Clarkson’s Farm and the climate crisis both put a reduction in meat and dairy on the news agenda this week
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is on the naughty step once again this week after he announced the proposed level for the seventh Carbon Budget would require an -87% emissions reduction from 2038.
While there was a couple of mentions of how his green energy actions will benefit water scarcity and safeguard food production, the main worry is, of course, Mr Miliband will adhere to the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee’s last report which proposed cutting meat consumption by a quarter by 2040 including a 35% cut by 2050 (40% for beef and lamb) and a 20% reduction in dairy consumption by 2035.
So, here we go. Our livestock farmers once again the target of Government policy that appears to lack any common sense or any loyalty to those that keep us fed.
Luckily, the latest season of Clarkson’s Farm was released to raise our spirits – which all things considered had already been buoyed by his Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir and their storming win on Britain’s Got Talent at the weekend.
Meat-free diet
But within moments of the opening credits, we witness Jeremy wired up in hospital after being days, as he tells trusty sidekick Kaleb, from a potentially fatal heart attack.
After sharing graphic details of how doctors discovered serious arterial blockages and fitted stents, he also revealed he had been ordered to give up red meat as part of a major lifestyle overhaul.
For farmer viewers, this presents an uncomfortable reality. Britain produces some of the highest-welfare beef, lamb and dairy products in the world all of which has been regularly championed by Mr Clarkson. But none of that changes the growing clamour of voices linking excessive consumption of red and processed meat to higher risks of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.
The answer is not to demonise farmers or demand that everyone become vegan. As with the climate, solutions are never that simple. Meat and dairy remain valuable sources of protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12. For many people, particularly children and older adults, they can play an important role in a balanced diet.
Should Mr Miliband need a little reminder, for farmers on the ground, out in all weathers day in and day out, climate change is more than evident as they tend their crops and livestock. And what’s more there is a great many of them doing their best to meet and overcome the challenges.
Farming must lead conversations
But what is clear is that British farming should not fear these conversations. In fact, it should lead them. Where is Defra’s response to Mr Miliband, outlining how its policies are meeting the need?
Mr Clarkson’s diagnosis and the work farmers do as custodians of the countryside are a reminder that supporting farmers and safeguarding public health and the environment are not opposing goals. Both depend on a food system that values and should champion quality and care.
