2019-09-16_The_Big_Issue_UserUpload.Net

10 | BIGISSUE.COM 16-22 SEPTEMBER 2019

fact/fiction. Old news, truthfully retold

FACTS. CHECKED

TheNFUreliesonunprovenmethodstonarrowdowncarbon

emissionstozeroandmissesthefactthatcuttingdownon

redmeatevenalittlebitisafairlysimplewaytomake

adifference.

Farmers’planscentreonimprovingfarming’sproductive

efficiency,landmanagementandchanginglandto capture

morecarbonbeforeitisreleasedinto theatmosphereandto

boosttheuseof renewableenergyandwiderbio-economy.

That meansusinghempfibreandsheep’swool –asThe

Telegraphreported–aswellasbiggerhedgerows,moretrees

andwoodlandastheMailOnlinereported.Usinghempfibre

–or ‘hempcrete’– asinsulationishardlythoroughlytestedfor

thispurpose.

Also,theNFUreport focusesonfarmers’abilityto fulfil

meatneedsandhasnomentionof whetherpeoplewill

continuetoeatmeatatthesamerate.NFUpresidentMinette

Batterssaid:“Weshouldnotreduceour capacityto feedUK

consumerswithhigh-quality,affordableBritishfood.”

Butlet’sbefrank,theNFU’sfindingsflyinthefaceof what

scientists have been telling us for quite some time. Even as this

report was released,anotherstoryfrom CambridgeUniversity

was doingtherounds,sayingthattheyhad seentheircarbon

emissionscutbyathird byaxingbeefandlamb from menus.

AndjustlastmonththeUN’sIntergovernmentalPanel

onClimateChangereleasedareport thatfoundoutglobal

food productioncontributes31percentof human-related

greenhousegasemissions,withmethanefrom cattle

andmanureincreasingby1.7timessince1961whilemeat

consumptioninthattimehasdoubled.

IntheUK,thegovernment-advisingCommitteeonClimate

Changeadvisedlastyear cuttinglamb andbeefpastureby

between20and50percentby2050.Theysuggestreplacing

thatwithpork andchickenaswellasreplacingdairyproducts

withcrops.TheCCC’sconclusionisthat“fundamentalreformis

requiredtoensurelandbecomesamoreeffectivecarbonstore”.

To theircredit,theNFUarelookingto slashemissions.

Theirplansarewelcome–weallneedto bedoingour bit,

especiallyfarmers–butpresentingthisreport asasilverbullet

thatallowsustoindividually wash our hands of responsibility

is not correct.

Can we save the planet without

cutting down on red meat?

HOWITWASTOLD

TheNationalFarmers’Unionhavegotbeef.Loadsofit,infact,

withtheoft-repeatedclaimthatcuttingourredmeatfarming

andconsumptionwouldhelpslashcarbonemissions.

That’sprettyimportantwhenitcomesto savingtheplanet–

there’scertainlyalotatsteak,sorry,stake.

TheNFU’sreport,titled‘AchievingNetZero: Farming’s

Goal’outlineshow farmerswillachievezero carbonemissions

overthenexttwo decades.

It was givenaprominentpositioninTheGuardianon

September10withtheir“Noneedto cutbeefto tackleclimate

crisis,sayfarmers”splashstory.

From there,thestorywas pickedupbythei,whichwentwith:

“UKfarmingcouldbecarbonneutral by2040underNFU

climatechangeplan”aswellastheMailOnlinewith“Farmers

willusebiggerhedges,healthierlivestock andmoreprecise

pesticidesto cutgreenhousegasemissionsto zero by 2040 ,

unionsays”.

TheTelegraphtook adifferentapproachto thestory,instead

optingto honeinonsomeof themethodsbeingsuggested,

ratherthantheendgoal.“Buildingsshouldbemadeoutof

hempandwool to cutcarbonemissions,NationalFarmers’

Unionsays”lookedathow theNFUishopingto createthe

conditionsto absorbcarbonbeforeitenterstheatmosphere.

Interestinglyenough,onlyTheGuardianandtheBBC’s

versionsof thestory(“UKfarmsplanfor going‘carbonneutral’”)

containedscrutinyfrom othercampaigners,mostnotably

Friendsof theEarth.

ButistheNFU’s plan to keep us chomping on meat a

workable one?

Illustration:Miles Cole

REPEATING

WORTH

Stats:

UN’s Intergovernmental

Panel

on Climate Change &

Committee

on Climate Change

Meatconsumptionhas

doubled since 1961

31%

Foodproduction

contributes 31 percent

ofhuman-related

greenhousegases

UKlambandbeef

pastureshould be

cutby

20-50per

cent by 2050