The following 2 letters appear in todays Redditch Standard. The environmental impact of animal farming has now been a hot topic in their letters page for 5 weeks running!!

Kevin

An abuse of animals and the planet

LES CLARKE in his letter last week contends among other things, that animal manure is essential for agriculture and that a complete shift to vegetarianism by the human race would be disastrous for the environment.
Far from this being the case, a shift to a fully vegetarian (vegan) outlook is increasingly needed for the benefit of people, animals and the environment.
Animal-based agriculture is harming the environment. For example, the immense damage done to the oceans by run-off pollutants from animal farms, such as the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
All livestock manures originate from the plants that the animals eat, and these do not have to be wastefully passed through an animal in order to provide fertility - far from manure being necessary it is inefficient, nitrogen fixing legumes and other green manures have been shown by the Elm Farm Research Centre and other bodies to provide the necessary fertility.
In an animal free organic system beneficial creatures would continue to thrive, no longer poisoned by agro chemicals. Livestock for the most part do not simply graze on otherwise unproductive land but need vast quantities of feedstuffs, which in the case of the West are grown in and at the expense of the developing world.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme 35 per cent of land degradation is caused by over-grazing and a further 30 per cent by deforestation, which is usually done to grow animal feed crops.
Livestock need another scarce resource in vast amounts - water. Raising farm animals requires far more water than the equivalent in plant foods. Even the hardly vegetarian Max Hastings wrote not so long ago that "Livestock are among the biggest consumers of water, yet are the least economic source of food. Far too many of the world's crops are grown exclusively as animal feed, a wildly unproductive use of water and grazing".
With increasing pressure worldwide on farming and the environment, debate on these issues, including Les's contribution, is welcome and vital. Anyone interested in the topic (and we should all be) should find out about the work of the educational charity Vegan-Organic Network at www.veganorganic.net and for more local information, see www.redditchveggies.org.uk or contact us at the address below.
Apart from the economic and environmental issues, humanity should aim to become more compassionate and move away from the exploitation of farm animals, rather than rush headlong into even greater abuse of animals and the planet, considered necessary to feed a growing population.

Kevin White
Redditch Vegetarian & Vegan Society

Woolly veggie logic

I WAS glad to read that Les Clarke (letters page, October 19) has no problem with veggies. However, I suspect that many veggies may have a problem with his lack of knowledge and woolly logic.
Firstly, he seems unaware of the distinction between vegetarians and vegans. Basically, the former drink milk and eat dairy products and even bird's eggs.
There are, as Mr Clarke points out, very good reasons to keep animals for the useful products they provide both while alive and after they die. Most vegetarians do not suggest that we stop keeping animals altogether, they simply suggest that doing away with the practice of keeping animals purely for slaughter would be more humane and would also free up large areas of land which are currently only used for pasture.
In countries where good farming land is scarce this could result in a greater variety of more nutritious crops. It is well known that if the amount of grass needed to fatten up a single cow for slaughter is converted into soya beans the result is several times the amount of protein.
More efficient composting, which we are now at long last moving towards in this country, would make up for any shortfall in manure. Cattle and sheep only eat vegetables - by making compost from vegetables we are merely missing out the 'middle animal'.
It is difficult to understand his point about insects. If there were a decrease in the number of insects this would presumably affect locusts and aphids as well. Anyway, no vegetarian that I have ever met is suggesting the sudden slaughter of millions of animals because we no longer want to eat them. Any change in the eco system would be gradual.
There are many good reasons to become a vegetarian, but the only good reason for eating meat that I have ever come across is that it tastes good! But that is due in no small part to the fact that most of us become used to the salty taste of meat from an early age.
I respect anyone's right to eat what they want, but it's important to get the facts right when helping people to make decisions about what they eat.

Basil Gotterick
Woodrow