Source: Offaly Express
SPEAKING in Brussels where he addressed a hearing on climate change in the European Parliament, IFA President Padraig Walshe accused ex-Beatle Paul McCartney of leading a flawed campaign against meat that was contradictory on climate change.
Mr Walshe said the facts are sustainable and environmentally-friendly grass based beef production from Ireland, the UK and other EU countries is being replaced on the EU market with beef from Brazil, most of which is coming from chopped down Amazon rainforest areas.
He said cattle numbers in the EU are already down 25% since 1990. EU beef production is falling and the reality is the deficit in the market is being filled with imported beef from South America – mainly Brazil.
The IFA President said in recent years Brazil has cut down Amazon rainforest areas the size of Belgium to meet the additional beef export demand into Europe and other areas.
Mr Walshe said, “Instead of campaigning MEPs to reduce the livestock herd in Europe, Paul McCartney should be lobbying to safeguard grass-based beef production here. This policy will halt the destruction of the rainforest and do much more for climate change than his campaign to impose vegetarianism on the world.”
Mr Walshe said the less meat, vegetarian campaign promoted by Paul McCartney is also flawed because it would mean ploughing grassland areas, with a release of Greenhouse Gases and major climate change implications. He said grassland, where livestock are reared, provide an essential carbon sink in the overall climate balance.
IFA’s Climate Change Spokesman Sean O’Leary has pointed out that Ireland has a low-carbon model of beef and milk production. “Demand for food is projected to increase by 70% by 2050, with demand for meat expected to increase by 85% over the same period. Ireland’ is the third largest beef exporting nation in the world and the sustainable model of food production must be supported and developed to meet the increasing demand.”
He concluded, “reducing European beef production and cattle numbers would be a major own goal in the global battle against climate change as it will only accelerate the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and massively increase Greenhouse gas emissions.”
