Apocalypse Cow: How Meat Killed the Planet

[rockits]

Great and interesting program just been on CH4.

It doesn't change my thoughts as I was thinking it and knowing about much of this already. However it certainly reinforces it. A few changes required I think.

The population numbers and data coming out on how we live is staggering. Luckily must of us are not idiots and a clever bunch. If we put our minds to it I'm sure we can resolve much of the plight we are in and are facing.

 

[Zep]

I didn’t watch it, but I will have a look on catch up.

 

[Felonious Crud]

I didn't see it either. What's the takeaway (ka-boom, tish!) message from it?

 

[rockits]

In general that conventional farming and they way we grow and source our food is archaic and needs a massive rethink. Also attitudes need to change.

The growth of livestock is currently twice the rate of our population growth. We do not have the space or resources to keep the current rates of growth. Estimates are we won't be able to feed ourselves at some point this century.

Science is the way forward for me. Using new ways/techniques we can create enough food to meet total global demand from a space the size of Iowa.

They can create identical meat without all the negatives of conventional meat farming while also taking out all the bad parts in the meat that are no good for us but keeping all the good stuff. So reducing all saturates etc. that we know contribute heavily to heart disease, some cancers and others illnesses/diseases.

The domino effects of doing one good thing lead to many other positives. In reverse the domino effect of doing one bad thing leads to many other negatives.

It wouldn't take too much of a change to create meaningful movements in the right direction. Create that movement and it snowballs.

 

[GeoffCapes]

I didn't see it, but it sounds like more of the anti meat propaganda that we're seeing more and more of these days from the vegan brigade.

Just one thing I will add to the argument, (especially as I didn't see the programme). All of these people who are advocating being vegan and reducing the amount of meat we eat and cows on the planet, because of their 'emissions'. Are they happy eating vegetables which are fertilised with chemicals? Because if they are, carry on as they are.

If not, what do you think fertilises organic crops? Because it's not fresh air. It's manure from cows, and pigs and horses, and even chicken sh*t.

So the more organic food grown the more 'natural' fertiliser which will be needed.

Let that sink in for a bit.

 

[GeoffCapes]

Also, proteins in meat enabled the human brain to develop differently from our ape relatives. Hence humans are they top of the tree (so to speak) on planet earth.

Without them we'd probably still be living in trees!

 

[CatmanV2]

There is significant evidence that the large agro-chemical concerns are behind a lot of the pro-vegan messages.

C

 

[safrane]

Refuse to watch any drivel from an activist promoting their view of the world without the equivalent oposit view point being give the same airtime.

Eating meat is natural and lead to our own evolution away from our chimp brothers.

The only way we will stop the fast train to **** is buying and wasting less, keeping things longer, having fewer kids.

I for one love the diversity of our countryside and do not want to eat Soya, Toffu or Solylent Green.

Buy local and stop all these imports so that other countries and their people can use the land for themself and their needs.

 

[MarkMas]

There is significant evidence that the large agro-chemical concerns are behind a lot of the pro-vegan messages.

Really? That's interesting - I would like to see the evidence......

 

[MarkMas]

....Eating meat is natural and lead to our own evolution away from our chimp brothers.......

Typically about 5% of a chimpanzee's diet is meat.

 

[GeoffCapes]

Refuse to watch any drivel from an activist promoting their view of the world without the equivalent oposit view point being give the same airtime.

Eating meat is natural and lead to our own evolution away from our chimp brothers.

The only way we will stop the fast train to **** is buying and wasting less, keeping things longer, having fewer kids.

I for one love the diversity of our countryside and do not want to eat Soya, Toffu or Solylent Green.

Buy local and stop all these imports so that other countries and their people can use the land for themself and their needs.

100% Agree!

 

[rockits]

Chr1st....half of you lot have some old caveman attitudes. Open your mind a bit and you might learn something or become enlightened.

I look and listen to all sides, absorb all the information and make my own mind up and decisions.

The fact is the planet is outgrowing itself that we know.....FACT. it is just a question of when not if.

I am not a vegetarian or a vegan and never have been nor likely ever will be. Eating meat or vegetables or fish or whatever is not the issue. It is how it is create, sourced, processed, distributed, eaten, wasted, disposed of and everything end to end. Clearly what we are doing now is not good enough, will come to an end and needs changes. If neanderthal attitudes don't changes then it will all come to a point of no return.

Why wait until we get to that point or any closer? If you can see you a driving into a wall.....would you carry on driving towards it and not take action to avoid it until the last minute or not all? I guess some would!

Yes, cows and conventional meat product and consumption is a problem. That is not in question. We all know this as a FACT. There are many other issues and this is just one. It is not focussed on this issue alone.

It is now how we choose to use our brains as an intelligent (or should do) race to see how we can improve and become more efficient or advanced.

I don't agree with extremism in any form. The presenter on the program is an environmental and political activist as I understand. I respect his view but they are not mine and I will listen to what all and sundry have to say on the subject. Why wouldn't I? He just seems to care about the planet more than some and wants to do something a out it. Is that so wrong?

As a vegan he hunted, shot, killed, cooked and ate a deer as part of the Scottish cull due to massive over population of deer numbers causing a desicimation of the local environment and habitats. The cull and project backed/funded by a billionaire has had massive success already restoring the environment and habitats there.

I am not telling anyone what they should do or how to live their life. Just merely trying to keep people's intelligent minds open. A closed mind is not a not a healthy thing.

 

[Oneball]

We are somewhat isolated from the effects of meat production in this country as we destroyed our natural environment hundreds of years ago. Yes, that’s right the beautiful “natural” countryside of places like the Cotswolds is entirely man made and a product of the first “industrial” revolution in this country.

The deforestation in large parts of the world especially South America is mainly for meat production. The difference now is that we should be bright enough to learn from the past.

 

[allandwf]

Just genetically modify them, breed out the bits we don't want, that will reduce overall size, and we can cram more in a given area.

 

[safrane]

Well we will all end up in caves when society collapses and be happy for the odd sheep or cow to tie us over the winter when berries and seeds are not available.

 

[dickygrace]

A meal isn’t really a meal without beef or pork in it.

 

[bigbob]

There is significant evidence that the large agro-chemical concerns are behind a lot of the pro-vegan messages.

C

Just as pharma companies are behind drug and vaccine scares. Things come to a head when they do not by accident but by millions of people being played by multinationals moving the needle.

As an aside the world population is trebling in size in the 100 years since WWII - that’s the real reason (with increased standard of living in the BRIC economies) for climate shifts.

 

[tokyomb]

The growth of livestock is currently twice the rate of our population growth. We do not have the space or resources to keep the current rates of growth. Estimates are we won't be able to feed ourselves at some point this century.

Across the globe I am sure this is true.
For the UK it is not. Cattle numbers have declined from about 10.8m in 2005 to around 9.6m in 2018 (Source: DEFRA) - that includes both beef and dairy. The problem is not UK grass-fed beef... I suspect a part of the problem is as we have got wealthier and further removed from the production of our food, we tend to eat more of the prime cuts and less of the unfashionable slow-cook cuts and offal.
I fully intend to keep eating beef, most of it grass-fed and coming from farms within 20-30 miles of where I live - purchased from local butchers - some of it will be steaks, some roasts, but probably more in casseroles (where, for example, we find 8oog of meat can easily result in 6-8 portions) and great slow-cook brisket and similar.
If all of us focused more on the sources of our food - meat, fruit and vegetables - and their sustainability, I suspect that would be better for the planet than the current focus on (mainly) reducing meat consumption.
Will watch the programme with interest at the weekend and see what they have to say. To date most of what I have watched has conflated the global problem with drawing (misleading) conclusions about UK production.

 

[rockits]

It is always tricky to get exact stats on UK land use. I have read that 51 per cent of our land is used for livestock or growing food for livestock, while growing cereals, fruit and vegetables for human consumption uses less than 20 per cent, and trees have just 10 per cent.

I have picked out these:



This is also interesting:

 

[rockits]

I am not necessarily sure our UK use is in itself totally and completely relevant as the global picture has to be more relevent. This is quite interesting: