 Less
meat to help save the planet
21 August 08
 People
should eat less meat to help tackle the challenge
of climate change, according to Eurogroup for
Animals. The animal welfare organisation is taking
part in a consultation by the European Commission
on what the European Union's approach to a global
climate change agreement should be. Eurogroup
is advising to cut back on meat, and when people
do eat meat it should be produced to higher animal
welfare standards.
The major impact livestock production has on
climate change was highlighted in a report by
the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO):
Livestock's
Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options.
Livestock and related activities such as deforestation
and increasingly fuel-intensive farming practices
are responsible for more than 18% of human made
greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than the
global emissions of the transport sector.
Livestock farming also contributes excessively
to land use effects, since enormous amounts of
crops are cultivated in order to feed the animals.
Worldwide, livestock production occupies 70% of
all land used for agriculture, which corresponds
to 30% of the Earth's land surface.
Global meat production is expected to double to
465 million tonnes in 2050 due to people eating
more meat and diary products.
Eurogroup director Sonja Van Tichelen said: "Climate
change is something that will affect all of us,
but by adjusting our diet we can already make
a difference. Eating less meat will not only benefit
your health, it will also lead to fewer harmful
emissions. And by choosing to buy only meat produced
to higher animal welfare standards you will help
animals and the climate alike."
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For
a Europe that cares for animals
European
parliamentarians are being urged to vote for a
proposal to ban cloning for food, which is detrimental
to animals at every stage. The motion for resolution
has been initiated by the Intergroup on Animal
Welfare, and urges the Commission to prohibit
cloning of animals for food and any products from
cloned animals and their offspring. MEPs are expected
to vote on the motion on September 2. The EU is
currently considering whether to approve cloning
for food. It is opposed by animal welfare organisations
such as Eurogroup for Animals as it is an inefficient
process that causes animals to suffer.
The
painful practice of hanging birds upside down
for slaughter should be phased out over the next
few years, according to an influential organisation
dedicated to animal welfare. The Farm Animal Welfare
Council (FAWC), an independent body which advises
the British government, has been researching the
slaughter of birds such as broilers, turkeys and
geese, and will be releasing a report in the next
few months. Professor David Henderson said they
were greatly concerned about so-called live shackling.
This involves hanging birds upside down in a shackle.
It is known to be painful for birds as it puts
pressure on the periosteum, a very sensitive tissue.
