Some news items and reviews that have recently caught my attention, covering Diet, Agriculture, Climate, Environment, Business and Human Welfare.
The case for vegan diets gets stronger every day
DIET
George Monbiot: ‘On a vegan planet, Britain could feed 200 million people [1a]
A very interesting article by George Monbiot. One of his answers contains a couple of numbers showing the problem of land use by livestock farming and the potential for environmental restoration:
We currently use 17.5m hectares of farmland in the UK [1b]. If we all took up a vegan diet we would need a total of just 3m. The remaining 14m hectares could be given back to nature.
Look out for George Monbiot’s latest book, Regenesis [2], to be published on 26th May, “feeding the world without devouring the planet”
Tim Spector on the power of the gut microbiome [3]
Spector focuses on incorporating as much variety as possible: at least 30 different plants a week – including nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains, fruits and vegetables – diversity is crucial to warding off infections, combating age-related diseases and maintaining a healthy weight
“One insight from the study is that people who consumed a greater diversity of plant-based foods pre-pandemic appear to be less susceptible to catching Covid-19, or becoming severely ill from it”
Meat Consumption Must Drop By 75% In Rich Countries [4]
Rich countries need to cut down on meat consumption by 75% for the sake of the planet, says a new study from the University of Bonn in Germany. The environmental and climate footprints are unsustainable.
An interesting comment with regard to often promoted regenerative farming: “only light grazing intensity actually leads to carbon sequestration, while moderate and heavy grazing instead cause additional CO2 emissions”
Offering more plant-based choices on menus can speed up diet change [5]
People often describe meat as being “necessary, natural, normal and nice”. So how can they be persuaded to eat less, or even better, no meat? This article discusses an alternative approach via the menu.
From my own experience, I have noticed that others will try a plant-based option if there is a good range of choices, so there is certainly some truth in this.
However, the misinformation also needs to be tackled: meat is not necessary. Consumers need to ask more questions. Is meat eating ‘nice’ to the planet, the environment, animals, our health? What is normal? Many historic social norms are now regarded as extreme or unethical.
The report claims that people are not keen on government interventions such as taxes, labelling or media campaigns. If this is true then the answer is not to abandon these tools, but to explain why they should be used. Were they asked about subsidies? Taxes are questioned, but the huge subsidies to the meat industry are not discussed.
An interesting article, and good to see plant-based options on the menu, but consumer awareness and culture and government policy will also need to change to meet climate targets.
AGRICULTURE
Cows kept in cruel conditions outlawed in UK included in Australia trade deal [6]
Cattle are transported for up to 48 hours without eating and drinking in parts of Australia, its High Commissioner has admitted – and those animals are included in the deal hailed as a big prize from leaving the EU
Brahman cattle are apparently able to endure harsh conditions, but it seems to me, in spite of recent animal welfare acts, the UK government has outsourced cruelty by signing the deal. If this is what meat production involves, then a vegan diet is a logical and ethical choice.
Pigs Complex Emotional Lives Highlighted In New Study [7]
“A study aimed to determine positive and negative emotions of pigs. In the study, the researchers designed an Artificial Intelligence algorithm that can determine whether an individual pig is experiencing a positive emotion (when they feel ‘happy’ or ‘excited’), a negative emotion (when they feel ‘stressed’ or ‘scared’), or somewhere in between”
The report mentions “some of the negative contexts (e.g., particularly castration and slaughterhouse recordings) being strongly invasive and nociceptive (painful)”.
While monitoring the feelings of the animals might be a useful tool for the industry, it raises the question, Should sentient and emotional creatures be put through these ordeals just so that we can enjoy the taste of meat for a few minutes? Of course not.
A shrinking fraction of the world’s major crops goes to feed the hungry [8]
“Increasingly, crops are used for nonfood purposes. These competing uses include making biofuels and converting crops into processing ingredients, such as livestock meal, hydrogenated oils and starches.
16% of harvests of the top 10 major crops in 2030 will be used as feed for livestock, along with significant portions of the crops that go to processing. This ultimately produces eggs, meat and milk – products that typically are eaten by middle- and upper-income people, rather than those who are undernourished”
To help feed the world, Go Vegan
CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Climate limit of 1.5C close to being broken [9]
“The probability of one of the next five years surpassing the limit is now 50%, up from 20% in 2020”
The numbers are alarming. Everyone needs to look at the actions that they can take to reduce emissions of Green House Gases (GHG) such as Carbon Dioxide. Taking up a plant-based diet is a quick win. ‘I like the taste of meat’ is no longer a good reason not to do so as there are plenty of good tasting alternatives
The environmental case for taking up a plant-based diet has never been greater
Environment tipping points fast approaching in UK [10]
From fisheries collapse to dead rivers, official body urges government to urgently turn ambition into action
A plant-based diet addresses many of the issues
BUSINESS
Swapping Animal Meat For Quorn Could Halve Deforestation Rates [11]
“According to new research from Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, partially replacing beef with mycoprotein could cut deforestation rates in half.
A mycoprotein such as Quorn takes a fungus called Fusarium venenatum and uses a fermentation process (just like the one used to brew beer) to create its signature ingredient: mycoprotein.
Quorn has been around since 1985, but it is not often realised how large is the benefit to the environment by replacing beef with mycoprotein and other non-meat products.
“The good news is that people do not need to be afraid they can eat only greens in the future. They can continue eating burgers and the like, it’s just that those burger patties will be produced in a different way.”
Danish Government Invests $100 Million Into Plant-Based Fund [12]
Denmark continues its march to becoming a hub for plant-based food development.
The UK government should consider doing the same.
This Food Tech Start-Up Is Making Vegan Meat Out Of Thin Air, Literally [13]
Air Protein founder, physicist Lisa Dyson, says we must shake up the food system for the sake of our planet
HUMAN WELFARE
Migrant workers ‘exploited and beaten’ on UK fishing boats [14]
Other issues with fishing are already a concern, such as accumulation of toxic chemicals in fish, bycatch, impact on larger marine creatures such as dolphins, destruction of sea floor ecosystems by bottom trawling, and the suffering of sentient creatures.
The article provides another reason to follow a plant-based diet
Even worse, many migrants are forced into these jobs because their own fishing stocks have been wiped out by foreign mega-trawlers [15] which supply cheap fish and feed for livestock to British markets.
References
[1a] https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/may/13/george-monbiot-vegan-planet-britain-farming-fuel-plant-based-food
[1b] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/931104/structure-jun2020prov-UK-08oct20i.pdf
[2] https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/George-Monbiot/Regenesis–Feeding-the-World-without-Devouring-the-Planet/27621071
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/may/15/go-with-your-gut-tim-spector-power-of-microbiome
[4] https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/meat-consumption-rich-countries-new-study
[5] https://theconversation.com/offering-more-plant-based-choices-on-menus-can-speed-up-diet-change-177297
[6] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cows-australia-trade-deal-brexit-b2072349.html
[7] https://plantbasednews.org/news/science/emotional-state-of-pigs
[8] https://theconversation.com/a-shrinking-fraction-of-the-worlds-major-crops-goes-to-feed-the-hungry-with-more-used-for-nonfood-purposes-181819
[9] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/09/climate-limit-of-1-5-c-close-to-being-broken-scientists-warn
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/12/environment-tipping-points-fast-approaching-in-uk-says-watchdog
[11] https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/meat-quorn-deforestation-new-study
[12] https://plantbasednews.org/news/danish-government-plant-based-fund
[13] https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food-tech-vegan-meat-thin-air
[14] https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/may/17/migrant-workers-exploited-and-beaten-on-uk-fishing-boats
[15] https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/13347/greenpeace-condemns-massive-plundering-of-mauritanian-fish-stocks-vital-to-food-security
