Press Release - New scientific evidence shows that climate change policy makers must

New scientific evidence shows that climate change policy makers must put livestock reduction plans on hold.

The National Beef Association is keen to emphasise that arguments based on already acknowledged errors in an outdated 2006 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN) report on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) were mis-conceived.  These errors wrongly put consumers under pressure to cut back on red meat because its consumption was, mistakenly, said to be a leading contributor to accelerating global warming.

Late last month the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, was among those who wrongly claimed that red meat in the UK’s diet was warming the planet.  He made this statement even though new information correcting the FAO’s exaggerated old claims on the impact of livestock farming had already been released in the press and other media. 
 “The US academic, Frank M Mitloehner, Professor of Animal Science at UCD (University of California at Davis) singled out the often-quoted 2006 study on global warming “Livestock’s Long Shadow” as the basis for a number of flawed claims, and clearly stated that concentrating on eating less meat and dairy products would not assist in combating climate warming,” explained NBA Chairman, Christopher Thomas-Everard.
“The NBA agrees with Professor Mitloehner, (who is a farm animal air quality specialist), that the report claiming that livestock exceed transport as a contributor to global warming is not only scientifically inaccurate but is also distracting UK, EU and world government thinking from embracing effective solutions to more urgent problems.”
“The blame for this fundamental misconception lies in a section of the superseded FAO 2006 report which read: ‘The livestock sector is a major player responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2e. This is a higher share than transport.’
In contrast, Professor Mitloehner has calculated that transport creates an estimated 26 per cent of GHGs, whereas farming livestock accounts for only three per cent.”

Christopher Thomas-Everard explained that one of the authors of ‘Livestock~s Long Shadow’, FAO livestock policy officer Pierre Gerber, told the BBC News that he accepted Dr Mitloehner~s criticism.  Mr Gerber said: ‘I must say honestly that he has a point - we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn~t do the same thing with transport, we just used the figure from the IPCC,’ so the 2006 report is flawed in its comparison’.  

Christopher said he is relieved that Pierre Gerber openly admits this.  He went on: “This should surely show all those who have been critical of eating red meat, that they have been victims of misinformation.
Policy makers should accept that UK livestock farming is already well on the way to meeting the lower GHG emission targets proposed for 2020 (since 1990), partly because it is already producing meat more efficiently, and partly, and ironically, because we now have to buy in 20% of our beef from abroad.” 
He said “in reality, pasture oxidises methane to a far greater extent than any eructation from methanogenic bacteria in the rumen of cows (54 to 120 kg of CO2e (e=equivalent) /cow) or sheep grazing it.  The amount of carbon captured and stored by soil under grazed pasture ranges from 132 tonnes/hectare (ha) of CO2e in dry, degraded, soils, to 8.7 tonnes/ha ascertained in December by Sydney University, to 700 kg/ha in wet, badly managed, grassland; (stocking is commonly 1 cow/ha)”. 
Christopher quoted from the much more recent (13th January 2010) FAO report entitled “Fighting climate change with grasslands - Vast potential seen in pastures” which states that an “immediately feasible target would be to place 5-10 per cent of global grazing lands under carbon sequestration management by 2020, which could store 184 million tonnes of carbon a year” (see http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/38916/icode/.)
Eat beef and lamb with a clear conscience, knowing the benefit of the carbon stored in the grazed grassland.
For more information contact:
Christopher Thomas-Everard, NBA Chairman.  Tel: 01398-324-200
Notes to Editor:
The amount of carbon captured and stored by soil under grazed pasture ranges from 132 tonnes/hectare (ha) of CO2e in dry, degraded, soils, to 8.7 tonnes/ha ascertained in December by Sydney University, to 700 kg/ha in wet, badly managed, grassland; (stocking is commonly 1 cow/ha)”.  (see http://soilcarboncredits.blogspot.com/ and www.amazingcarbon.com)