Scottish Daily Mail

Attenborou­gh: I’m a middle-class hypocrite

Naturalist admits eating free-range meat troubles him

- By Eleanor Sharples TV & Radio Reporter

SIR David Attenborou­gh has said eating free-range meat is ‘middle-class hypocrisy’ despite admitting to occasional­ly enjoying it himself.

The veteran broadcaste­r, 94, said his conscience ‘troubles’ him when he eats fish and chicken because of the damage it is doing to the planet.

Sir David said: ‘The planet can’t support billions of meat eaters. If we all ate only plants, we’d need only half the land we use at the moment.’

Asked when he last ate meat, Sir David said: ‘Can’t remember, years ago.’ But then he added: ‘I eat fish, and chicken, and my conscience does trouble me.’

He told Radio Times: ‘I’m affluent enough to afford free-range, but it’s a middle-class hypocrisy.’

His comments come ahead of the launch of his feature film, titled David Attenborou­gh: A Life On Our Planet, which premieres in cinemas next Monday – before becoming available on Netflix next month. It looks back on the defining moments of his life and the environmen­tal devastatio­n that has taken place during that time.

Launching the film, Sir David said wealthier nations must ‘give’ in the wake of coronaviru­s and the time for ‘pure national interests’ is over.

He said the ‘consequenc­es could be apocalypti­c’ after his generation ‘muffed it’ on the environmen­t.

Sir David said: ‘[The] Covid-19 pandemic has caused, and will continue to cause, immense suffering. If there is hope that can come out of it, then that may arise from the whole world having experience­d a shared threat and found a sense that we are all in it together.

‘The same unique brains and communicat­ion skills that fuelled the developmen­t of our civilisati­ons now have access to technologi­es and institutio­ns that allow all nations of the world to collaborat­e and cooperate should we choose to do so. If we are to tackle climate change, enable sustainabl­e developmen­t and restore biodiversi­ty, then internatio­nalism has to be our approach.

‘In doing so, we must bring about a greater equality between what nations take from the world and what they give back. The wealthier nations have taken a lot and the time has now come to give.’

The broadcaste­r claimed the world is ‘at a crucial moment’, adding: ‘Humanity is at a crossroads and I think the natural world is really under serious, serious threat.’

 ??  ?? Warning: Sir David, 94
Warning: Sir David, 94

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