Time for accuracy on environmental sustainability of beef production in UK, urges National Beef Association

Mistruths and scaremongering giving public a blinkered view

Fake news and misinterpretations of the truth are giving the British public a false and damaging view of the beef industry within the UK, risking the future of a sector leading the way globally in environmentally sensitive beef production.

This is the damning verdict of the National Beef Association (NBA), the representative voice for British beef farmers, as it demands accurate and transparent reporting on beef production, and in particular its impact on the environment.

Chris Mallon, NBA chief executive said, “It is important to remember that the UK’s beef production is an environmentally sustainable industry, and a sector that continues to support the UK economy and rural communities.”

In a week when Goldsmiths, University of London, announced it was to ban all beef from its canteen in its drive to become a carbon neutral campus, Mr Mallon continued, “Whilst we applaud Goldsmiths University’s efforts to reduce single use plastic on campus as a means of reducing the carbon footprint, we need to get a more balanced message out to the public and consumers.

He said, “Recent media coverage has led to a mass misunderstanding of the effects of beef production on the environment and the failure to recognise far more environmentally damaging industries. 

“It would be more beneficial to the University, and others aiming to reduce their carbon footprint, to ensure that all of their produce, including beef, is UK produced and locally sourced from an environmentally sensitive grassland production system.”

The UK continues to lead the way globally in environmentally sustainable beef production and this should not be compared or confused with environmentally damaging beef production systems elsewhere across the globe.

The NBA warns that a failure to provide a balanced message to the public could put the survival of the UK industry under threat, with the sector already under pressure from price squeezes from processors and retailers.