Vegg-a-swizz
‘Cows fart so much methane.’
‘Veganism will save the world.’
‘Dairy is a danger to us all.’
It bothers me that Irish vegans believe themselves to be less of an environmental burden than your average egg eating, milk swigging, steak salivating Paddy.
Undeniably, meat is a carbon offensive. Dairy therefore too. So I understand the perceived virtue of opting out of these products, in favour of plant based protein alternatives like tofu, soya beans, chickpeas, quorn, nuts et al.
A quick google search into ‘reasons to convert to the vegan faith’ will paint a simple picture. Producing protein from plants takes up less land, and emits less carbon than producing equivalent protein from meat or animal products. This is correct theory. However, these nice bright avacadoey web articles omit the complicated bits. What about the impact of shipping these protein alternatives across the globe? (they come from Asia and America). Air-miles matter. are Ssurely this massive, carbon-guzzling feat hugeexpenditure of energyheavily outweighs the former gain? Furthermore, eEven if these protein alternatives are more environmentally friendly on an agricultural level, so many of them have to be intensively processed in order to be consumed. , that De facto: the energy expenditure involved in your protein punch far outweighs what is required for more natural products like eggs and fresh meat.
To give you a solid (or liquid) example, it is plainly lunacy to imagine that drinking almond or soya milk in place of Avonmore is softening your blow to the planet. It takes 5 litres of water to grow one almond. Drought-stricken California is planted with 80% of the world’s almond crop, thus requiring irrigation. Furthermore, the production of soya beans is felling the rainforests - soy requires vast tracts of land to meet an theever-rising demand. T But to add to the complexity of the issue, the majority of soya crops are used to feed livestock, in order to meet the ever hungrier appetite for an animal product based diet.
I believe that there is no and simple blanket answer to this diet quandary - much as the vegan corners of the internet,and instagram extremists would like us to believe. We need to think about where our food comes from, and how it was produced. IFor instance, in Ireland we a re have the rare privileged that we haveto seek outthe chance to (, relatively easily,) seek out meat that is grass-fed (and therefore soya bean free!) But Nonetheless, moderation is still key to enjoying it - even if Bord Bia impresses the stuff on us at a prodigious rate.
To sum up, the most ethical and conscious choice will not be the same here, as it is in Australia, China or America. Local cheddar cheese may be more sustainable than chia seeds. Though it sounds trite, obvious, privileged, and somewhat ‘yummy-mummy’; buy and eat food that is local and least processed.
One final thought to end this rant of mine:
Why can’t we in Ireland start producing our own, non-meat, sources of protein on a large scale? Pulses (like chickpeas, lentils, peas and beans) can be grown in temperate climates. To think that Walter Raleigh introduced us to the South American potato in the 16th Century, what could our national diet and dish be like in 100 years time?
