Another beef with emissions solution

Idealism and reality are

colliding. It seems that often our best intentions

have unintended negative associated

outcomes.

Well, I should be smiling. The grass is growing and the cattle are looking fine. The beef schedule is okay and milk products are selling well on the global markets. However, this week my smile has been rather thin. Once again I am being heckled by the “Save The Planet” brigade who want our national herd of cattle substantially downsized and so reduce the methane discharges which are a greenhouse gas.

These people really do have a point. Less cattle worldwide would result in less bovine methane discharge. However, I am struggling to work out how the income from those highly valued exports will be replaced and how the offered alternatives for beef and milk will ensure the atmosphere and planet will be any better off.

One option, I am told, will be to use plant-based milk substitutes like almond milk. That can be purchased currently online for $34 a litre which surely must be a tempting bargain. The product information does not tell you that the flooded fields used in growing almonds also generate methane and the carbon footprint created in the production and transport of the product to New Zealand is not a good look.

Then I see that plant proteins can be chemically manipulated to create artificial cheese or icecream. They are energy hungry processes which inevitably will have pollution outcomes. And I am aware that by using wonderful science artificial meat is now in production and on sale. That has commendable outcomes with no animal welfare issues involved but is also dependent on high energy inputs.

The whole issue of working towards diets which have no negative environmental outcomes is commendable but will probably result in the removal of eggs and bacon from supermarket shelves along with tinned fish from Alaska, wheat from Australia, rice from Asia, bananas from Central America and pasta from Italy all of which have high energy inputs either in manufacture or packages and transport.

Idealism and reality are colliding. It seems that often our best intentions have unintended negative associated outcomes. Personally, I am not at all enthralled at the prospect of saving the planet by growing my daily rations as mung beans sprouted in the hot-water cupboard and cress on the windowsill to be harvested with scissors. I have no ambition to be steeping herbs picked from a balcony plant tub, in hot water, as a replacement for a good old cup of tea.