Meat and livestock can be part of the climate solution, MLA says
Promotional body Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched the first in a series of short animations through which it aims to debunk myths about the environmental impact of red meat production in Australia.
This first film explains how methane from cattle is part of the natural carbon cycle, demonstrating the differences between the environmental impact of emissions of methane from cows and that of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.
If cattle numbers stay the same, the video says, the methane produced by cattle, which breaks down in around 12 years, will make no contribution to additional global warming, unlike emissions of carbon dioxide from our use of fossil fuels. “What’s really exciting,” it adds, “is that if we reduce methane emissions from cows using innovative technologies, the red meat and livestock industry can be part of the climate solution.”
There will be five animations in the series, with others addressing topics such as nutrition, sustainability and traceability. MLA said its aims was to address “a growing thirst for knowledge from the community about food provenance”.
MLA managing director, Jason Strong, said the animations are also part of the meat industry’s efforts to be more transparent and to counteract misleading claims about the credentials of red meat production systems in Australia.
“Comparing different greenhouse gases is a very complex topic,” he said, “but it’s vitally important for people to understand the systems that we live within, the impacts, and most importantly, what we’re doing about it,” Mr Strong said.
