Ministers hit out at 'go vegetarian' call
A GOVERNMENT adviser who claimed the public should turn vegetarian to save the planet has been slapped down by ministers.
Lord Stern, author of the influential 2006 Stern Review on tackling global warming, said that meat was a "wasteful" use of water and it created a lot of greenhouse gases, adding "A vegetarian diet is better."
In the Commons yesterday, he came under fire from all sides, with former Labour farming minister Jane Kennedy claiming: "If it is being suggested that vegetarianism will save the world, I am not sure that it is a world in which I want to live."
Shadow Environment Secretary Nick Herbert branded the call for people to give up eating meat as "totally irresponsible and damaging to our livestock industry".
In a sharp rebuke to Lord Stern, farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick told MPs that the comments were "not the position of the Government" and had been slightly exaggerated.
Mr Fitzpatrick insisted: "We support the British agricultural industry – we support our meat producers.
"We certainly believe in a balanced diet. There are a whole number of ways that emissions and greenhouse gases can be tackled and that's not the position of the Government or the department."
He went on: "It is for individual citizens, consumers, to decide what they eat and we support that.
"We say that Lord Stern's comments must be looked at in the perspective of the whole piece he wrote, not one quote, not one sentence."
The National Farmers' Union said Lord Stern's comments suggested "he does not fully understand livestock production" and that an "over-simplified message" does not "take account of the complex interactions within the food and farming system".
Earlier this year, it was announced that meat, eggs and dairy products could be stripped out of some hospital meals under radical plans to cook up "low-carbon food" for patients, visitors and staff.
The eco-measures were aimed at slashing the environmental impact of treating the sick, from the energy used in buildings to the waste produced by disposable medical equipment.
In an interview with the Times this week, Lord Stern claimed that public attitudes would evolve until eating meat was unacceptable.
"I think it's important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating.
"I am 61 now and attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed radically since I was a student.
"People change their notion of what is responsible. They will increasingly ask about the carbon content of their food."
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by Jen, Falmouth
Monday, November 02 2009, 10:37PM
“It is clear from reading some of these coments that alot of people don't have a clue about livestock farming! I fully accept that meat production is a large contributer in the emmisions thing but there is no way that giving up meat is the answer.
The agricultural sector needs to educated so that they can reduce their emmissions, but this will not happen over night - they will need to invest in machinery, develop animal and crop genetics and lots more. Perhaps people should reasearch the subject before adopting a meat free lifestyle. The Royal Agricultural Society of England website has some interesting reports that highlight both the carbon bad and carbon friendly aspects of meat production - by SCIENTISTS - not celebs, MP's or media hungry campainers!”
by Pasty girl, Redruth
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:55PM
“Well it would also help if this stupid Government stopped the eradication of planning laws, that let's farming land be built on. What about those of us who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome? It's impossible for me to live on a vegetarian diet . I have to completely balance what I eat. I don't think it's a mantra John Prescott follows looking at him!”
by Sarah, Ashamed to be British sometimes!
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:18PM
“Seriously???”
by Mike, Truro
Monday, November 02 2009, 4:05PM
“Oh my God, Meat Factories. Seriously.? My last bastion in life a decent steak because I can't smoke in public and everything else either gives you heart disease or cancer,,,or both. Leave my meat alone.
I promise this will never come to fruition. It's just another stupid idea by a stupid politician being supported and given support to by stupid misguided poorly educated people. Keep your hands off my sausage.”
by Steve, PZ
Monday, November 02 2009, 1:58PM
“What about dairy cows. So we dont eat them, we will still need cattle for milk, butter and ice cream. Or are we going to kill off every other animal on the planet so we can fill it up with grass eating people.
Population control is the only option that would work.”
by @rno, Holland
Monday, November 02 2009, 9:36AM
“All we think about is taste and money. If we continue in living (poluting and spoiling) the way we do now, we are not able to live in the very near future.”
by Chris, Cornwall
Sunday, November 01 2009, 11:46PM
“Jim, while you are broadly correct on the benefits of increased CO2 on crop plants, there is a trade-off with reduced reproductive fitness and viability of their seeds as all the nutrients go into fruit production. Wild plants will suffer more as they have even greater reduced reproduction fitness when affected by elevated CO2. They are not selectively bred by man and are under greater environmental constraints such as pollinators and dispersal agents, which will ultimately affect species composition and in turn, biodiversity. So it's not all good news.”
by Jim, Cornwall
Sunday, November 01 2009, 6:47PM
“Lord Stern is another global warmist whose theories are based on unreliable computer models. If the Met Office cannot even get the forecast right for the week ahead there is not much hope for their long term projections about climate change. This latest ridiculous outburst from Lord Stern smacks of desparation and to be frank is pathetic.He knows nothing about farming or how good CO2 really is.Without CO2 no plants would grow and there would be no food.In a planet with an increasing population higher CO2 levels will mean higher yields of crops and food generally.And as a postscript, the theory that CO2 makes the world warmer has never been scientifically proven.Since 1998 the world has become cooler whilst CO2 levels have gone up.I rest my case.”
by dan, london
Sunday, November 01 2009, 6:39PM
“What a travesty that in 2009 with information that available, so many people are still so very ignorant to the health risks of consuming so much red meat. Just walk out your front doors and look at the disgusting rates of obesity. 1b+ people in India survive on a vegetarian diet & the virtual red meat free diet of the Japanese ensures that they live longer & healtheir than any other race of people. Stop eating meat, I did and have never felt better, you fools.”
by A, Cornwall
Sunday, November 01 2009, 3:39PM
“I am 17 and have been vegetarian since i was 12 so am slightly biased but i've heard that the majority of global warming is caused by meat factories. Maybe its possible that everyone does not have to give up meat but still cut it down by targetting the problems the meat factories are causing. I do think that if everyone is going to meat though it should be free-range or organic so at least the animals have a good life first.”