Some balance is needed in discussions about the impact of beef on the environment, says the science director for the Beef Cattle Research Council.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month spurred headlines about cattle being detrimental to the planet - even worse than cars.
"Big headlines like this grab attention, but if someone put out a report saying 'eat a healthy, balanced diet,' that's not going to get the headlines," says the BCRC's Reynold Bergen.
While he agrees with the researchers' findings that cattle have a larger environmental footprint than other animals used for meat, Bergen says there are several flaws in the study.
"We know when you see tall green grass, there are big long healthy roots underneath the ground. That's carbon sequestration," he explains. "That did not get reflected in this new study."
The researchers also did not account for the increased biodiversity when land is used for cattle rather than annual crops, says Bergen.
He also takes issue with the researchers using numbers from a study of cattle production in Iowa and applying them to the entire United States.
"One thing that doesn't add up is they said we don't have good numbers for these things, but they didn't make an effort to get good numbers. They went back to a 2010 paper that modeled beef production in Iowa and then they extrapolated to the whole US," he explains. "The problem is beef production in Iowa won't reflect the way cattle are raised in Vermont or Colorado. The authors actually admit that, but they go ahead and do it anyway and come out with this indictment that doesn't really hold water."
Bergen says he also agrees with the authors' comments on the need for better data on the impact of cattle on the environment.
"We agree there aren't a lot of really good numbers, so what we're doing is co-funding a study through Agriculture Canada, doing a historical assessment of how the beef industry's environmental footprint has changed over the years," says Bergen.
"We know the beef industry has environmental impacts, but it has environmental benefits too, and so we just want some balance to the story."
Source: PortageOnline