Mark Dick, a GP based in Northern Ireland and a member of the Joy in Enough enabling group, continues his series on a better food system on the other side of crisis. This is part three. See previous posts here.
To be true to climate justice, the Global North and its farming systems need to adjust to some new food priorities. Meat and dairy products should be seen as occasional luxuries rather than staples, and there will be health benefits in the change in emphasis.
Meat is, of course, a natural foodstuff with a balance of fats, proteins and essential nutrients. We evolved over two million years of eating it and so our well-being still depends on it being part of our diet. There are good sources of meat, and the healthiest level of meat consumption is much lower than the current average. Too much of the global supply comes from the bad sources of meat, such as mass factory environments and feed-lots that are only made possible by clearing virgin forest. This should be greatly reduced for environmental reasons.
Of course, some animals are raised on less productive land and that is an efficient use for it – though it still comes with an opportunity cost. In his book Feral, George Monbiot describes the damage done by sheep farming, and the potential to reduce livestock numbers and create space for land restoration.
As well as freeing up land for rewilding (more on that later), fewer animals would create space for more food crops. Most of the world’s agricultural land is used for raising animals. Of what remains for crops, much of that is fed to livestock. In total, crops grown for humans to eat directly is only 16% of the world’s farmland.
Eating less meat has multiple benefits, but reducing the number of animals on the land is nevertheless contested and politicised. Back in 2011, Rory Stewart, then MP for Penrith and The Borders, argued the opposite point: fewer animals were a social and environmental threat. “The reductions in stocking levels are now damaging our landscape. Fells are being taken over by inedible grass and bracken. As the flock numbers fall, employment for farmers and shepherds and everyone in the related industries from auction marts onwards fall. When there is no rural employment village schools, pubs and shops will fall away too. We must tackle this before it goes any further.”
Rural heritage and jobs are one reason to seek a balance between crops and animal farming, rather than eliminating livestock altogether. Another reason is the potential use of animal wastes for energy or for fertiliser.
A report by the Committee on Climate Change (2018) assesses the role of biomass – wood, plants and organic waste – in the global strategy to tackle climate change. They conclude that it could play a significant role, with a range of important caveats to ensure it is done sustainably.
There are of course many kinds of biomass, including wood. It’s much better to leave trees standing and prioritise their carbon absorption capacities than burn them for power. Likewise using land to grow energy crops comes with compromises and we should avoid competing uses, particularly for growing food crops. Manure, on the other hand, is a form of bioenergy with fewer downsides, and countries such as Germany have invested in using manure for biogas.
Manure, used well, can also reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers. Overuse of fertilisers and other chemical inputs is a big contributor to the water pollution crisis described in the introduction to this series. Since 1960, the global production of phosphate fertilizers has risen almost fivefold, and nitrate fertilizers almost tenfold. We can use animal wastes as part of more natural integrated farming techniques, alongside more precise use of fertilisers that reduced run-off.
Reducing livestock numbers goes hand in hand with changing dietary choices, of course. People will need to eat less meat, reconsidering the role of the different food groups within their own diets – any many would be much healthier if they are less meat and dairy. This rebalancing of animal products and plant-based foods, both on our plates and in the fields, is a critical part of a better food system.
- More on food and farming
- Header image by Daniel Quiceno M/Unsplash
Joy in Enough 