|
Myth
|
It takes 50,000 litres of water to produce a kilogram of beef
|
|
Fact
|
These figures arise from 'virtual water figures'. Virtual water figures attribute every drop of rain that falls on a farm to the production of red meat, ignoring that most of the water ends up in waterways such as dams and rivers, is used to grow trees and plants and is absorbed in pastures not grazed by cattle.
Virtual water figures were never intended for environmental measurements.
A more appropriate figure is from a life cycle assessment that calculates the amount of water used to produce a kilogram of beef from grazing on farm to exiting the processing facility. A 2009 life cycle assessment carried out by The University of New South Wales for three beef production systems in southern Australia found that it takes between 27 to 540 litres of water to produce a kilogram of beef.
Find out more about Water Management on farms. |
|
|
Myth
|
Livestock produce more emissions than the whole of the transport sector combined |
Fact |
This commonly quoted figure originated from the 2006 United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report, Livestock's Long Shadow. A subsequent 2010 review of this report by scientists from the University of California Davis found that the FAO paper used two different methodologies to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and resulted in an unfair comparison.
Following this paper one of the initial authors of the FAO report, Livestock Policy Officer Pierre Gerber, told BBC News he accepted the criticism.
"I must say honestly that he [Professor Mitloehner, UC Davis] has a point; we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn't do the same thing with transport".
In Australia, energy generation represents 37 per cent of Australia's emissions, compared to 10 per cent for livestock.
Find out more about Reducing Emissions on farms
|
|
|
Myth
|
Cows are solely responsible for methane emissions |
Fact |
While the livestock industry makes a significant contribution to methane emissions, livestock emissions are only one contributor to methane levels in the last decade. Other contributors are wetlands, termites, fossil fuel use, landfill and industrial processes.
Livestock farming also helps to absorb carbon emissions through sequestration - the ability of plants, shrubs, grass and soil to store carbon.
A worldwide analysis on the effects of land management on soil carbon showed that comparing forests and well-managed pastures there is, on average, about 8 per cent more soil carbon under well-managed pasture than under native forests.
It is also important to note that atmospheric methane concentrations have remained relatively stable since 2000, despite significant increases in livestock numbers globally.
Find out more about Reducing Emissions on farms
|
Myth
|
Replacing red meat would be beneficial for people's health |
Fact |
Red meat delivers nutrients essential for health and wellbeing including: protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins and long chain omega-3s.
Australian's should eat a balanced diet with meat, vegetables and grains. To do this in a country with only 7% arable land, great care needs to be taken to use the land and water appropriately. Cattle and sheep are able to sustainably convert roughage on land that is otherwise unsuited to crop production. Without animal agriculture, this land would not be effectively used to produce food, as it is unsuitable for arable farming.
Cattle and sheep grazing are not exclusive and many cropping programs integrate sheep and cattle grazing into their rotation, improving soil health and productivity.
Find out more about red meat and nutrition.
|
Myth
|
It is better for the environment to eat less red meat |
Fact |
All food production has an environmental impact, which is important to understand when looking at how Australia can continue to feed a growing population in an environmentally sustainable way. By just looking at one environmental factor, such as emissions, it is impossible to get a complete view of sustainability.
It has been estimated that to substitute the level of protein provided by red meat production in Australia with a vegetarian diet, it would mean finding an area the size of Victoria and Tasmania combined to add to the land currently used for plant-based food production.
Australian soils are frequently unable to sustain cropping on a continuous basis and rotation with livestock provides an essential environmental break to renew soil productivity as well as an income for farmers throughout the year.
Additionally, by grazing arid and semi-arid lands, the livestock industry is able to produce food on land that is unusable for providing any other food source.
|