FAIRR’s top news picks
Swapping 20% of Beef for Microbial Protein Could Halve Deforestation
The Guardian | 4 May 2022
It almost seems like a paradox that 83% of farmland is used for livestock and their feed crops, whilst the produced meat and dairy account for only 18% of the calories consumed by humans. According to the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index 2021/22, cattle ranching is estimated to account for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon. So, it is encouraging to see that swapping 20% of beef for microbial protein could halve deforestation over the next three decades. But how long will it take before we see such practices implemented?
Investors Warn Meat and Dairy Industry Facing a ‘Near Disaster’
Business Green | 4 May 2022
The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment reports highlight key risks and disruptions caused by climate change and how these disruptions will increase with further temperature changes. The FAIRR Initiative’s latest issue briefing stresses that these disruptions have particular impacts on agriculture – including livestock systems – with potentially material consequences for companies and investors. The global animal agriculture sector risks facing an Apollo-13 moment – a near disaster that will take urgent innovation to survive.
Cattle Burp Methane Emissions Detected by Satellites for the First Time
Bloomberg | 30 April 2022
The UN stresses that methane emissions must be reduced by a third by 2030 to slow the rate of global warming. By now, it is a well-known fact that methane emissions occur largely from human activity including agriculture, in which cattle are the biggest source globally. However, for the first time we can see cattle burp methane emissions detected in satellite data! Agriculture’s contribution to climate change is clear: annual emissions from California’s San Joaquin Valley are enough to power 15,000 homes.
Graphic of the Week
Source: Bloomberg
More Food for Thought
Americans’ Love of Beef is Helping Destroy the Amazon | Terrence McCoy and Júlia Ledur | Washington Post
FAIRR’s Protein Pulse is a weekly collection of news articles related to the food sector that may be of interest to our members. FAIRR does not necessarily endorse the views of these news articles and assumes no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies found in third-party content.