Why? Because industrial scale farming is destroying the planet.
HOME TRUTH
The vast majority of meat bought in the UK is produced in intensive farms.
There’s a key word here: overconsumpution. Overconsumption of meat and dairy = industrial scale farming. And that’s the problem. Why?
To feed animals in those huge numbers you need grain, which needs land, which means forests get cut down. Intensive meat (inc. chicken and pork) is also therefore a leading cause of the current wildlife mass extinction.
The often eclipsed fact is that those mono-cereal crops for animal feed, rife with pesticides and fertilisers, decimate biodiversity and kill the soil. Dead soil is one of the key contributors to climate breakdown because it can no longer absorb carbon. And biodiversity loss is as great a risk to our existence as climate change, because it breaks the circle of life.
It’s a disaster for the animals. They’re packed in close together for cheap meat, pumped with antibiotics and hormones. That’s awful enough, but distressed, crowded animals also spread viruses. Combine that with deforestation, which brings humans into contact with other animal viruses and behold… we have a pandemic.
So you see, it’s a lot more than just about cow-burped methane. But let’s add that in to the mix together the CO2 that cut forests and soil can no longer absorb, and we’re saying hello to rapidly accelerating global warming.
In short, industrial farming is an environmental, ethical and nutritional disaster. And if anyone tells you that it’s necessary to be able to feed the world, they’re wrong. If everyone ate a mostly plant-based diet, we’d need 75% less farmland than we use today - that’s an area equivalent to the US, China, Europe and Australia combined.
Yikes. So can I eat meat and cheese without damaging the environment?
Not if we carry on the way we are. But there’s something exciting starting to happen. A growing number of farmers are turning their backs on industrialisation and producing food differently – and better. It’s called Regenerative Agriculture and is all about naturally restoring soil fertility, with grazing animals and crop variety being some of the best ways to bring back soil health. Pastures new, literally! So here’s how to eat more sustainably:
Less but better is the rule of thumb. We need to recalibrate to meat being a treat, instead of a daily expectation. 70% less by 2030, is the official target. Meatless Mondays is a brilliant start.
Buy yours from sustainable, organic sources in the UK (see list of suppliers below). Food labels are a misleading mine-field and we’ll do a separate action on those. For now, be wary of ‘grass-fed’ as that could mean just 51% of their feed is grass and the rest planet-harming cereals. Look for the Pasture For Life logo, certified 100% grazing beef, lamb and dairy.
Intensively farmed anything is out. If animal welfare is important to you that goes without saying. Many believe that the UK has high standards but this investigative film takes you behind the scenes of Britain’s biggest factory farms, revealing the horrifying truth. Steel yourself. On a purely carbon foot print note, you may also be surprised to know that factory farmed chicken fed on imported cereals are worse than pasture fed red meat.
Not forgetting the arrival of the impossibly, amazing Impossible meat made from plants, which even sworn carnivores tell us is impossible to tell the difference.
Here are some great suppliers:
Meat: The Ethical Butcher - UK wide delivery
Cheese: The Ethical Dairy - UK wide delivery
Milk: We love Ahimsa as so it seems do many, they’re completely oversubscribed! For a supermarket brand Yeo Valley does a good job.
All rounder: Farmdrop - London only though.
Will it cost me more?
Yes, because it’s not churned out of an industrial system. But because you’re eating less of it, it won’t dent your wallet. Its nutritional value is much higher and you’ll never go back from the flavour. Plus you’ll know what you’re eating has had a dignified life, priceless?
We…
Aimee: I gave up meat after watching Cowspiracy in 2019. Before that, I was a regular steak-eater and loved a cheeseboard. The more I learn, the more I realise that I could reintroduce these foods back into my diet as an occasional ‘treat’ but it’s strange...my taste buds have changed...and I don’t fancy eating meat now. I had cheese from The Ethical Dairy for Christmas and it was delicious - I can recommend it!
Sonia: Anyone who knows me, knows I love animals more than anything and don’t eat them. I couldn’t be more happy with a long overdue shift away from the tragedy of factory farming towards a world where every creature’s welfare matters - a happy life and (if necessary) then a humane death. Meanwhile, let me just look up which little pig to adopt.
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“It’s not the cow it’s the how...”
Photo: Jakob Cotton