FOOD FOR THOUGHT
LIZ BONNIN FINDS OUT HOW OUR HUNGER FOR MEAT IS IMPACTING ON THE ENVIRONMENT…
You may well view the contents of your fridge very differently after seeing this one-off film, which sees presenter Liz Bonnin look at the effects of the meat industry on the planet. Her quest takes her to the Amazon rainforest and even Silicon Valley, where scientists are growing chicken meat in a lab. Here’s what Liz had to say about her expedition…
Your documentary on plastics had a big impact – do you think this one will encourage people to eat less meat?
My job is to tell people what the scientific facts are. The latest research is saying that if we reduce to two portions a week we could mitigate some of the [environmental] impacts, but after that it’s everybody’s personal decision.
Deforestation by the meat industry in the Amazon is threatening the habitat of harpy eagles. What was it like seeing a baby one?
I was up a tree, and my vertigo was kicking in. I was like, “Lads, I don’t know if I can do this…” Then I saw the chick, and it’s the most magical animal I’ve ever set eyes on, bar the tiger, so that got me back in the zone. Afterwards, I found out that the locals had put a bet on me not getting up there!
You sample lab-grown meat in the film – how do you feel about that?
Well, there are indications that, potentially, the carbon footprint of lab-grown meat is higher than rearing chickens, so there are still questions to be answered there. But one of my main thoughts is that I’d like to see more encouragement to work with nature rather than against it.
You mention at the end of the film that you eat less meat now…
It’s happened really naturally that I just don’t feel I need to eat red meat any more, and I can see myself getting into complete vegetarianism very soon. We’re not telling people what to do, or to turn veggie, but if we can make gradual changes, it will go a long way.