Reducing our meat consumption, what consequences for French agriculture?
published: 08/02/21, 22:48
Subject resulting from a discussion start on the thread "vegetable garden of the lazy", but which was not really in its place because it speaks above all about the vegetable garden.
I copy the remark of Did67 and my contribution:
by sicetaitsimple »08/02/21, 19:34 PM
Did67 wrote:
In any case, when someone "seeks" me on the fact that I give "good hay" (well, mine is not, but I reason globally) to my vegetable garden, I answer one of the following two things:
- I find it more honorable to produce good vegetables with hay than to feed a horse that I will annoy him with scoliosis on weekends (700 recreational horses in France !!!!)
- and indeed, as you say, we have to rethink our overall system: we will be better off if we consume half the meat, which means a lot of hay saved! With which we can produce good vegetables.
It's a very interesting subject (consequences of meat consumption on the rest of agriculture), maybe it deserves a dedicated thread, unless it already exists?
Let's forget about "leisure" horses, it's very specific.
Apart from that, in France, those who eat hay are the cattle, and in a very minor way the sheep. Pork and poultry eat something else.
So reduce the consumption of beef? This is possible, of course, but it implies a decrease in milk production.
However, if we reduce the consumption of meat overall, it will be necessary to increase the consumption of dairy products (and of cereals, legumes, eggs and therefore of chickens, ...). And the size of the cattle herd is first of all linked to the desired milk production!
In short, it's interesting and complex. Of course, we can all go vegan! So there are the consequences on French agriculture ....
To your good heart for your reactions!
I copy the remark of Did67 and my contribution:
by sicetaitsimple »08/02/21, 19:34 PM
Did67 wrote:
In any case, when someone "seeks" me on the fact that I give "good hay" (well, mine is not, but I reason globally) to my vegetable garden, I answer one of the following two things:
- I find it more honorable to produce good vegetables with hay than to feed a horse that I will annoy him with scoliosis on weekends (700 recreational horses in France !!!!)
- and indeed, as you say, we have to rethink our overall system: we will be better off if we consume half the meat, which means a lot of hay saved! With which we can produce good vegetables.
It's a very interesting subject (consequences of meat consumption on the rest of agriculture), maybe it deserves a dedicated thread, unless it already exists?
Let's forget about "leisure" horses, it's very specific.
Apart from that, in France, those who eat hay are the cattle, and in a very minor way the sheep. Pork and poultry eat something else.
So reduce the consumption of beef? This is possible, of course, but it implies a decrease in milk production.
However, if we reduce the consumption of meat overall, it will be necessary to increase the consumption of dairy products (and of cereals, legumes, eggs and therefore of chickens, ...). And the size of the cattle herd is first of all linked to the desired milk production!
In short, it's interesting and complex. Of course, we can all go vegan! So there are the consequences on French agriculture ....
To your good heart for your reactions!