My grandparents and uncle ran a dairy farm, the cows spend the winter in barns fed on silage and cow nuts (which uses arable products including imported soya these days).
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
It's the beef and dairy in the US and Brazil etc that is carried out in confined 'lots' or inside buildings as you describe. I deliberately didn’t specify which countries. I was only interested in showing the effect on the planet. I don’t know how the cattle raising industries of the USA and Brazil compare in size to the British cattle raising industry, but I imagine it’s “lots”.
From the same article, we can see Europe's dairy industry is relatively low impact (in terms of CO2 at least). Still much higher than plant based milk of course - you're adding an extra animal into the food chain.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
@pansyface .... back in the 40/ 50/60s farmers were paid to grub up hedges ... it was in order to increase national food production desperately needed as a result of the two wars.
For many years now farmers have been encouraged to farm in a more sustainable way and to repair the damage done in former years. This is just a small extract from the website of a farm I know well ...
"... In an effort to reduce our Carbon Footprint, widen the range of crops grown and to produce renewable energy. In 2008.......... (we) became shareholders in Agri-Gen, an anaerobic digester which produces 4MW of electricity. This energy is used to provide power to the Onion and Potato stores while the digestate residue from the A.D process is returned to the land to enhance the nutrient content and organic matter. Around 90 acres of Willow Trees have been planted on low lying marshlands, providing vital habitats for wildlife, while producing quality Wood for Cricket Bats over a period of two decades. The Willows are replaced as they are harvested with whips from the Willow Tree Nursery also on the farm. We also intentionally sow wild flower seeds around field boundaries to encourage wildlife and provide habitats for native species..."
My grandparents and uncle ran a dairy farm, the cows spend the winter in barns fed on silage and cow nuts (which uses arable products including imported soya these days).
Lots more farmers have reverted to using silage and barley-meal nowadays, and locally grown legumes rather than imported soya nowadays.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
No, I don't consider vegan to be inherently healthier. I have lived with far too, many 'pizza and chips' vegans who eat out of packets. I could quite happily live on Coke and Hobnobs, convincing myself I was being low impact. [Cue the Coke bashing].
On the subject of alt milks, I hear tell of UK grown potato milk coming along which tastes great and ticks lots of boxes. In Canada there is a wonderful soya milk (they don't sell it here). I never tasted anything as good in the UK and can't get on well with oat milks.
I have a terrible history of oestopororis in my family and keep a keen eye on my calcium levels, which have usually been so low they are off the chart. This makes me wary to cut dairy (having been vegan for a while). I suspect dairy will now be the last thing for me to change - though I fully support the movement.
@Fire If you want to cut dairy and still keep your calcium levels up you can use calicichew *-D3 Forte which gives you 500mg of calcium and 10 Micrograms of vitamin D3 a day. You can buy them online , but in my case my wife is prescribed them by her GP so we share them as she simply asks for another prescription when needed.
I take one a day over the winter as I don't get out as much due to the weather and I want to keep my Vitamin D levels up and as I have haven't taken milk in tea for 40 years and always have black tea and use water in my porridge with a bit of sugar on top I don't get calcium or D3 from milk.
Might be an option for you if you wish to cut milk from your diet.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
I used to take a calcium supplement ... unfortunately it seems that my body does not absorb them well and it lead to me developing very painful calcific tendonitis in my joints. When I stopped taking the supplements and upped my intake of dairy (mainly skimmed milk and yoghurt) the condition has become much less painful and I am more mobile again. I have to ensure that my calcium levels are ok because I take levothyroxine.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@Fire I take Cod Liver Oil capsules from October to March. I also, have a history of osteoporosis in the family and take a supplement Vitamin D all year round as prescribed by my rheumatologist. I don't have milk either in tea (after a ghastly experience in New Delhi with yak's milk!) but eat cheeses and yoghurts.
My OH has cut out red meat and I eat very little as it is terribly expensive here in France. I like poultry and prefer to splash out on duck - breast (on the BBQ) and legs in a slow cooker. So with some fish and lots of pulses, we have a good variety, but as we get older, our appetites are less, anyway. (Not forgetting the fresh vegetables from the garden and summer veggies that I have frozen.)
Being from NZ, I learn that we have the highest methane production and due to this, a hole in the ozone layer. In fact, this happened a long time ago. War time and post war farmers were always encouraged to produce and we, the consumers, we encouraged to consume - remember the half pint bottles of milk at playtime? Yes, there is diversity there now and lots of vegetarians and many vegans.
I still love a bushman's breakfast from time to time - bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs and fried bread!! Then it's celery/Perrier for a week!!
Posts
For many years now farmers have been encouraged to farm in a more sustainable way and to repair the damage done in former years. This is just a small extract from the website of a farm I know well ...
"... In an effort to reduce our Carbon Footprint, widen the range of crops grown and to produce renewable energy. In 2008.......... (we) became shareholders in Agri-Gen, an anaerobic digester which produces 4MW of electricity. This energy is used to provide power to the Onion and Potato stores while the digestate residue from the A.D process is returned to the land to enhance the nutrient content and organic matter.
Around 90 acres of Willow Trees have been planted on low lying marshlands, providing vital habitats for wildlife, while producing quality Wood for Cricket Bats over a period of two decades. The Willows are replaced as they are harvested with whips from the Willow Tree Nursery also on the farm. We also intentionally sow wild flower seeds around field boundaries to encourage wildlife and provide habitats for native species..."
There are also vast acreages being 're-wilded over Suffolk and Norfolk, from Ken Hill in Norfolk (site of Springwatch and Autumnwatch this year) ... just two of them are https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/rewilding-projects/wild-ken-hill,
Somerleyton on the Norfolk/Suffolk border https://www.privatesomerleyton.co.uk/rewilding/
and also the vast 're-wilding' of the 5,000 acres 'Wilderness Reserve' in Suffolk by Jon Hunt.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@Fire
If you want to cut dairy and still keep your calcium levels up you can use calicichew *-D3 Forte which gives you 500mg of calcium and 10 Micrograms of vitamin D3 a day. You can buy them online , but in my case my wife is prescribed them by her GP so we share them as she simply asks for another prescription when needed.
I take one a day over the winter as I don't get out as much due to the weather and I want to keep my Vitamin D levels up and as I have haven't taken milk in tea for 40 years and always have black tea and use water in my porridge with a bit of sugar on top I don't get calcium or D3 from milk.
Might be an option for you if you wish to cut milk from your diet.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My OH has cut out red meat and I eat very little as it is terribly expensive here in France. I like poultry and prefer to splash out on duck - breast (on the BBQ) and legs in a slow cooker. So with some fish and lots of pulses, we have a good variety, but as we get older, our appetites are less, anyway. (Not forgetting the fresh vegetables from the garden and summer veggies that I have frozen.)
Being from NZ, I learn that we have the highest methane production and due to this, a hole in the ozone layer. In fact, this happened a long time ago. War time and post war farmers were always encouraged to produce and we, the consumers, we encouraged to consume - remember the half pint bottles of milk at playtime? Yes, there is diversity there now and lots of vegetarians and many vegans.
I still love a bushman's breakfast from time to time - bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs and fried bread!! Then it's celery/Perrier for a week!!