"Ultimately, if left unchecked, environmental degradation may threaten not only economic growth, and stability but the very survival of humans on the planet." UN FAO, Nov 06.

Notes on talk at Friends Meeting House, by Tony Wardle, associate director of Viva (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals), about the deadly interrelations of the Meat and Dairy industry, economic growth, and climate change. Meat and Diary production courses 18% of climate change, greater than the entire global transport industry (13.5%)

Viva is the biggest vegan campaigning organisation in Europe. Wardle is the author of a hot new report called Diet For Disaster, which can be obtained from the Viva web site. Here are some notes from his talk:

Beef is the most land intensive form of food production, with a conversion ration of 17:1 (17 parts vegatabe, to produce one part meat), compared with fish farming which has a ratioo of 3 or 4 to one.

Meat and Diary production courses 18% of climate change, greater than the entire global transport industry, which causes just 13.5%. The main caurses are farm machinery, fertilisers, methane from animals, and nitrous oxides from manure.

Meat consumption (Kg / capita / year): US 125; UK 75; India 1.25.

70% of agricultural land worldwide is used to feed animals. 40% of animal feed is wheat. Rape and maize are also prevailent.

Other problems caused by meat and dairy production include:

• Deforestation and the loss of carbon sinks. Rainforests are being cleared for cattle rearing (70%), and fodder (30%). 18M tonnes of soya are exported from the Amazon each year, and it is all GM)
• Animal welfare (80% of animals are reared in factory farms)
• Desertification, and the increasing marginalisation of people
• Water polution (from groundwater runoff)
• Antibiotic resistant superbugs - the greatest concentrations of these are found around factory farms. Superbugs are alive within the intestines of 10% of children in the UK. They have the ability to transfer antibiotic genetic material to other species of bacteria. Very worrying!