I dwell on the ruminant attacks a lot … but as importantly, I do not like the notion of a nation not having an independent food supply. That is what bothers me most about this planetary plant based diet idea. It is naive. It might work for a while, but bad things happen and famine isn’t high on my list of things to endure. An aside, is progress being made in the UK in feed additives to reduce methane in cattle on feed?
Thank you for raising this. Food sovereignty and national resilience are so often left out of the conversation around planetary diets. I completely agree. Relying too heavily on global supply chains or a one size fits all approach can leave a country vulnerable, especially when unexpected events hit. The idea of losing an independent food supply is genuinely worrying and history has shown how quickly things can unravel when self sufficiency is lost.
On the methane front, there is progress here in the UK. Researchers and some commercial farms are trialling feed additives like seaweed (specifically Asparagopsis) that has shown promise in reducing methane emissions from cattle in intensive systems. There is cautious optimism about their potential to help lower emissions without compromising animal health or welfare but I’m ever skeptical with products like Bovaer already on the scene. However I do strongly object to intensive systems and outdoor grass fed cattle would not need additives to reduce emissions. It’s not the cow it’s the how…
Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. These are exactly the kinds of nuanced discussions we need as we rethink food policy and sustainability.
Not to argue the point much, but intensive feeding has its place. It is the only way to get large quantities of beef into the supply chain. Purely Grass fed beef is too slow to reach slaughter weight (and not enough grass is also a problem) and a hybrid system of feeding beef on pasture and supplemental grains in feed bunkers winds up overgrazing pastures in my experience. The compromise approach of grass fed/or wheat fed to 850 lb or so and grain finished for 120-180 days to slaughter weight works well and is not the sin that a lot of people brand it. We may not agree on this and that is OK.
I dwell on the ruminant attacks a lot … but as importantly, I do not like the notion of a nation not having an independent food supply. That is what bothers me most about this planetary plant based diet idea. It is naive. It might work for a while, but bad things happen and famine isn’t high on my list of things to endure. An aside, is progress being made in the UK in feed additives to reduce methane in cattle on feed?
Thank you for raising this. Food sovereignty and national resilience are so often left out of the conversation around planetary diets. I completely agree. Relying too heavily on global supply chains or a one size fits all approach can leave a country vulnerable, especially when unexpected events hit. The idea of losing an independent food supply is genuinely worrying and history has shown how quickly things can unravel when self sufficiency is lost.
On the methane front, there is progress here in the UK. Researchers and some commercial farms are trialling feed additives like seaweed (specifically Asparagopsis) that has shown promise in reducing methane emissions from cattle in intensive systems. There is cautious optimism about their potential to help lower emissions without compromising animal health or welfare but I’m ever skeptical with products like Bovaer already on the scene. However I do strongly object to intensive systems and outdoor grass fed cattle would not need additives to reduce emissions. It’s not the cow it’s the how…
Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. These are exactly the kinds of nuanced discussions we need as we rethink food policy and sustainability.
Not to argue the point much, but intensive feeding has its place. It is the only way to get large quantities of beef into the supply chain. Purely Grass fed beef is too slow to reach slaughter weight (and not enough grass is also a problem) and a hybrid system of feeding beef on pasture and supplemental grains in feed bunkers winds up overgrazing pastures in my experience. The compromise approach of grass fed/or wheat fed to 850 lb or so and grain finished for 120-180 days to slaughter weight works well and is not the sin that a lot of people brand it. We may not agree on this and that is OK.