Anti-livestock claims need to be countered

via Farmers Weekly Interactive

Grassland farmers make a considerable contribution to food security while continuing to reduce their environmental impact, according to a report published last month by the Royal Agricultural Society of England.  The study was prepared by independent livestock scientist David Garwes, who says the farming industry must respond robustly to claims consumers should abandon meat because of climate change.

"Semi-permanent rough grazing and improved grasslands play a vital role in locking up carbon dioxide and regulating the flow of rain into watercourses," he says. "Without livestock farming, those natural resources would be abandoned."  Better efficiency and genetics have maintained output while reducing livestock numbers and emissions, adds Dr Garwes. At the same time, better breeding in the pig and poultry industries has improved feed conversion, reducing environmental losses.

Livestock farming will continue to reduce its environmental footprint, forecasts Dr Garwes, with emissions from each tonne of product falling by about 1% a year as genetic selection is applied in the pig, poultry and dairy sectors.  RASE agri-science director Ian Smith describes the study as sensible defence of livestock production, but adds: "There is great scope for further reductions. More applied research is needed to continue the increases in efficiency."  Ian Crute, chief scientist at the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, says climate change mitigation is one of the key issues facing British farmers.

"We need hard evidence to distinguish fact from fiction and we need to know how to adopt actions that will result in the greatest gains in terms of lower emissions for the least impact on production and economic returns."

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