UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet | Environment | guardian.co.

uk

08/12/11 00.34

UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet

Lesser consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, UN report says
Felicity Carus guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 June 2010 18.09 BST

An cattle ranch in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The UN says agriculture is on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth. Photograph: Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace

A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today. As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management. It says: "Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products." Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: "Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels." The recommendation follows advice last year that a vegetarian diet was better for the planet from Lord Nicholas Stern, former adviser to the Labour government on the economics of climate change. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has also urged people to observe one meat-free day a week to curb carbon emissions. The panel of experts ranked products, resources, economic activities and transport according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was on a par with fossil fuel
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consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth, they said. Ernst von Weizsaecker, an environmental scientist who co-chaired the panel, said: "Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat and dairy products livestock now consumes much of the world's crops and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides." Both energy and agriculture need to be "decoupled" from economic growth because environmental impacts rise roughly 80% with a doubling of income, the report found. Achim Steiner, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of the UNEP, said: "Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty alleviation." The panel, which drew on numerous studies including the Millennium ecosystem assessment, cites the following pressures on the environment as priorities for governments around the world: climate change, habitat change, wasteful use of nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilisers, over-exploitation of fisheries, forests and other resources, invasive species, unsafe drinking water and sanitation, lead exposure, urban air pollution and occupational exposure to particulate matter. Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, says the report, which has been launched to coincide with UN World Environment day on Saturday. Last year the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said that food production would have to increase globally by 70% by 2050 to feed the world's surging population. The panel says that efficiency gains in agriculture will be overwhelmed by the expected population growth. Prof Hertwich, who is also the director of the industrial ecology programme at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said that developing countries where much of this population growth will take place must not follow the western world's pattern of increasing consumption: "Developing countries should not follow our model. But it's up to us to develop the technologies in, say, renewable energy or irrigation methods."

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Comments in chronological order (Total 126 comments)

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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 6:43PM They can talk all the sense they like, but who's listening? Not the greedy, not the climate change deniers, not all the people who firmly believe that science will come up with some sort of answer and in the mean time they can carry on doing whatever they want. Bets on the numbers of people who are going to come on to this thread and say: 'I like my meat and I'm going to carry on eating it, so ner!' Recommend (67) Responses (0) Report abuse
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fishsnorkel 2 June 2010 6:46PM If everyone became vegan and so ate only fruit and vegetables, then the reduction in greenhouse emissions for the whole of food consumption would be a mere 7%. The widespread adoption of vegetarianism would have even less impact, while organic food production actually leads to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Those are the conclusions of a research paper published in the journal Progress in Industrial Ecology. Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100401101521.htm Kind regards, Matthew Recommend (28) Responses (0) Report abuse
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TimH 2 June 2010 6:53PM Okay, I'm up for going vegetarian three nights a week. Anyone care to join me? Recommend (55) Responses (0) Report abuse
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vadid 2 June 2010 6:58PM Look, let's face it, the planet can't support 9 billion people even if we all live on fresh air and water, that's the problem. The UN should save its breath. Recommend (27) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Bioluminescence 2 June 2010 6:58PM I'm already a vegetarian and working towards eating a diet which is at least 50% vegan. Though I struggle at times with this last bit. There are some excellent recipes out there, which helps. Recommend (39) Responses (0) Report abuse
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contractor000 2 June 2010 7:01PM TimH I'm up for that, it'll be veggie for me three nights a week now. And a few hazelnuts. Lots of spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes, a fair bit of garlic, herbs, and some rice, as and when they're on the shelves. That'll do nicely. Recommend (21) Responses (0) Report abuse
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chillyershit 2 June 2010 7:05PM My partner and I decided to try to go veggie a couple of nights a week after the birth of our daughter 9 months ago and it's going pretty well so far. If someone like me, who loves his steak, bacon and lamb curries can do it, then there's hope for everyone! Recommend (31) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Pwmp 2 June 2010 7:11PM Does anyone know how robust this is? The last two years have shown me how easy it is for me to get a really bad yield from my veggies. But my grass has been consistently OK (if not troublesomely robust). If I went completely vegan and had to depend on my own produce, I'm sure I'd soon have a very hungry year where otherwise I might have had a spare animal or two to keep me going. If we ditch the grass->human-food converters are we sure we'll always be able to produce enough food (assuming that this is possible)? Recommend (6) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Synchronium 2 June 2010 7:11PM BUT WHO WOULD WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD LIKE THAT?! Recommend (33) Responses (0) Report abuse
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toesion 2 June 2010 7:16PM The joy of eating meat after living on rice for generations of Chinese will destroy the world Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Capuchon 2 June 2010 7:16PM Never mind i will just move onto Kangaroo meat... Recommend (6) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Babycart 2 June 2010 7:24PM I also agree that the United nation should be looking to control world population rather than trying to convert our diet. The only way global population could be controlled is through a catastrophic natural disaster or global war. Both methods are fairly indiscriminate and ostensibly achieve the same goal. Overconsumption is a problem in the West, or any country which has an emerging middle class. The lack of association with everything we consume means that we can't place any value on food other than immediate gratification. If people try to grow some of their own food, made home-made yoghurt, some jams, and even cheese then value of those goods will have greater meaning. I'm not advocating that we go back to a hunter gatherer society squeezing your own orange juice rather than purchasing a pasteurised package from supermarkets not only tastes nicer but avoids any additional packaging. There has been a food revolution going on whereby people are more concerned about where their food comes from and when they realise that most of the meat they eat comes from an industrialised process it makesthem question why should they eat chicken 5 nights a week, when they could eat a good quality chicken maybe once a week. Recommend (17) Responses (0)

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LordSummerisle 2 June 2010 7:25PM Wonderful, another carnivores versus vegetarians thread. They're always so productive and they really progress the debate, I find. @TimH Okay, I'm up for going vegetarian three nights a week. Anyone care to join me? Way ahead of you, TimH. Started this diet two weeks ago now, though more for health than environmental reasons. If I may recommend a creation of mine, red peppers stuffed with home made sag ponir. Lovely! Recommend (16) Responses (0) Report abuse
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maski 2 June 2010 7:26PM How about we eat whatever we want but stop people (men and women) having more than two sodding kids. As Bill Hicks said "stop your rutting for one second and work out this food/air deal". Recommend (37) Responses (0) Report abuse
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farofa 2 June 2010 7:34PM It does not go far enough. Western livestyles have to end. The temperate countries should have their populations thinned out and be reforested. Everyone should live in subtropical regions where there is no need for heating, excessive hot water or air conditioning. Preferably in blocks of flats rather than environmentally stressful houses. Cars should be abandoned. By the way, the report does not say go vegan, just to cut down on meat and dairy. I do less damage living according to the first paragraph but with the odd steak every now and again, than a vegan in the UK having to heat their house and take hot baths, wash up in hot water, wash clothes in hot water, import pulses, who lives in a house, in the country, driving a car etc. Recommend (6) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Numbed

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2 June 2010 7:46PM been a veggie most of my life. eat a few vegan meals a week as well. climate change was not part of this decision, and I'm glad I don't have to change now. But I would! and TimH, et al... brilliant, positive response. small changes do make a difference. Recommend (21) Responses (0) Report abuse
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farofa 2 June 2010 7:50PM Whoops. For temperate read intemperate. At any rate, don't go vegan - emigrate from the selfish lifestyles of the developed, frozen north and save the world. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Bioluminescence 2 June 2010 7:52PM I second Numbed's comment on the positive response from some posters. May I recommend Italian and Asian diets which have a lot of vegetarian and even some vegan recipes? Recommend (14) Responses (0) Report abuse
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FateAmenableToChange 2 June 2010 7:54PM I'm going to invest in Soylent Green Recommend (15) Responses (0) Report abuse
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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 7:55PM fishsnorkel; It's not just about carbon emissions. It's also about the amount of land required to produce food, and the amount of pollution and water waste inherent in animal husbandry. True, organic agriculture may be an indulgence that has to go, but no-one was talking about organic agriculture.

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farofa: Your suggestion is more than a bit daft. Most tropical countries either already have huge populations - India, Indonesia, Brazil - or are too barren and/or drought-ridden to support any larger population than they have already. So where, exactly, were you planning to settle all these hundreds of millions of people from the temperate zones? Recommend (19) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Gelion 2 June 2010 7:58PM "World population is too large!" It's a mantra that people who don't think can't stop saying ... No. The increase in world population is down to world poverty, and in Europe demographics show that, without immigration, populations are falling. As I have noted before this week, it is ALWAYS the rich westerners that claim there is too much population. Countries need to stop growing food for bio-oil, and ploughing food land over to grow cash crops. Wealth should be more evenly spread out, instead of most of it being concentrated in the West. Meat is flavoured heavily with salt and preservatives and most of the flavour comes from those + the fat or the sauces with the meat. Try eating grilled, unsalted bacon ... and see how much you like that. Or grilled chicken without any sauce. Meat production also uses up a very significant amount of grain production around the world. I went Vegan a couple of years ago. Cheers Recommend (24) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Pearl999 2 June 2010 7:59PM fishsnorkel, do the researchers you reference take into account the proportion of land farmed for feed and forage? Check this out... Depending on the type of meat, it takes 6-17 times more land to feed the average American meat eater than to feed a vegetarian. L. Reijinders and Sam Soret, PhDs 2003. 'The 7 billion livestock animals in the United States (1997) consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the entire American population. .. More than 302 million hectares of land are devoted to producing feed for the U.S. livestock population -- about 272 million hectares in pasture and about 30 million hectares for cultivated feed grains. ..' http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Aug97/livestock.hrs.html Read on...
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'U.S acres Total dried beans and peas 2,140,851 Peanuts 1,436,034 Potatoes 1,309,963 Rice 2,424,864 Total sugar 2,172,550 Vegetables 3,264,343 http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/pubs/circ1131/table2.html = 12,748,605 acres; (* 0.4047) = 5,159,360 hectares. + Orchards, vineyards, and nursery 4,462,591 acres (= 1,806,010 hectares) http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/pubs/circ1131/table6.html + 6 million hectares grain (based on the above from Cornell). = Total: 12,965,370 hectares, round to 13 million hectares. Vs. 302 million hectares used to feed livestock. Furthermore: 'Organic farming produces same corn and soybean yields as conventional farms, but consumes less energy and no pesticides, study finds http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July05/organic.farm.vs.other.ssl.html Recommend (26) Responses (0) Report abuse
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SteveJC 2 June 2010 8:00PM I guess that all of the vociferous die hard meaters are watching TV, given that the thread hasn't descended into an intellectually vapid toilet of banalities yet. Recommend (15) Responses (0) Report abuse
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englishhermit 2 June 2010 8:03PM An cattle ranch? I've been veggie (mainly) for 40 years, though I eat a couple of eggs a day and two tins of oily fish a week as well. As for going vegan, I'd have no trouble cooking as my basic meals of pasta, curry and stew are pure vegetable and I could do without the eggs, fish and even milk but it would be cheese I would really miss. What can I use to top my pizzas and nachos? Any ideas? I can see a good reason for cutting down on cattle, but sheep and goats graze where horticulture isn't really practical. I suppose I could use a mature manchego for toppings. I use feta in salads now (both sheeps' milk) and goats cheese and yoghurt are very yummy.
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SteveJC 2 June 2010 8:07PM fishsnorkel, I just rad the science daily article.... Rather light weight on details to say the least, did they just cherry pick one or two sentences? So weak to be ignorable to be honest. Recommend (7) Responses (0) Report abuse
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HomoSafari 2 June 2010 8:18PM If everyone in Britain adopted a vegan diet we might be able to support a population of about 40 million, maybe even 45 million, people without needing to import food, but the current population of well over 60 million people, no way. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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farofa 2 June 2010 8:26PM Lagran... Brazil has a population of 190 million but in a huge area, far larger than the more densely populated Europe, which is also colder overall. You really should try to keep your numbers down over there and reforest back to our levels rather than trying to force your food lifestyle choices on the rest of us. Some of you migrate I am sure, if you are really sincere about wanting to save the world. Otherwise, just do not have offspring. Perhaps we could send you family planning clinics and offer sterilisation services. You really cannot go on the way you are. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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yangzone 2 June 2010 8:29PM In 1977 I noticed that the animal product thing was not a good idea for the environment. So I adopted a vegan diet. That lasted about 15 years, and then as I was traveling a lot, I introduced small fish into the diet and this helped. So for over 30 years I have avoided

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meat and animal products and it's no big deal. MUCH easier to do now. But I don't think it's the answer... meat and/or animal products once or twice a week is probably the way to go (too late for me though - no going back.) Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 8:31PM englishhermit: Know what you mean. I could leave most of my scanty animal food consumption behind without a second look, but cheese...tough one. Vegan cheese does exist, and by jiminy is it horrible! The other thing that puts me off vegan cheese is that nearly all the vegan cheese on the market in the UK and Netherlands is made by a company owned by Heather Mills. Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Pearl999 2 June 2010 8:31PM Homo Safari. See: http://transitionculture.org/2007/12/20/can-britain-feed-itself/ Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 8:37PM farofa: The obvious solution, as you and several others on this thread have said, is fewer people. Rather than moving them around. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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CaitrionaNicThamhais 2 June 2010 8:39PM please please please read The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith. A vegan world is ridiculous, nutritionally unsound and would be an utter ecological disaster. Recommend (15)

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MinorDavey 2 June 2010 8:40PM I haven't knowingly eaten meat for 30 years although i did eat fish from time to time until 'The End of the Line' came into view. I'm annoyingly fit, healthy and (apparently) sane. it really is not difficult to stop eating crap and there's tons of published material/documentaries now to ease the decision. What's the problem? Recommend (14) Responses (0) Report abuse
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farofa 2 June 2010 8:41PM No, they should be moved around and environmentally unsustainable populations should be thinned out. Europe and the U.S. are far more deforested than Brazil and require far more emissions from heating and from food imports. Prime candidates for change. Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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vayaecuador 2 June 2010 8:44PM Hommous makes a nice savoury substitute for cheese but it doesn't melt or toast well at all so you could try eating dips with warm corn chips rather than nachos. It's good with crudites too, which is much healthier than crisps. Pizza can be cooked with veg lightly pre-cooked in olive oil and herbs before baking (the Italians call this a bruschette). If you add some tinned artichokes (remove hard bits) and olives you get the saltiness and creaminess you want from cheese. Delicious and very healthy, also MUCH cheaper to make yourself than getting pizza delivered. Another junk food treat is the Spanish dish of champiniones al ajo, which is easy: halve/chop small mushrooms, skin and core a few cloves of garlic, fry in lots of hot virgin olive oil, serve with chips and cold lager. Fantastic and simple to make. Good points about all the grass "going to waste" but most of the grasslands were actually created by people by felling woodlands and most animals in the world are raised in grassless enclosures and fed soybeans and meat waste (true, look it up). Britain for example was once covered in oak/beech/pine forest and to replant with mixed nut woodland would produce many times more food per hectare than the current inefficient sheep rearing that is practiced on hills. Recommend (11) Responses (0) Report abuse
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yangzone 2 June 2010 8:45PM Oh and yes lagrandeflaneuse... all that vegan cheese and vegan sausage is BS food... fake and your body will soon agree. These imitation foods are to appeal to emotions. These need to be left behind with the animal products. When going vegan is is imperative to refer to the universal combination sanctioned by many cultures over time as a reference: rice and beans. From there it becomes apparent how to sustain ones self. Then there are many tools that can be employed to guide a person to a good eating regime and IMHO nutritionism is of little use - in fact it needs to be left behind with the animal products. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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yangzone 2 June 2010 9:03PM @CaitrionaNicThamhais the discussion here is about an ecological disaster that IS the meat and dairy industry. Maybe a sudden shift by most of the planet's population to a vegan diet might look like another disaster on paper... . While you are inclined to believe a story you are being told... a quick look at the factory animal farms of the world will be an eye opener for you... and as for "nutritionally unsound" - if you want to believe the stuff put out in the name of nutritionism, go ahead... but I can tell you that at 56 years of age after 32 years without meat or animal products I'm getting by just fine... and that nutrition stuff got in the way for a while. Recommend (9) Responses (0) Report abuse
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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 9:07PM CatrionaNicThamais: I looked up 'The Vegetarian Myth' on Amazon, and read quite a few of the reviews. The author would seem to be promoting a Utopian ideal which is pretty well impossible in the present state of the world. Perhaps if the world's population was that of the UK, 65 million, rather than the six and a half billion and rising, which it currently is, her ideas might be workable. And some of her nutrional ideas would seem to be a bit suspect. And no, I didn't read any one or two star reviews - the criticisms came from readers who said they liked the book. yangzone: You're quite right of course. Sadly, I'm not quite as evolved as you, and I do like a veggie banger occasionally... Recommend (9) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Aenn 2 June 2010 9:18PM I already eat less meat (=5 vegetarian days a week, so I won't be joining the pledge). It's better for my health, and it probably does have some environmental impact...but do you ever get the feeling that your individual actions are quite meaningless? Until we curb population growth, there's no improving things. Until politicians are willing to undertake unpopular measures because of a long-term vision, nothing will happen. Both of these things seem more likely than a significant majority of people willingly cutting back--and they aren't likely at all. Or perhaps I'm just glum today because it seems like the majority of people are capable of holding not just distant contradictions (i.e. I recycle but I go on long-haul flights) but even contradictions which should be obvious. Today's example came from the woman who took her moped to the recycling bins and left it running while she emptied her bags. Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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eleanargh 2 June 2010 9:21PM Perfect timing for me as I'm becoming gradually vegan this month! I'm finding out about lots of exciting foods and recipes that I wouldn't have learnt about were I omnivore or veggie. It is hard to begin with and I need to work out how much of what I should eat to not feel tired, but I think I can do it with not too much trouble. I may end up being vegan most of the week and veggie a couple of days, once I've found out about more ethical, and close-to-home, sources of dairy. Giving up cheese is a tough one; mmmm, halloumi. Good luck to anyone else who tries to go veggie/vegan - and don't be scared to try being half and half, or have meat occasionally, even though people will say you're an awful hypocrite. Surprisingly I've found the people who do this most are the omnivores - the holier-than-thou vegan seems to be a bit of a myth. Possibly because they know how hard it is to make the change. Recommend (8) Responses (0) Report abuse
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TimH 2 June 2010 9:36PM eleanargh ... don't be scared to try being half and half, or have meat occasionally, even though people will say you're an awful hypocrite. If what you're against is excessive meat consumption, then there's nothing at all hypocritical about eating a little bit of meat. Everything in moderation, and all that. Recommend (1)
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dukkagirl 2 June 2010 9:37PM As a vegan, it's really amazing to see articles like this, I would never have imagined the UN would be saying things like this. As some people have said, going vegan isn't enough. But I'd still argue it's a huge step towards unwesternising our lifestyles. Not only do we need to eat a lot less animal food, but it needs to be as local as possible and minimally processed. It's ridiculous to use so much energy altering food in such a way that its nutritional value (in terms of micronutrients) actually decreases! Of course, these changs are only dietary. There are loads of other things that we need to changebuying things meant to last when we must buy things, sharing expensive to produce items like eg cars, gardening equipment, recycling as much as possible, wearing practical long lasting clothes, not cheaply made fashion items, walking, cycling and using public transport as much as possible. And flying less! Airports are no fun anyway, and the ash just adds another element of uncertainty and stress to air travel. Recommend (8) Responses (0) Report abuse
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yangzone 2 June 2010 9:38PM 2Aenn dont despair.... in 1977 when I took the plunge... so many years went by when I thought nothing was happening... now I am in a world with a huge organic movement and a whole foods movement to go along with it... and I know I helped in a tiny way to make this happen... there are break throughs everywhere... India as well. And dont worry about how you fail or how anybody else fails... just keep your eye on the prize and the rest will come. Recommend (4) Responses (0) Report abuse
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yangzone 2 June 2010 9:59PM 2lagrandeflaneuse I did not mean to come across all evolved... that is something I am working on. I enjoy veggie burgers too. I meant that those veggie cheese and fake meat things like vegan sausages are no replacement for the real thing: meat and dairy are major power foods with all kinds of energy to sustain a human body. For instance cow's dairy designed by nature that can raise the weight of the infant from 20lbs to 400lbs in a year... hoofs, horns, thick skin, big teeth and muscle... it's overconsumption probably a factor in today's alarming rise in (human) obesity. [We have a bumper sticker in California: "Pray for Evolution" - though it's a dig at a woman from Alaska.]
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sunmoon 2 June 2010 10:20PM @englishhermit -- try Daiya nondairy cheese! It's incredibly delicious, stretchy, melty, tasty. Comes in cheddar and mozz. I've only had cheddar and love it -- great for mac and cheese, to melt on potatoes, to melt on some bread with tomato sauce for a quick toaster oven pizza. It's a million times better than any vegan cheese I ever tried. Comes shredded. No soy, high in calcium. Enjoy! :) Recommend (6) Responses (0) Report abuse
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VoiceofReason08 2 June 2010 11:01PM lagrandeflaneuse Bets on the numbers of people who are going to come on to this thread and say: 'I like my meat and I'm going to carry on eating it, so ner!' You bet :) But, why do we have this discussion fortnight after fortnight? Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 11:22PM VoiceofReason08: Surprisingly for a discussion thread about vegetarianism, this has been without exception harmonious and civilised. Those who don't entirely agree have stated their reasons calmly and logically. Either the trolls have all decided to stay under their bridges tonight, or else they've found bigger game to hunt on another thread. As to why we have these discussions, well, fifty or sixty years ago, a debate like this on smoking and health would have had the same kind of deniers trying to wind people up. You've just got to keep repeating yourself, I think. Slowly it seems to be sinking in, if tonight's posts are anything to go on. Recommend (4) Responses (0) Report abuse
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet

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UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet | Environment | guardian.co.uk

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lagrandeflaneuse 2 June 2010 11:27PM sunmoon: I suspect you might not live in Europe. The vegan cheese you mention does sound nice, but I've never seen it. Perhaps someone should tell Daiya about the possiblity of an export market. Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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mostardaverde 3 June 2010 12:25AM i'm brazilian. i'm so sorry about this situation. actually, we're one of the most exporters of meat on the world, this mean that we're cutting off many forests like amazon forest for the cattle (but the truth, is not for the cattle,indeed for the consumers of meat) , and other green areas like this one in this reporter(Mato Grosso). I was a vegetarian, but now, i really have pride of my effort to be a vegan. i like to ask you ppl, pls revise your own thinking, it's possible to live without eat meat, you can have a healthy life, live better. the animals dont need to suffer, having so brutal death in the slaughters, we can rise up our condition like human being, and that way save our planet. There's a interesting site, a positive TV channel, with a lot information about global warming, climate change and vegetarianism. Try: www.suprememastertv.com BE VEG. GO GREEN. SAVE THE PLANET. Recommend (12) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Monkeybiz 3 June 2010 6:40AM @Pearl999 - don't forget the imported grains that are brought in to the USA from Brazil and elsewhere to feed cattle and poultry. That adds to the 302m. Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet

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