The farming community is targeted daily by the media, with different types of allegations that aim to discredit British farmers. British farming produces food to some of the highest standards for production and welfare.
Many of the misconceptions you will read surrounding farming, are regarding meat. The target is mainly on red meats such as beef and lamb, but pork production is also under scrutiny.
“Your diet is harming the environment”.
“Use the land to grow crops not to farm animals”.
“Red meat causes cancer”
These are just 3 commonly heard phrases that farmers and others working in agriculture hear on a daily basis, so let’s debunk these statements.
Dairy Farming & Milk Production
In the UK the greenhouse gas output for farming is just a fraction of what each country’s average is globally. For example, greenhouse gas emissions from UK milk production have fallen by 24% since 1990 and are currently just 40% of the global average
If you compare the amount of water a milking cow requires to produce one litre of milk, it is 8 litres (the remaining water usage needed comes from rainfall, nurturing the grass they eat). In comparison, a litre of almond drink needs approximately 158 litres of fresh water. The best way to help the environment is to make sure you are not importing these heavy input crops like almonds and buying local or at least British produce.
Land Use
Around 40% of the UK’s farmland is classed as unimproved grazing ground, the majority of which is used in the production of beef and lamb. This land can only be used for this purpose and is not suitable to grow crops on, therefore if left, 40% of the UK’s grass would be left as scrub land.
Red Meat
Red meat is an amazing source of nutrition, for example lamb is a great source of potassium which supports a healthy blood pressure, and pork aids the immune system by providing vitamin B6, B12, zinc & selenium.
Eating meat contributes to having a balanced diet; health experts and the NHS recommends a daily intake of 70g of red meat per day, which will provide you with many benefits. Of course, eating too much of any food will increase your risks of certain ailments; eating red meat in excessive amounts can increase your risks of health-related problems (mainly in relation to bowel cancer), however this does not mean you should stop eating red meat altogether.
Sources: https://www.nfuonline.com/nfu-online/sectors/dairy/mythbuster-final/
