Recently in Climate Change Category

Livestock production is one of the major causes of the world's most pressing environmental problem - global warming.

The United Nations estimates that livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, a bigger share even than transport.

Next Monday, (December 7), world leaders from 192 nations will join 15,000 people from across the world in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Conference. Their explicit aim is to thrash out a global deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.

Understandably, livestock will be high up on their agenda and rightly so - there is a monumental potential for the livestock industry to make significant greenhouse gas savings.

If world leaders in Copenhagen are to succeed in their mission, they must spare a moment to look at how the UK livestock sector has responded to climate change.

Agriculture in the UK currently contributes 7 per cent to the total domestic greenhouse gas emissions - a relatively small amount when compared to the global average.

Yet the industry is still hell-bent on cutting that figure down further and on improving its green reputation.

A year ago the dairy industry launched its 'Milk Roadmap' to cut emissions. Twelve months on and huge progress has been made.

This week the meat industry followed suit.

The NFU, Defra, British Retail Consortium, British Meat Processors Association, Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, National Sheep Association and National Beef Association all joined with the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex) to draw up a 'roadmap' to reduce the environmental impact of red meat.  

The British Pig Executive (Bpex) followed suit two days later with its own strategy to cut emissions.

Increasingly British livestock farmers are using new breeding, feeding and management techniques to improve their efficiencies - which not only means less emissions but also greater returns. 

If these technological efficiencies could be transferred to some of the world's most inefficient farmers, global greenhouse gas savings would be immense.

Anti-meat campaigners are missing the point - the UK livestock industry is at the cutting edge of tackling climate change and campaigners need to work with, not against it to reduce global emissions.

Together we need to export our ideas, not our production.