Beef Central Criticizes Vegetarian Diet

What a surprise – Beef Central has posted an article saying a vegetarian diet might be the worst thing a person can do if he or she wants to minimize animal suffering and promote sustainable agriculture. This website publishes information supporting the Australian beef industry, so might they be a little biased in their support of eating cows?

Beef Central’s article says that if more Aussies want a plant-based diet the result will be more intensive farming using herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and ‘other threats’ to biodiversity and environmental health. Let’s address their first point: actually many vegetarians typically DON’T want additional herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers and many are will to pay more for their food to get it organically. Heck, even some meat eaters will pay more to get organic beef, chicken, turkey, grains and veggies. Have they never heard of organic farming, or organic gardening? So no dice there, Aussie beef promoters.

The article goes on to say a very large number of small animals such as mice, snakes and lizards are killed to grow plants for human consumption, which is true. However the fact that livestock agriculture contributes up to 51% of human-made climate changes emissions is completely left out.

Why would they leave out this extremely important fact? Because it would completely blow their argument out of the water. Their article doesn’t end there though, it says we should be are on the side of the all the mice in the world that are killed by plant agriculture,

“Baby mice left in the nest sing to their mothers.” (Source: BeefCentral)

So it is okay to kill an enormous number of cows, pigs, sheep, kangaroos and so forth while changing the entire planet’s climate and adding to extreme weather patterns, because mice are also killed by agriculture?

What about the profound fact cattle production and destruction of wild habitats including forests contributes to climate change which is a very negative global effect that is damaging not only all land animals, but is also acidifying the oceans and killing coral reefs around the world which are sort like underwater forests with great biodiversity? Should we ignore climate change, habitat loss, species loss and the inevitable extinctions, so we can keep eating cows and try to save some mice that are already in huge supply?

What kind of logic is this?

The article also claims we should listen to mice more, as if there is a lack of mice in the world.

“We now know the mice have a voice, but we haven’t been listening.” (Source: BeefCentral)

Some of their comments sound like what Rush Limbaugh says about climate change.

Image Credit: Peggy Greb

Read more: Animal Rights, Environment, Nature, Vegetarian, Wildlife

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Sandi C.

9:33AM PST on Feb 11, 2012

NOTED!

send a green star

Eternal G.

1:51PM PST on Jan 13, 2012

It was to be expected!

colleen p.

5:29PM PST on Jan 12, 2012

Glenn A. what do you mean? how do you figure? they hunt the hoofed animals with spears. somehow some of these people can out pace the animal. they "out run" them by chasing them untill they collapse from fatigue then finish them off.(just like the noble wolf does, wolves are endurance runners, they chase prey untill they it tires.

Glenn A.

11:34AM PST on Jan 11, 2012

I am 55 and very healthy on my ALMOST vegan diet, I eat some WILD fish (NEVER that farmed crap)..and a bit of chicken..(ADVERTISED at least) organically fed, free-range,humane, once or twice a week, I just make sure the rest of my vegetarian diet consists of probably HUNDREDS of different fruits, nuts, veggies, spices and greens, not just lentils, tofu,rice and salads

11:24AM PST on Jan 11, 2012

Of course a beef consortium will bash vegetarianism/veganism!!! No surprise there...If one actually studies the historical eating habits of our forefathers..the ACTUAL hunter/gatherers, they will find that, it used to be that the women of a tribe would spend the food gathering portion of the day searching out berries, plants,legumes, grains,nuts and roots. The men would go off hunting for the meat portion of the diet..and that would consist of MAINLY small game, like rabbits, fowl, fish, squirrels, etc..and in some cultures, this is still the case...even in societies where there was larger game hunted, this was done on a special occasion basis, and of course, for winter, where they would end up drying or other preserving methods to keep them thru the lean months, till the small game was back in abundance. All of the game was hunted on a daily basis, and was of course ALL taken from the natural environment, where the animals were free to live as they lived, in openly healthy conditions, eating thier natural foods. The big problem with today is of course,people no longer eat this natural environment animal based food (Excepting of course, those that still hunt thier own)..and we no longer get the exercise the old style hunter/gatherers got either...The human body only needs about 25-30 grams of protien daily to live, and in our society, most get that, (a chemical laden,abused,artificially fattened animal portion at that), just at breakfast..then piles MORE on during the day.

Past Member .

8:26PM PST on Jan 9, 2012

Now there's a shocker. Not.

Emil P.

12:07PM PST on Jan 8, 2012

Tea-like drink made of leaves of various herbs Drinks very good for the health.
Pork and beef contain fat.

Brenda T.

2:40AM PST on Jan 8, 2012

It all boils down to making money.

Karen F.

8:28PM PST on Jan 7, 2012

Who would have guessed they are opposed to a vegetarian diet. "They just love to kill cows."