Eco Tips — Beef Conundrum

Recently, many have called for a 50% reduction in the Irish beef herd, to reduce our national CO2 output. People are being asked to reduce their meat consumption, to reap both health and environmental benefits. However, beef farmers would need time to change to growing crops (although not all land is suitable for this). Consumers would need to embrace the consumption of more beans and lentils, nuts etc., especially so for vegans. While many types of beans grow well in our climate, many of the current “trendy” superfoods (that our modern more sophisticated palates enjoy) most certainly do not. Some are imported from Europe, but many come from countries that now earn so much from exporting to “rich” western regions that local indigenous people are deprived of their once traditional foods on which they relied. Two particularly problematic foods include quinoa and avocados, where social and environmental havoc is playing out in some areas of S America as a result of mass growing and exporting. Beef farmers may be an easy target, but the alternatives are not so simplistic or environmentally sustainable. Flying food around the world creates its own carbon footprint. A more sustainable approach is to buy as much locally grown food as possible.