Paul McCartney is currently running a campaign for a ‘Meat Free Monday’. The idea is to persuade meat eaters to have one vegetarian day a week, to help save the planet. Modern meat production is indeed harmful to the environment – but it shouldn’t be. And going vegetarian may be just as bad for the planet as eating meat. Before I explain, let’s first have a look at the reasoning behind Meat Free Monday.
It is estimated that the livestock industry creates between 13.5 and 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, it is a major contributor to global warming. Much of this effect is due to methane gas produced by livestock. On top of that, huge swathes of land, including cleared rainforests, are given over to growing crops – cereal grains and soya – for animal feed. This is land which could, and should, be used to grow food for human consumption. Growing food for intensively farmed livestock also uses disproportionate amounts of resources, especially water for irrigation.
However, the Meat Free Monday campaign is missing the point on two counts. Firstly, and ironically, the suggested vegetarian alternatives to meat include a wide array of foods not grown in the UK. It’s one thing to go vegetarian for animal welfare reasons, but quite another if the purpose is to ‘save’ the planet. Beans, lentils, nuts and seeds are staple vegetarian proteins, but very few are grown in the UK. Soya is probably the most popular source of vegetarian protein, and most of it comes from Brazil and the US. Quinoa is now a very popular protein with veggies, and that is flown in from South America. Other vegetarian staples include nuts and seeds, most of which are not indigenous to these shores. Replacing one contributor to global warming with another is hardly helpful. The best way to safeguard the environment is to eat locally produced food. That means that if you want to save the planet and stay vegetarian you are going to have to consider a very restricted, monotonous diet.
Secondly, there is nothing inherently wrong with meat consumption – it is the modern methods used to produce meat which are grossly detrimental to humans, animals and the planet alike. Intensive farming is a heinous activity, which is one reason why I gave up meat eating altogether for 12 years, before reverting to eating organic or equivalent. Growing vast amounts of cereals is good for neither beast nor planet. Ruminants have stomachs designed for the digestion of grass, not grains. Other animals such as pigs and chickens are designed to forage.The result of feeding cattle cereals and soya is meat with disproportionately high levels of omega-6 fats in relation to omega-3, which is also a perversion of the natural human diet.
Rather than a meat-free Monday, it would be more helpful to suggest we have one day a week when we all make the effort to buy local, seasonal produce. Meat, dairy and eggs should be from animals reared humanely and naturally. In particular, make sure your beef comes from grass-fed, outdoor reared cattle. By focusing on environmental concerns, both human and animal welfare are also promoted.