Red meat’s role in health and environment
Our consumption of red meat is often criticised but it has a key role to play in our diet and our environment.
All red meat is naturally rich in protein, low in sodium and provides a range of vitamins, such as vitamins B and D, zinc and iron that contribute to good health and wellbeing. Asking people to avoid red meat risks them not realising they need to supplement the vitamins and minerals they were previously getting from their diet.
This is why AHDB is working more closely than ever with Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales – and Quality Meat Scotland, to counter misinformation on the role of red meat in a balanced diet. With the backing of Lions rugby star Shane Williams, television presenter and Celebrity Masterchef winner Angelica Bell and rugby player and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thom Evans, a social media campaign delivered information about the nutritional value, ease and versatility of lamb, beef and pork.
We’ve also worked with health professionals to provide a wealth of information about the nutritional value of red meat and that information is all available at meatandhealth.com
In the UK livestock are responsible for far less emissions than they are in many other parts of the world. Methane, which is a natural by-product of how livestock break down their feed, does contribute to greenhouse gases. However, in the UK livestock production is responsible for only around five per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, and the industry is working hard to reduce this further through breeding and feeding initiatives.
It’s also balanced by the fact that grazing cattle and sheep manage permanent pasture and are responsible for creating much of the English landscape that we all love and this acts as an effective carbon sink. Grazing livestock aid biodiversity and make use of agricultural land that could not be used for growing crops.
Effectively, take livestock off it and you take a massive amount of land out of food production at a time when our population continues to grow.
To continue to improve the environmental credentials of our beef and lamb, AHDB is working with others on a project to develop a mechanism for reporting the progress of our livestock supply chain in terms of environmental impacts.
It will identify the key components – such as greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and animal welfare – and the metrics associated with them to measure the current sustainability of beef and lamb production, track progress and compare with global competitors.
It will also recommend how a sustainability framework might operate in England, so the livestock industry can continue to produce the great quality beef and lamb that we all enjoy.
Clive Brown is AHDB Beef and Lamb Head of Regional Development
