If you've been to our trainings or seminars, you may have noticed that food at IBG events is mostly vegan. You wonder why? Here are 7 reasons why we want to consume less meat:
1. Deforestation of the rainforest
Our diet has a greater impact on the global climate than you might think. In South America alone, 40 percent of the rainforest was cleared for pasture land and growing animal feed in the past four decades. With the increasing clearing of the forests, also forest fires can spread faster. The reason why we need the rainforest is clear: the Amazon Rainforest processes more than two billion tons of CO2 every year and produces about 20% of all oxygen worldwide. You do not live in South America, so what does that have to do with the meat you eat? Much of the animal feed grown there is exported - for example to Europe.
2. Greenhouse gases
Another effect of meat consumption on the climate is the production of greenhouse gases: The livestock industry is the cause of 14 to 18% of greenhouse gases emitted worldwide. That's more than all traffic worldwide (13.5%). Cows, for example, emit large quantities of methane, which is produced during digestion of the feed. When the manure of cows is used on fields, nitrous oxide is produced. Methane and nitrous oxide are significantly more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide: methane is 25 times more harmful, nitrous oxide almost 300 times. This explains why production of one kilogram of beef causes between 7 and 28 kilograms of greenhouse gases. Fruit or vegetables cause less than 1 kilogram. Eating less meat, therefore causes less greenhouse gases.
3. Pollution of groundwater & waste of water
The pigs kept for farming in Germany produce twice as much sewage as the human population. The consumption of animal products contributes to the production of more liquid manure and thus contaminates the groundwater and soil with, among other things, nitrates and phosphates. Why do we need clean groundwater? For our drinking water for example.
There is also an enormous amount of drinking water being used for the meat we eat: up to 15,000 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kilogram of beef. This high amount, as much as you use for taking a shower every day in one whole year, is needed for the irrigation of the crops grown for animal feed and the animals' drinking water. Meanwhile, 2 out of 5 people worldwide have no permanent access to safe drinking water. Conscious nutrition and eating less meat thus saves valuable drinking water.
4. Unfair distribution
For 1 kilogram of meat, you have to plant 10 kilos of crops for animal feed. Farmland for meat and dairy production covers 83% of land worldwide - but only 18% of our nutrition needs. About 1 billion people worldwide are starving. Less meat consumption means that land can be better used and potentially more people can be fed.
5. Soil erosion
Erosion destroys fertile soil. The earth is easily removed by wind and water. A quarter of the world's land surface is degraded, dry land and deserts are spreading. This loss of fertile soil puts the lives about 1.5 billion people on our planet at risk. What's the reason for erosion? Intensive agriculture, the overgrazing of the areas with too many animals and the over-use of land. But also chemical fertilizers, pesticides and mechanical compaction which reduce life in the soil layer and thus the fertility of the soil. Around 70,000 square kilometers of land turn into desert every year due to the erosion of soils. That's about the size of Ireland.
6. Industrial farming
Producing animals industrially for the benefit of meat, milk, eggs, and other food is an issue that does not only concern animal wellbeing but bears a whole complexity of problematic standards in food safety, work safety, food hygiene, live transportation, and animal handling. The unethical treatment inside industrial slaughterhouses affects farmed animals and workers alike, thus, the reasons not to support this industry is manifold. Cattle, pigs, chicken, and many others are most often slaughtered well before they reach old age or even maturity. During live transportation that can last for several days, many feel distress, cold, hunger, thirst, and pain. Hygienic standards are not always met due to insufficient training or time. Studies from South Africa, USA, and the UK have documented how slaughterhouse workers are underpaid, without health insurance or even safety gear, and struggle with mental health symptoms that range from nightmares to suicide. Many are exposed daily to an intense time pressure and a normativity of physical violence trying to keep up in an industry that slaughters over 220 million land animals per day.
A significant difference can be found on small-scale farms across Europe, on which farmers keep mammals and birds in a natural environment and provide only natural food like grass, hay, and silage.
7. Health risks
Because industrially farmed animals are forced to live in a very small and often crowded space, in most cases prophylactic antibiotics will be mixed into their food to prevent the spreading of potential diseases. These antibiotics are ultimately consumed by those who eat the meat of these animals. The excess of antibiotics leads to a development of multi-resistant germs, which are dangerous to human health. In small-scale organic farming, abuse of medication is not necessary, as the animals have enough free space and are fed and kept in a healthy and hygienic way.
So, it is bad to eat meat?
If you're not waiving meat for ethical reasons, meat in small quantities can cover part of your nutritional needs and is not harmful to your health; especially if it comes from animals that are fed organic food and kept in natural surroundings (as in grass-fed cattle husbandry, for example). In industrialized countries, however, there are plenty alternatives that substitute meat well. Here, eating meat is seldom important for survival or a healthy diet. At events and seminars, we deliberately provide vegetarian and vegan food, not because we want to prohibit you from eating meat, but because we want to question this still prevailing social norm and encourage more conscious consumption. Vegan diets also help us very well in providing for a diverse group of people with different eating habits or allergies. And, of course we know a lot of really good vegan recipes.
You think the topic is interesting and would like to learn more about it? You would like to cook vegan more often but are missing the recipes? You can always contact us to discuss sustainable food or exchange suggestions, ideas, and tips for our everyday life and work.