Can't wait until Choctober, personally. However, being serious for moment, I'm puzzled by the science behind a vegetarian diet being considered good for the envoronment. I'm sure people have done their carbon and methane sums, but surely biodiversity counts for a lot. The interdependence of species seems pretty important to me. In the West Country where I live there is a rich pattern of small fields, hedgerows, pasture meadow and hill-grazing. The sheer abundance of bird-life, insect life and the presence of small mammals is a byproduct of this type of agriculture. In some Eastern parts of the UK there are vast tracts of arable fields, huge because the hedgerows have long since been grubbed out in the interests of mechanised farming. The soil and crops are regularly blasted by alternative doses of chemical fertilisers and insecticides. Whilst I respect any individual's right to choose veganism or vegetarianism, if the fashion for this becomes widespread, then the vast acres of monoculture will become even more vast to feed the population. Any thoughts?
Veganuary
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Originally posted by ardcarp View PostCan't wait until Choctober, personally. However, being serious for moment, I'm puzzled by the science behind a vegetarian diet being considered good for the envoronment. I'm sure people have done their carbon and methane sums, but surely biodiversity counts for a lot. The interdependence of species seems pretty important to me. In the Wets Country where I live there is a rich pattern of small fields, hedgerows, pasture meadow and hill-grazing. The sheer abundance of bird-life, insect life and the presence of small mammals is a byproduct of this type of agriculture. In some Eastern parts of the UK there are vast tracts of arable fields, huge because the hedgerows have long since been grubbed out in the interests of mechanised farming. The soil and crops are regularly blasted by alternative doses of chemical fertilisers and insecticides. Whilst I respect any individual's right to choose veganism or vegetarianism, if the fashion for this becomes widespread, then the vast acres of monoculture will become even more vast to feed the population. Any thoughts?
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Originally posted by DracoM View PostLove Choctober.!!
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Originally posted by ahinton View PostOne aspect of the advocacy of veganism that I find notable is that, as the land around where I live is especially fertile due to at least two centuries of output from farmed livestock, I question the estent to which the notion of growing food for plant based diet on such land accords to vegan principles...
I do not have a problem with veganism per se but I do wish there was a bit more recognition and acceptance of the compromises/anomalies that it may cause. One that I came across recently when investigating vitamin supplements for a friend was that an increasingly favoured vegan Vit D supplement uses lichen from North American forests. Given the rate of growth of lichen that hardly seems sustainable, quite apart from the inevitable disruption to the local environment.
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Well...
Arguments for and against can sometimes emirate from interested parties in both corners. Meat production, especially beef, is likely to be considered less and less desirable for the environment, as it’s extravagant in land use. Equivalent protein yields from plant crops require only a fraction of land when compared with livestock farming. Forests are destroyed to grow soya beans just to feed bison in America. And then there’s the methane from all the oxen and bison, the effect of which may exceed the greenhouse gases produced by fossil fuels for transport.
The land use argument doesn’t apply in all circumstances. Animals can feed themselves in mountainous regions where arable farming isn’t a option, as long as they don’t eat fodder from arable areas.
Chicken farming is considerably less damaging for the environment, so here there’s perhaps room for compromise.
The livestock industry is starting to fight back on social media. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
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Originally posted by ardcarp View PostCan't wait until Choctober, personally. However, being serious for moment, I'm puzzled by the science behind a vegetarian diet being considered good for the envoronment. I'm sure people have done their carbon and methane sums, but surely biodiversity counts for a lot. The interdependence of species seems pretty important to me. In the Wets Country where I live there is a rich pattern of small fields, hedgerows, pasture meadow and hill-grazing. The sheer abundance of bird-life, insect life and the presence of small mammals is a byproduct of this type of agriculture. In some Eastern parts of the UK there are vast tracts of arable fields, huge because the hedgerows have long since been grubbed out in the interests of mechanised farming. The soil and crops are regularly blasted by alternative doses of chemical fertilisers and insecticides. Whilst I respect any individual's right to choose veganism or vegetarianism, if the fashion for this becomes widespread, then the vast acres of monoculture will become even more vast to feed the population. Any thoughts?
Keep up!
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Originally posted by Rjw View PostI understood that a huge proportion of the crops grown on arable farms are use to provide animal food to support the meat industry!
It does seem perverse to give over land to growing feedstuffs that cause ill-health and poorer quality meat and milk in cattle and in so doing lead to serious waste pollution issues in addition to the increased methane output resulting from the diet.
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Originally posted by Richard Tarleton View PostWhere? I don't follow, Rjw. In what way is ardcarp not keeping up?
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Originally posted by Rjw View PostI understood that a huge proportion of the crops grown on arable farms are use to provide animal food to support the meat industry!
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Originally posted by ahinton View PostNot only that, the soil around where I am is extremely fertile, mainly due to the land having been used for at least a couple of centuries for the rearing of livestock; one might wonder whether it would contravene the principles of fundemantalist veganism to grow crops for human or animal consumption in such soil...
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