I have decided to make this food blog on a topic close to my heart. As I’m sure some of you are now aware, I was vegan for three years, but as of this I year eat meat again. My reasons for going vegan were mostly due to the environmental impacts that meat production has. I’m going to use this week’s blog to explain in a little more detail what some of these issues are and make some suggestions on how we can make a difference.
The 2006 report Livestock’s Long Shadow, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, states that “the livestock sector is a major stressor on many ecosystems and on the planet as a whole. Globally it is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases and one of the leading causal factors in the loss of biodiversity, while in developed and emerging countries it is perhaps the leading source of water pollution. About 30% of the world’s total ice-free surface — is used not to raise grains, fruits and vegetables that are directly fed to human beings, but to support the chickens, pigs and cattle that we eventually eat.
I’m going to take the main points from this quote and delve a little deeper
Greenhouse Gases
The FAO has recently estimated that livestock accounts for about 14.5 percent of anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that’s more than all transport put together! In fact, an average family of 4 with two cars would reduce their carbon footprint more by giving up meat once a week, rather than giving up a car!
This is down to a number things. Most farm-related emissions come in the form of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Cattle belching (not farting as commonly believed) and the use of fertilizers represent the largest sources of GHG, making up 65 percent of agricultural emissions globally. Other sources of GHG include manure management, rice cultivation, field burning of crop residues, and fuel use on farms.
loss of biodiversity- mass extinction
The growing demand for meat is contributing to significant biodiversity loss. This is partly due to significant deforestation and habitat destruction of species-rich habitats, such as the Amazon region. These regions are being converted to agriculture to grow crops to feed animals for meat production. About 30% of the world’s total ice-free surface — is used not to raise grains, fruits and vegetables that are directly fed to human beings, but to support the chickens, pigs and cattle that we eventually eat. In Europe, a cow consumes about 75 kg to 300 kg of grass or grain to produce a kg of protein. Personally, I don’t think that’s a very efficient conversion of food!
We have also lost biodiversity by focusing production on specific animals and plants, biodiversity in agriculture has been greatly reduced. Germany’s Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) estimates that there has been a 90-percent decrease in the number of crop species since the beginning of the 20th century. This is partly down to us depending on three main crops, corn, wheat and rice. What happens if a wheat virus develops and wipes out all our wheat? we are gunna be fucked because we have become so dependent on just a few crops! Farm animals have suffered a similar fate: In the last 100 years, around 1,000 of the 6,500 known species have become extinct worldwide. I have just started reading Dead Zone, by Philip Lymbery of Compassion in World Farming. Which really focuses on how our current farming practices are effect specific species.  I also highly recommend his other book Farmogedon.
Water pollution
Water pollution is another biggy. Water pollution is a common problem usually caused by animal waste finding its way into our water.The pollution of waterways and land can occur from the slurry, the inappropriate burial of carcasses, and the emission of noxious fumes. Between 2010 and 2016 the Environment Agency recorded more than 5,300 cases of agricultural pollution across Britain.
AntibioticsÂ
Approximately 90% of the total use of antimicrobials in the United States was for non-therapeutic purposes in agricultural production. This means that animals, especially pigs are just routinely given antibiotics in their feed even if they aren’t sick just to prevent them getting sick because of the poor overcrowded, unnatural conditions they are kept in. Livestock production has been associated with increased antibiotic resistance in bacteria and has been associated with the emergence of microbes which are resistant to multiple antimicrobials (often referred to as superbugs). This means in the future we may die from a simple tooth infection because we have run out of effective antibiotics to cure it. Microbes are become resistant to more and more antibiotics due to our overuse of them to provide us with cheap meat! in fact, the WHO claims that as many as 20 million people will die within 20 – 25 years every year because of infections and resistant bacteria. You may have read the US there and thought, well that doesn’t apply. However over 50% of our pork is imported from the EU, and 70% of those imports have been produced in conditions that would be illegal in the UK. We import a lot of pork from Denmark. Danish farmers use 120 tons antibiotics every year – 90 ton in the pig industry alone. In Danish hospitals and healthcare, they use only 55 tons. I highly recommend checking out the labels on that next packet of bacon or sausages you pick up. Got for organic where possible (routine use of antibiotics is banned in organic farming). Yeh, it cost more financially, but there is no hidden environmental cost. and 1.5 high welfare sausages cost the same as 2 cheap sausages. So just eat a bit less. Considering processed red meat has been classed as a carcinogen you’ll be doing your self a favour by cutting down anyway!
I highly recommend checking out Food Inc on Netflix, Its a pretty awesome crash course on whats wrong with the way we farm at the moment, yeh it is based on the big bad USA, but our farming systems are moving in the same direction. It is also a possibility with Brexit that you’ll be finding US food imports in our shops.
So to wrap up this post of doom and gloom I am gonna give you some advice. As I already mentioned, buying less meat, but spending a bit more of higher welfare like free-range and organic you’ll be doing yourself and the planet a favour. I also think it’s important to utilise all cuts of an animal. I’m really getting into nose to tail eating (using the whole animal). Ears, cheeks, offal etc it is all super cheap, and I think super tasty. Yes, I’m that person that will make a chicken soup from a chicken carcass after having roast chicken.
(Yes those are chicken feet in my soup) I also dug out my slow cooker this week winter is arriving and I’ll be chucking some beef cheeks in there next week!
I recently went to the newly opened Flank in Spitalfields and utterly fell in love. The owner Thomas Griffiths is so passionate about nose to tail eating, which really shows in the menu. He pays special attention to how and where the produce is sourced from. One of Flank’s key messages is that sustainable cooking is the only way we can eat quality beef in the future.
I went for the slow cooked beef in an offal ragu and my god it was the tastiest thing I’ve eaten in ages! It reminded me of the proper, comforting stews my mum use to make me when I was a kid. Full of flavour that you just can’t get from a cheap meat hurridly cooked for convenience. I opted for the mashed potato as a side on the recommendation of Thomas and it was fantastic. Probably not the place to go for a quick bite if you’re in a rush. There was a lovely chilled casual vibe that made it fell like a friend was cooking for you at their house. Thomas made effortless conversation with dinners while simultaneously preparing stunning dishes. It was a fantastic meal, and a great experience all around. I could literally eat there every week and never get bored of it. I ‘ll definitely be back, and highly recommend you check it out too if you find your self in East London.
I hope you enjoyed this totally sexless very academic post. Perhaps Food for thought. As always any questions throw them this way, either in the comments below or via Twitter.
I look forwarding to hearing from you
TTFN
Ad xxx
