Nutrition and meat consumption are probably two of the most controversial subjects on the entire Internet. I’m really not sure how we arrived at this point, but here we are. So, before I share some of my thoughts about these subjects a few disclaimers are due. First, I don’t pretend to have a societal solution for balancing meat consumption with animal welfare and environmental concerns. My considerations are very much on a local and individual level. Moreover, I acknowledge that they might not be relatable to every individual depending on personal factors. Second, I have no intention of changing anyone’s mind in relation to their diet or ethical choices. However, if you are still undecided about the ethics of eating meat and seeking answers and solutions, this article might be helpful and give you a few ideas.
There is no doubt that animal farming, especially on an industrial scale, can create a number of animal welfare issues. I will not dive into them here and for those interested in exploring this subject further, I recommend an excellent book “Treated Like Animals: Improving the Lives of the Creatures We Own, Eat and Use” by veterinarian and naturalist Alick Simmons who I interviewed on my podcast. Intensive farming, sometimes referred to as “factory farming”, can also pose several serious environmental problems. Direct and indirect wild habitat destruction is the major one. This is a leading cause of biodiversity loss due to landscape changes and pollution. These are well-documented facts and are commonly used by those arguing that we should limit our meat consumption or stop it altogether.
Another piece of the puzzle in this debate is nutrition. Nutrition is still a very young discipline, compared to well-established ones like chemistry, for example. It is immensely complex and still insufficiently understood. There is a whole slew of peer-reviewed research with contradicting findings. At this point, there is not enough research on this subject and the data points examined in most of it are limited owing to the practicalities of constructing a study. So, short of being a zealous proponent of one point of view while ignoring the other, we have to take a common sense approach and use the best available science as much as we can.
So, is it possible to continue consuming meat while taking care of the environment and having ethical and animal welfare issues at the forefront of your mind? I am convinced that the answer is “yes”.
Let’s start with the environment, because the environment is the basis for ecology, health and well-being. In the UK and Ireland, but also in many other parts of the world, the natural environment and its ecology have been damaged through various human activities. For example, we extirpated large carnivores which caused major imbalances in the ecosystem. This has resulted in the population of ungulates being largely left unchecked. For the purpose of this piece, I will ignore livestock and its environmental impacts and focus on wild ungulates, namely deer.
Deer are fast breeders and with a warming climate resulting in mild winters, their breeding capacity can exceed 30% per annum. With the absence of natural predators and other factors that can naturally limit their population, their numbers quickly pass the carrying capacity of the habitat they occupy. The result is not only agricultural damage but more importantly, for the sake of this writing anyway, damage to the environment in the form of overgrazing and suppression of natural processes like vegetation succession and regeneration. This in turn impacts other species of animals through the loss of their habitat. Some species of songbirds like the nightingale would be a good example of how habitat loss causes population decline.
It comes as no surprise that such a situation creates a requirement for removing the excess deer through wildlife management practices. So far the only practical measure as it pertains to ungulates is lethal control. And this brings me to the animal welfare element. If you think about it, death from the hunter’s bullet is the most humane way a deer could die. Those animals are not dying from old age. They are either pulled apart alive by predators (not an option in the UK and Ireland) or they drown, freeze or starve to death. Or get hit by a car. From that perspective, being shot dead could be the best choice!
At this point, it’s clear where I’m heading with this. Controlling deer numbers, either through organised culling or by hunters, is required to protect the environment from the imbalances introduced by human activities. And as most of you already know, deer are made of meat! So I would submit to you that eating venison is the most environmentally friendly way to keep meat in your diet. And if you are worried about welfare aspects, you can take this into your own hands too, by diligently training at the shooting range. So when it comes to squeezing the trigger you will make a quick and humane kill.
So, if you want to get clean, lean and nutrient-dense meat for you and your family while taking care of the environment around you and being in the driver’s seat when it comes to animal welfare, grab a rifle!
This piece is an expanded version of an article I wrote for the Peoples Countryside Environmental Debate blog in the leadup to the Environmental Debate Live and Unscripted that was held last April at the Bothy Vineyard in Oxfordshire. I was presenting my thoughts during the panel discussion titled “Is it possible to continue consuming meat while taking care of the environment, being self-sufficient and having ethical and animal welfare issues at the forefront of your mind?”
Given the demographic attracted to this event, I was expecting to be challenged more by the audience. And that was the expectation of the organisers too, as well as the hosts who after the event admitted that they were “worried about me a bit”. Surprisingly however the topic of hunting and killing animals was not picked up at all and instead, the focus was entirely on meat consumption and related social justice considerations. Apparently, consuming less and higher quality meat will not cut it either, according to a large portion of the audience, as poor people need cheap meat. It’s a bit of a conundrum as it seems like any and all proposed solutions, going vegan included, will be met with some sort of criticism.
I’m curious about your thoughts on this, so please share them in the comments below and let’s continue the discussion.
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