Isramart: Livestock cut urged to tackle carbon emissions

Isra-Mart news:
Britain could cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero in 20 years, creating new jobs in the process, if a range of controversial measures are introduced – including a call for an 80pc reduction in livestock numbers.

A new report, published today, which features input from 13 universities and 12 research bodies, including the University of East Anglia, urges the new government to break this country’s “fossil fuel addiction”.

Switching from petrol or diesel powered vehicles and cutting the number of short haul flights are key policies together with cutting livestock numbers, which generates 82pc of green house gases in the agricultural sector.

But Brian Finnerty, regional spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said while they support the view that farming has a part to play in carbon reduction, they take exception to the assumption that livestock production should reduce by 80pc.

“Simply arguing for a reduction in meat production and consumption fails to take into account the complex interactions within the food and farming system, and the fact that much of our agricultural land is unsuitable for arable and vegetable crops,” he said.

“British livestock production is based on grassland which stores more carbon than any other land use while at the same time producing some of the most breathtaking landscapes we all enjoy.

“This is particularly relevant in East Anglia. Next week we’re launching a new report on farming in the Broads, beside grazing land which was due to be ploughed up for arable farming in the 1980s, but which environmental groups fought to save.

“We now have environmental schemes across Europe which recognise the value of grassland such as this and how they are maintained by grazing livestock.”

The Zero Carbon Britain 2030 report, published by Centre for Alternative Technology (Cat), based in Wales, is said to be the first time an energy strategy has been produced that could reduce emissions to zero for all greenhouse gases and across all sectors.

“Zerocarbonbritain2030 shows how the right mix of wind power, hydro, solar, biomass – plus an intelligent grid to manage demand. We can ‘keep the lights on’ and supply the energy the country needs- with major win-wins across the economy,” Paul Allen, from Cat.

The report, aims to identify potential for “Powering Down” through reducing demand and “Powering Up” renewables to 100pc by 2030 – with no requirement for nuclear energy.

Marcus Armes, from the Low Carbon Innovation Centre, based at UEA, said: “The joint aims of reducing green house gas emissions and creating greater energy security are to be welcomed, and certainly this report give us some helpful pointers as to how to achieve these crucial goals.

“However, the good intentions go along with some political leaps of faith and drastic lifestyle changes which suggest it would be very difficult to realize the reports desired outcomes.”