will see a dried cowpat and they’ll scratch it open and eat larvae out of it before they’re able to hatch. That keeps our pinkeye issues down with our cattle. It keeps our costs down and keeps our animals happier without us having to resort to chemicals, medications, vets and things that traumatize animals.
The deeply unsatisfying answer that I give people about this is that I don’t think there’s anything that an individual farm can really do to affect climate change. The problem with agriculture, as it relates to climate, is that we’re producing way more food than we need. Farmers are being bankrolled by public money to grow stuff that nobody wants, especially corn. We grow lots of food, but we end up just throwing most of it away or funneling it through livestock that don’t really even need it to grow. We’re outrageously inefficient with it.
If you were to come here, you would find a ranch that was overwhelmingly forest – some of it grass. You’d find us doing rotational grazing with our cattle. You’d see our pigs in the forest. You would find we have no chemical fertilizers because we range our poultry across the grass so that we don’t have to import any fertilizer. Without that mass participation, then all we’re really doing is creating castles in the sky Chris Newman Our egg-laying chickens follow behind our cows in order to keep the fly populations down. Our hens will see a dried cowpat and they’ll scratch it open and eat larvae out of it before they’re able to hatch. That keeps our pinkeye issues down with our cattle. It keeps our costs down and keeps our animals happier without us having to resort to chemicals, medications, vets and things that traumatize animals.
The deeply unsatisfying answer that I give people about this is that I don’t think there’s anything that an individual farm can really do to affect climate change. The problem with agriculture, as it relates to climate, is that we’re producing way more food than we need. Farmers are being bankrolled by public money to grow stuff that nobody wants, especially corn. We grow lots of food, but we end up just throwing most of it away or funneling it through livestock that don’t really even need it to grow. We’re outrageously inefficient with it.
A Guide to Sustainable Eating A Guide to Sustainable Eating (Published 2019) (Recipes included)
For more than a century, most Americans have been eating far too high on the hog for the sake of their own health and the health of the planet. In 1900, two-thirds of our protein came not from animals but from plant foods. By 1985, that statistic was reversed, with more than two-thirds of our protein coming from animals, primarily beef cattle. They consume up to eight pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat and release tons of greenhouse gases in the process while their saturated fat and calories contribute heavily to our high rates of chronic diseases.
In an editorial, The Lancet wrote: “Intensive meat production is on an unstoppable trajectory comprising the single greatest contributor to climate change. Humanity’s dominant diets are not good for us, and they are not good for the planet.”
For more than a century, most Americans have been eating far too high on the hog for the sake of their own health and the health of the planet. In 1900, two-thirds of our protein came not from animals but from plant foods. By 1985, that statistic was reversed, with more than two-thirds of our protein coming from animals, primarily beef cattle. They consume up to eight pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat and release tons of greenhouse gases in the process while their saturated fat and calories contribute heavily to our high rates of chronic diseases.
In an editorial, The Lancet wrote: “Intensive meat production is on an unstoppable trajectory comprising the single greatest contributor to climate change. Humanity’s dominant diets are not good for us, and they are not good for the planet.”
Eat wild pig!
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www.treehugger.com
Wild Pigs Release as Much CO2 as More than 1 Million Cars
Wild pigs are like tractors plowing through fields, releasing CO2 as they rummage for food.
20 meat and dairy firms emit more greenhouse gas than Germany, Britain or France
Raising livestock contributes significantly to carbon emissions, with animal agriculture accounting for 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Scientific reports have found that rich countries need huge reductions in meat and dairy consumption to tackle the climate emergency
Across the world, the report says, three-quarters of all agricultural land is used to raise animals or the crops to feed them. “In Brazil alone, 175m hectares is dedicated to raising cattle,” an area of land that is about equal to the “entire agricultural area of the European Union”..
Raising livestock contributes significantly to carbon emissions, with animal agriculture accounting for 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Scientific reports have found that rich countries need huge reductions in meat and dairy consumption to tackle the climate emergency
Across the world, the report says, three-quarters of all agricultural land is used to raise animals or the crops to feed them. “In Brazil alone, 175m hectares is dedicated to raising cattle,” an area of land that is about equal to the “entire agricultural area of the European Union”..
Netherlands proposes radical plans to cut livestock numbers by almost a third
Dutch politicians are considering plans to force hundreds of farmers to sell up and cut livestock numbers, to reduce damaging ammonia pollution. After the highest Dutch administrative court found in 2019 that the government was breaking EU law by not doing enough to reduce excess nitrogen in vulnerable natural areas, the country has been battling what it is calling a “nitrogen crisis”.
Dutch politicians are considering plans to force hundreds of farmers to sell up and cut livestock numbers, to reduce damaging ammonia pollution. After the highest Dutch administrative court found in 2019 that the government was breaking EU law by not doing enough to reduce excess nitrogen in vulnerable natural areas, the country has been battling what it is calling a “nitrogen crisis”.
Meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production, study finds
The entire system of food production, such as the use of farming machinery, spraying of fertilizer and transportation of products, causes 17.3bn metric tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, according to the research. This enormous release of gases that fuel the climate crisis is more than double the entire emissions of the US and represents 35% of all global emissions, researchers said.
The raising and culling of animals for food is far worse for the climate than growing and processing fruits and vegetables for people to eat, the research found, confirming previous findings on the outsized impact that meat production, particularly beef, has on the environment.
Grazing animals require a lot of land, which is often cleared through the felling of forests, as well as vast tracts of additional land to grow their feed. The paper calculates that the majority of all the world’s cropland is used to feed livestock, rather than people. Livestock also produce large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
The entire system of food production, such as the use of farming machinery, spraying of fertilizer and transportation of products, causes 17.3bn metric tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, according to the research. This enormous release of gases that fuel the climate crisis is more than double the entire emissions of the US and represents 35% of all global emissions, researchers said.
The raising and culling of animals for food is far worse for the climate than growing and processing fruits and vegetables for people to eat, the research found, confirming previous findings on the outsized impact that meat production, particularly beef, has on the environment.
Grazing animals require a lot of land, which is often cleared through the felling of forests, as well as vast tracts of additional land to grow their feed. The paper calculates that the majority of all the world’s cropland is used to feed livestock, rather than people. Livestock also produce large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Scattered excrement can cause bacterial infections in cows. And when their poop mixes with pee, it creates an environmental hazard: ammonia, which can transform into the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Half of the ammonia produced in Europe comes from cattle farms, says study co-author Jan Langbein, an applied ethologist at the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology. Given the hundreds of millions of dairy cows in the world, he says, studies have shown that capturing 80% of cow urine would lead to a 56% reduction in ammonia emissions.
Still, Whistance isn’t convinced that potty training cows in the real world is realistic. The animals would have to hold their bladders for much longer distances in an actual barn and might have to muscle past dozens of other cows to get to the bathroom. “They already have to learn where to lie down and where to eat,” she says. “Now we’re telling them, ‘You can’t even have a wee when you want one.’”
Tony Seba - Disruption
(Agriculture starts at 45:09, Meat at 49:02)
His hypothesis is that precision fermentation will be able to create animal proteins that will be inexpensive and widely adopted in food products during the next ten years leading to the collapse of animal agriculture and subsequent freeing up of the 60% of land that is dedicated to animal agriculture. (Also, this will lead to collapse of dairy and meat industry.) This will NOT require any consumer behavior change! It's pure economics of business to business transactions.
Fascinating! (First part is on energy and transportation disruption and is well worth a listen.)
(Agriculture starts at 45:09, Meat at 49:02)
His hypothesis is that precision fermentation will be able to create animal proteins that will be inexpensive and widely adopted in food products during the next ten years leading to the collapse of animal agriculture and subsequent freeing up of the 60% of land that is dedicated to animal agriculture. (Also, this will lead to collapse of dairy and meat industry.) This will NOT require any consumer behavior change! It's pure economics of business to business transactions.
Fascinating! (First part is on energy and transportation disruption and is well worth a listen.)
MontyFloyd
Member
90% of global farm subsidies damage people and planet, says UN
This agricultural support damages people’s health, fuels the climate crisis, destroys nature and drives inequality by excluding smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, according to the UN agencies. The biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, such as beef and milk, received the biggest subsidies, the report said. These are often produced by large industrialised groups that are best placed to gain access to subsidies.
These damage health by promoting the overconsumption of meat in rich countries and overconsumption of low-nutrition staples in poorer ones. “If you are not promoting fruits and vegetables, then in relative terms it is very expensive for the consumer to eat healthily,” said Sánchez. “That’s why 2 billion people in the world cannot afford a healthy diet.”
This agricultural support damages people’s health, fuels the climate crisis, destroys nature and drives inequality by excluding smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, according to the UN agencies. The biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, such as beef and milk, received the biggest subsidies, the report said. These are often produced by large industrialised groups that are best placed to gain access to subsidies.
These damage health by promoting the overconsumption of meat in rich countries and overconsumption of low-nutrition staples in poorer ones. “If you are not promoting fruits and vegetables, then in relative terms it is very expensive for the consumer to eat healthily,” said Sánchez. “That’s why 2 billion people in the world cannot afford a healthy diet.”
I'd heard his stuff about energy before, but the point about potential disruption of the dairy industry in particular was a new one to me. He suggest it begins around 2025. Starts at around 45 minutes into the video.
roblab
Active Member
I became a vegetarian fifty years ago. Loma Linda University did a study on meat eating and found that the average meat eater dies ten years before the average vegetarian.
Unfortunately, most people don't care about a longer lifespan until they are near death.
Unfortunately, most people don't care about a longer lifespan until they are near death.