“I wasn't saying that you said CO2 was a "toxic gas" Theo. Others within the UN have though. Even AL Gore has used those two words to describe CO2. I have to agree with Lord Monckton who was interviewed by Alex Jones the other day about the UN. He said "We would all save billions if we shut down the UN and all of it's hideous bureaucracy". I totally agree with him. I hate the taste of veggie burgers Theo. Best place for them is in the bin. Prefer a good meat burger with plenty of hot relish and some soft cornish yarg cheese on top. Good quailty meat from a local butcher. You may not be using Soya based products Theo, but many vegetarians do. Freethinker”

“Has anyone here seen me posting that CO2 is a "toxic gas"? No.

But lots of people post that there is so little CO2 in the atmosphere it is of no importance.

Then,like Freethinker, tell us it is essential for life - which it is.”

“Soya is not grown to make vegeburgers. It is overwhelmingly grown for animal feed, especially in the UK, for chicken feed.

By the way - I am a very good cook and cooking is my domestic hobby. And I cook brilliant veggie food - tonight a tarte tatine (an Irish apple pie - the crust is on the bottom, which is cooked with the crust on the top and then flipped over ;-) ). No need for soya, and no veggie I know uses it.”

“Well, that's one way of putting it Charles. It's always nice to let the wind flow freely. Had nature or God decreed that CO2 was a highly toxic gas, we wouldn't be here now. Life on Earth is dependent on this life giving trace gas. The more, the better I say. The greenies are very misguided people, Theo inparticular. Best Freethinker”

“:) Well said Justin! . . A really excellent diatribe! . I'm proud of you. . That's what you call, really telling the leprachaun'.

"Wherever you be,
Let your wind go free!
For holding it in,
Was the killing of me."

On a tombstone in the country in Australia.”

“Hello my green Irish blogger. The UN's Livestock's Long Shadow had aims of assesing the full impact of livestock sector on enviromental problems. From the way I see it Theo the Livestock's Long shadow document accuses the cow of the worst enviromental crimes- land degradation, water pollution, acid rain, bio-diversity and habitat loss, deforrestation. It seems that the UN scientists, those highly trustworthy guys who gave us "Climategate" and the useless, corrupted UNIPPC have stated here that cows and ruminants are responsible for generating 65% of anthropogenic nitrousoxide, 64% of anmonia, and 37% of the worlds methane. When you say to me about more industrialized agriculture I have to laugh. The double standards of the UN is beggers belief Theo. Even an Irish saint would be astonished. We are being told by the media and greenies to eat less meat and more non-meat products like Soy milk and veggie burgers etc... the production of which is the principle reason of deforrestation in the Amazon. The other use of Soyabeans for those degrading land use practices. It's used heavily for intensive, industrilized farming. Such as confinement animals-beef and diary cattle, pigs, poultry and fish for which pasturised cattle are blamed. The rainforrests are, in my view, not cleared in any drastic measure by independent farmers who graze a few cattle, no Theo, they are cleared by UN supported corporate giants under the policy of the world elleviating poverty all for the production of more of their seeds, which are genetic, rather than natural seeds. Seeds developed by bio-tech companies like Monsanto etc... The real paradox of this rubbish UN report is the way in which it avoids dealing with the twin conundrum of mass-scale monoculture grain production and confinement animal feeding operations. These in my view are the two destructive pillars of a industry gone bad. The UN loves to point it's dictator finger not at bad management pratices like feed and confinement dairies,but at the cows themselves, and certainly not at the the bo-tech companies like Monsanto, but the real farmers, who raise livestock in accordance with natures true principles on grass. Let the cows produce as much methane as possible. I'm all for more CO2 Theo, it's never done this world any harm, and it won't in the future either. Freethinker”

“@ Freethinker.

You posted:

"More UN propagandist junk science. First we have the deindustrialisation of our Western World...."

Ummmm. No. The "Long Shadow of Livestock" suggests a move to a _more_ industrialised livestock farming.

Did you didn't read it before posting?”

“:| The world will still be here with livestock farming as a necessary part of man's existence on this planet, long after we have both gone to meet our maker. . . As I said to Justin earlier, you all haven't yet understood just how insignificant we all are in the scheme of things. . . Best Charles”

“A long comment of mine is in the moderation queue.

But for the moment.

"The Long Shadow of Livestock" can be found on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's website. (fao.org)

An interesting and radical critique of this, and of interest to organic farmers, can be found on the Guardian's website. Input "simon fairlie" (the author) and "a lot of hot air" into the Guardian's search box.”

“@ Sharon Daw, Callinton.

I agree with your post.

You are facing up to the free market. If you are of my age, you will recall that Maggie Thatcher said that prices should fall, and the consumer should force this fall by "shopping around" for the lowest price.

New Labour may be bad for farers - but so was Thatcher.”