Agricultural News
Researcher Upends Global Warming Myths About Livestock With Solid Data
Thu, 24 May 2012 18:04:15 CDT
It has been one of the most enduring of memes in the environmentalists' psyops arsenal that raising livestock contributes unduly to global warming. Dr. Frank Mitloehner of the University of California at Davis says the data is not on the environmentalists' side. He spoke recently at the Alltech Symposium on the future of agriculture and shared his research on what the data actually say about the impact of livestock on global warming.
"The U.S. numbers for greenhouse gasses per unit of production are just about the lowest you can get. And the reason for that is that we have learned to use all these efficiencies. So we can produce the largest amount of product with the fewest inputs and that's what drives environmental impact. In that respect, we are probably one of the world's leaders," he said.
He said there are several factors that have led to the livestock industry's ability to lower its carbon footprint.
"We have learned to optimize our genetics. We have optimized the nutrition. We gave taken care of animal health, for example, by reducing parasite load per animal. We are feeding energy-dense diets and that is also reducing greenhouse gasses per steer or cow. And all of that is a concert that plays this piece of reducing environmental impact."
Another enduring fallacy that Mitloehner takes on is the belief that eating locally-produced meat is automatically better for the environment.
"From an environmental standpoint, local doesn't matter at all because the transportation part of the livestock sector is one of the smallest of the total life cycle value chain. So, local versus non-local will have a very small impact, if any. If you buy local then you do that because you want to buy from the farmer you know or the rancher you know."
One of the big drivers in the global warming movement has been the United Nations. Mitloehner said that up until recently their policies have not been reflective of actual data but instead reflected the agendas of vocal special interest groups. He said the tide is slowly changing as more data becomes available.
He said that facts are powerful things when used properly and judiciously. He said there are many things producers must do to assist in the battle to spread the truth.
"What livestock producers have to understand is that consumers have a right to know where their food comes from. And more and more consumers are asking where their food comes from. Farmers need to stop being private and to start engaging the public and to tell their story. Tell them how they are growing their beef or their dairy or whatever they grow. And if they don't do it, the other side will have a very easy game in portraying the livestock sector as a sector that wants to hide something, that has agendas that are not animal friendly, not environmentally friendly. In my opinion, the livestock sector has a lot to offer, a lot to share and it should."
He said more research needs to be done because, by and large, research into the realities of the effects of livestock on the environment is in its infancy.
"There are people with massive agendas and in many cases there is no data to combat any of those accusations. We have to d a much better job in organizing the research portfolio and finding data that are defensible and inform public policy. And, currently, public policy is not informed by data, but by emotions."
You can listen to Ron Hays' full interview with Dr. Frank Mitloehner by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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