From time to time, on euronews.com, some propagandist articles appear with content that makes you smile, makes you angry or both, and not necessarily in this order. But what’s this about? Well, from the author itself we find out that:
We can replace meat with cheap, low-carbon, non-subsidised plant-based meat and in the process spare animals, the climate, and our bodies from the harms of conventional meat, Sarah Lake writes.
The title says it all and you already know when it’s going: “We need cheap protein — but it doesn’t have to be meat”
True, most of the people are happily buying cheaper things or services, protein included. But what is wrong with the meat though?
- spare animals – unless we’re eating what we’re hunting, we’re sparing nothing. The farmers will match demand with the offer, and they will raise a bigger or smaller number. If an animal is raised only for meat, and the demand is not there, that animal won’t be even born. Beside that, the whole ecosystem on this planet involves at some point an animal eating other animal. Humans are no different than that, and eventually they also can become food for worms, completing the cycle. That being said, having decent conditions for animals and providing them the best care possible is a completely different topic, that won’t be addressed by reducing the amount of available meat.
- the climate – it’s a really gray area and quite debatable if raising cows for example destroys the environment. Methane might not even warm the earth as much as touted.
- (spare) our bodies – that’s complete non-sense. For thousands of years people are eating meat and they were doing just fine. Ask the people in Yakutia for example what they believe about eating meat (or any other population in the coldest areas of the globe). Eating meat is not destroying your body. Being hungry is. Keep it balanced with the rest of your meals and you’ll be living a happy normal life.
While there is overwhelming evidence that the only way we can reach climate goals is by reducing the volume of meat consumed globally ...
The only way to reach climate goals??? What about ending fossil fuels and punishing the natural gas? Or all the other elements that are not fitting the green agenda? And where is the overwhelming evidence? More like overwhelming propaganda.
The author admits though that the alternative is actually, more expensive:
On average, plant-based meat is twice as expensive as conventional meat products, and with no end to the cost-of-living crisis, consumers need affordable protein options.
Probably twice as expensive and ten times crappier. Notice here that they’re advocating for industrial-made crap, called “plant-based meat” (which is soya mixed with some attractive chemicals; in extension the 'meat' production can be easily controlled by big corporations in factories). This article is not actually encouraging you to eat more vegetables and less meat.
The article continues but right in the middle there is a picture with “French President Emmanuel Macron and Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau drink Calvados, a brandy from Normandy, in Outarville, south of Paris, September 2022”.
What’s the relation between brandy and the rest of the article, hard to say. Other than you need a stiff drink to continue reading. Anyway...
The articles continues to complain about the size of the subsidies that the farmers are receiving. The makes the industrial meat to look bad. Their solution here is to end subsidies for the farmers, making all the food more expensive, or according subsidies to the industrial produced meat, that, equally to the green energy, is more expensive and non attractive at the normal (unregulated) market prices.
The article ends on the same note:
We can replace cheap, high-carbon, subsidised meat with cheap, low-carbon, non-subsidised plant-based meat and in the process spare animals, the climate, and our bodies from the harms of conventional meat.
One more thing to add, this “subsidised” meat is not at all cheap, and it’s becoming more and more unaffordable for most people. Don’t look at burgers price, which are low-quality meat anyway, but go to buy a kilo of steak and you’ll notice the “cheapness”. Repeat that several times per month, and imagine feeding a family of 4-5.
The good part is left for the last:
Sarah Lake is the executive director and co-founder of Madre Brava, a science-based advocacy organisation working to bring the food system in line with the 1.5C climate target.
Science-based means pretty much that you have to imagine some sort of trickery. It might or not be the same science that promoted shady Corona vaccines, mask mandates and forced lock-downs, but who knows? Bringing the food system in line with the 1.5C climate target sounds serious. Almost like this limit was artificially invented. But hey! Shut up now and eat your worms! Or plant-based "meat", whichever your prefer.
Cover: https://pixabay.com/photos/meat-food-protein-shish-kebab-1155132/
