Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's argument ignores the fact that rearing cattle for beef is, in itself, a destructive practice. It is like arguing we should burn coal, peat or oil in an efficient way while ignoring the fact that we must stop burning fossil fuels if we are interested in protecting the environment. Research from Bard College in New York indicates that beef's environmental impact dwarfs that of other meat, including chicken and pork. It uses 28 times more land and 11 times more water than those other meats. Increases in meat consumption in rich countries in recent decades has led to spikes in the price of grain used for animal feed, as well as leading to widespread deforestation and pressure on agricultural land. It has also contributed to the obesity epidemic.

The Minister's claim that we can produce beef more sustainably than other countries is true but the fact remains that we are heading in the wrong direction. The production of beef is more strongly linked to emissions than anything else in the agricultural sector. We seem to be going off a cliff at this stage. The Minister has indicated we are increasing the dairy herd and reducing the beef stock but there would be no milk without calves. Is it not true that we are bound to have more calves if we are to have more milk?

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