...to think cutting beef out of our diet is a good idea?

[KlingybunFistelvase]

And that even the most committed of meat eaters would be happy enough to cut out beef if they could eat moderate amounts of other meat?

www.collective-evolution.com/2016/08/06/leonardo-dicaprio-calls-for-a-ban-on-beef/

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/21/giving-up-beef-reduce-carbon-footprint-more-than-cars?client=safari

[Rainmaker1]

Not a chance! A high quality filet steak served rare/blue and accompanied by a Bearnaise sauce is one of life's greatest pleasures. A Beef Wellington is not far behind!

[Foldedtshirt]

Great beef is one if life's greatest pleasures but YANBU. For a chilli or any of the 1001 ways with mince I unimaginatively stick to, the carbon cost is pretty indefensible.

[WellErrr]

A ban on beef!??

You do know, that the loss of livestock farming would be the loss of most of our wildlife, and all of our hedgerows and grassland?

[Pestilence13610]

Is he talking about the Argentinians cutting down pampas to raise beef cows or traditionally grazed british cow?
Maybe people should just be selective about what they eat.
Nothing wrong with eating less meat, but make sure it is good.

[LumelaMme]

The detail behind those headlines shows that, in the west, transport is a bigger deal than agriculture, though I don't think it reflects imports etc.

this link is very informative. Internationally, deforestation is a huge deal, but a lot of that isn't for meat, it's for stuff like palm oil.

The real issue is that planet can't support all of us in the way that we all want to live. I'm honestly not sure that a few westerners giving up eating beef is going to be more than a drop in the ocean, to be honest.

[HopeClearwater]

That the loss of livestock farming would be the loss of most of our wildlife, and all of our hedgerows and grassland

I thought that the CAP and modern farming methods had completely done for the hedgerows years ago?

[HaveNoSocks]

YANBU. I haven't cut it out completely but avoid have switched to turkey mince for spag boll etc. and will choose a different meat for a roast dinner. I do have an occasional steak though because I bloody love it.

[SuffolkBumkin]

In 2016 I think we should hang our heads in shame at the whole intense farmimg/cruelty process involved in the meat industry. It's not even healthy! I am happy to live and let live but never at the expense of an innocent animals.

[AVirginLitTheCandle]

But I like steak

[corythatwas]

Pestilence13610 Sat 17-Dec-16 20:24:00
"Is he talking about the Argentinians cutting down pampas to raise beef cows or traditionally grazed british cow?"

This. Also the palm oil question as mentioned by another poster, and (while we're at it) the prawn farming in SE Asia.

[SuffolkBumkin]

I bet the cow loves it more!

[sparechange]

There is such a vast, vast difference between the US beef reared on grain, soya and hormones, and U.K. Grass reared beef

And you can't make steak without making mince. We all have a duty to be as 'nose to tail' as possible when eating animals...

[Liara]

Is he talking about the Argentinians cutting down pampas to raise beef cows or traditionally grazed british cow?

How on earth do you cut down pampas? They are ruddy big grasslands where you get nothing much other than lots and lots of grass. What would be the point in cutting it down to graze cows? You just stick them on there and they graze all by themselves...

I buy my beef locally from the dairy farmer (he's going to kill the males anyway, obviously). Not sure what the logic of banning that would be.

[Pestilence13610]

I'm pretty lucky, living in the countryside. My butcher also has a pig farm. He has a big picture up of him cuddling some piglets. One day I went in and he was proud to tell me that this week's pig was Bob, second from the left.

Went travelling in SE Asia, fish farms are like fish soup with pale green antibiotic infused water.

Wild rabbit, mushy peas, oats, welsh sheep, we will probably need to embrace more local food soon.

[Nutfreepeanutter]

There is loads of docs on netflix n youtube, cowspiracy n forks over knifes. If we keep eating meat n dairy at the rate were going were buggered.

I don't eat any, vegan for ages with no sudden anemia or lack of protein. I'm also mostly high carb raw so I'm not just sitting with junk. Though there are a few pringles hiding in the cupboard never missed meat, grew up in a family of meat eaters and I still eat in restraunts easily, sides n adapting veggie choices, it's only as hard as you make it.. mushrooms make good steak subs

[Scrowy]

Neither of those articles are particularly reflective of how British beef is produced. In this county beef is still generally produced on a fairly small commercial scale.

If people want cheap meat unfortunately there is an environmental price to pay. That is where there is a massive problem. A ban on beef is not the answer though, cattle grazing has many ecological benefits too.

Still plenty of hedgerows around here, you get grants and subsidies to plant and maintain them these days.

I live somewhere where big landowners (National trust/ RSPB/ United Utilities) have 'protected' large areas of land by destocking them in the name of conservation. The idea being that farming is somehow detrimental to wildlife....

Without piles of cow and sheep poo around there are no flies gathering, and no real fertilization of the soil, and breakdown of matter by worms etc. If there aren't any flies and worms there's no small birds.

Without cows and sheep nibbling down vegetation huge areas just become covered in bracken. Not much likes to live in bracken.

The well run beef and sheep farm we have is fairly heavily grazed by sheep all year round and cattle May - October. It's absolutely teeming with wildlife. We are overrun with hares, red squirrels, badgers, foxes, stoats, rabbits etc it's like animals of farthing wood!

[SoggyDays]

UK has land where it is more effective to have grazing animals than arable farming. Also we have water aplenty here in the Northern parts of uk. So I will continue to eat my local beef and lamb. Oats and beer (barley product) are ok but I could not live on them alone.

And Would Leo de C stop jetting around please.

[redexpat]

You can prize the roast beef out of my cold dead hands. Not before.

[IcedVanillaLatte]

mushrooms make good steak subs

They really, really do not.

[SoggyDays]

I was a vegetarian years ago and after visiting the countryside quite a bit ( especially the hillier and wetter bits) I shifted back to eating some high welfare, local meat in my diet. I dont hang my head in shame.

[Scrowy]

And the poster who was suggesting turkey mince was somehow a more ethical choice.... you perhaps need to look into that a little more!!

[Greaterthanthesumoftheparts]

It does however take 15,000 l of water to put 1 kg of beef on the table. I'm not going to give up beef either but it does make you stop and think!

[SoggyDays]

I think eating the less loved offal is quite ethical too . Haggis is good and I will acknowledge no vegetarian substitute for proper oxtail.

[SoggyDays]

Is that via the grass?

[Scrowy]

I'd be interested where you got that figure from greaterthan.

As a farmer with about 100 cows who all drink mains water all year round which is on a meter I'm pretty sure our water bills don't reflect that level of usage (if they did I'm pretty sure DP would be only letting the humans have 1 shower a month!)

Unless they are including the water involved in washing down the abattoir they are killed in as well, but that would be the same for any type of meat production?