Nine scientific research papers published in the most recent world-renowned journal Animal Frontiers have confirmed the critical role red meat and livestock play in society, arguing that animal agriculture is key to the challenges around global food security.
Animal Frontiers is the third most-cited journal in dairy and animal science. The journal guest editors and authors are among the nearly 1,000 signatories of a declaration warning that livestock systems are too precious to society to become the victim of simplification and reductionism.
According to the journal, livestock farming supports the livelihoods of about one in six people on the planet. It supplies food, nutrition, income, and more to hundreds of millions of people and is of enduring cultural significance for many.
Experts who participated in the research called for this major new analysis to inform public policies and recommendations related to meat production and consumption.
“The peer-reviewed evidence reaffirms that the most prominent global study which claimed that consumption of even tiny amounts of red meat harms health (the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Risk Factors Report) is fatally scientifically flawed and should be retracted," said Alice Stanton of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. "In fact, removing fresh meat and dairy from diets would harm human health. Women, children, the elderly and those of low income would be particularly negatively impacted.”
"Animal-source foods are superior to plant-source foods at simultaneously supplying several bioavailable micronutrients and high-quality macronutrients that are critical for growth and cognitive development," said Adegbola Adesogan, Director of the University of Florida's Global Food Systems Institute. "Dietary recommendations to eliminate animal-source foods from diets ignore their importance, particularly the great need for these foods in diets of the undernourished in the Global South."
EDITOR’S TAKE:
It is wonderful to see that scientists are weighing in on the debate to do away with animal agriculture being offered up by climate alarmists. Science can clearly demonstrate that animal agriculture is truly a minor contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally. And, from this article, it is clear that nutritionists and economists also agree that animal agriculture is simply too important to society and the overall well-being of humans. It must be preserved! Besides, without animal agriculture most of the crops needed for livestock feed would not be necessary and farmers would disappear by the tens of thousands almost overnight. Then who purchases those trucks? Besides, I would take a good hamburger over crickets any day and twice on Sunday!!!
