{"id":13021,"date":"2020-07-06T12:42:09","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T10:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=13021"},"modified":"2020-07-06T12:57:37","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T10:57:37","slug":"when-you-make-a-choice-you-also-choose-its-consequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/when-you-make-a-choice-you-also-choose-its-consequences\/","title":{"rendered":"When you make a choice you also choose its consequences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Birthe Steenberg, European Livestock Voice: “We won’t tell you what to eat, drink or wear. But what we’d like to show you is our point of view. Because when you make a choice you also choose its consequences.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Birthe Steenberg<\/strong>, Secretary-General of Avec<\/strong> (Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU Countries) and one of the spokesmen for the European Livestock Voice<\/strong> initiative, during the webinar “The future of meat<\/em><\/a>” \u2013 see video below) organized by the student association SIB Groningen<\/strong> of the homonymous Dutch university, explains why meat<\/strong> and therefore the livestock sector<\/strong> are so important.<\/p>\nWe will not tell you what to #eat, drink, or wear. But what we would like to show you is our point of view. Because when you make a #choice, you also choose its #consequences. #MeatTheFacts <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Starting from the role of meat in human evolution<\/strong> and from the larger size of our brain thanks to its consumption over the millennia, Steenberg moves to a very interesting detail: the health<\/strong> conditions of hunter populations that, even today in some parts of the world, consume large quantities of meat<\/strong>, from the Inuit<\/strong> of Greenland to the Hadza<\/strong> in Africa, passing through other populations of Asia and the Americas. Birthe Steenberg<\/strong> points out that, with meat consumption in some cases reaching 500 kg per person per year<\/strong>, health problems of these people are much lower than those found in developed societies<\/strong>, which, despite having much lower meat consumption<\/strong>, maintain very different lifestyles (and often a very different diet).<\/p>\n

Sedentary <\/strong>lifestyle, over-processed<\/strong> foods, replacement of animal proteins with high-calorie plant-based foods<\/strong> (with the same amount \u2013 133 g \u2013 and protein \u2013 28 g \u2013 for example, a chicken breast has 140 kilocalories, compared to 430 of a bean dish) show it is not the amount of meat<\/strong> that is causing health problems<\/strong>, but it is a set of many other factors.<\/p>\n#Sedentary #lifestyle, ultra-#processed #food, replacement of #AnimalProteins with #HighCalorie #VeggieFoods: it is not #meat creating #health problems, but a combination of many factors. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Listed by Steenberg are also the reasons why livestock and agricultural sectors are complementary<\/strong>, always remembering that the necessary reduction of chemical fertilizers<\/strong>, as well as organic farming<\/strong>, would not be possible without manure<\/strong> and natural fertilizers<\/strong> from farms.<\/p>\n

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Another important subject matter in the webinar: What are the main sources of greenhouse gases<\/strong> related to human activities? Despite what some environmental NGOs are saying almost obsessively, the main sources are not farms<\/strong>. Time to look at the true origins of climate change<\/strong>: energy and transport<\/strong> in the first place. It should also be remembered that the agricultural sector<\/strong> has seen its emissions falling by a great deal<\/strong> in the last thirty years, for reasons that, especially in Europe, ranging from reduced production compared to the past to greater efficiency<\/strong> (it is produced more than before, with fewer resources).<\/p>\nThe reduction of #ChemicalFertilizers, as well as #OrganicAgriculture, would not be possible without #manure and #natural #fertilizers from #livestock. #MeatTheFacts <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

And what about animal welfare<\/strong>, a very sensitive subject by both farmers and the Western public opinion? Well, Birthe Steenberg<\/strong> recalls during his speech that European legislation<\/strong> is the most stringent in the world<\/strong>, based on scientific data and facts<\/strong>, and then it deals with the real needs of animals<\/strong> depending on the species they belong to. The problem is, points out the Danish expert, that today this topic is addressed more emotionally than scientifically<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The risk, following a purely emotional<\/strong> and often irrational approach (that of people willing the end of industrial farming in Europe), is to demolish our excellence<\/strong> and then importing meat and animal origin food from third countries<\/strong> far from respecting European rules on animal welfare, respect for the environment and workers, safety, etc. A risk we’re already taking, actually. In this way, everything that has been done in recent decades in Europe to achieve greater levels of efficiency and sustainability<\/strong> would be in vain. Legislation that is overly anti-meat like that is trying to make its way in the coming years could devastate the entire livestock sector and much of the agri-food sector, leading us to depend on non-European realities in animal foods supply<\/strong> (lower in quality and less “ethical”).<\/p>\nWe need to know the #science and the #facts behind #AnimalProduction, in order to adopt the right #policies. #MeatTheFacts #FarmToFork <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

In conclusion, pointing out that the world’s demand for meat is still growing<\/strong>, Steenberg explains what a world without farms would be<\/strong>, listing the environmental, landscaping, cultural and economic damage that would be met if this were actually to happen (behind every European farm there are at least 7 jobs in rural areas<\/strong>). Let’s then remember that animal productions are not all the same<\/strong>. Biological<\/strong> ones, for example, strongly promoted by the European Commission<\/strong> also through the Farm To Fork<\/strong> strategy, are excellent, but require, for example, more water<\/strong> and other resources.<\/p>\n

We must, therefore, know the science and the facts behind animal production<\/strong> in order to adopt the right policies, Steenberg points out because if we only rely on emotions, we can make choices that are wrong and dangerous<\/strong>. For both animals, human health, and the environment.<\/p>\n

Here the speech by Birthe Steenberg<\/strong>, in English.<\/p>\n

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