Media release 5/1/07 - The Vegan Society - For immediate use

New UN report shows that environmentalists must reconsider their diets

A new project has been launched at the Oxford Farming Conference to advise farmers how to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

This comes soon after the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation published their report ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’. The report states: ‘At virtually each step of the livestock production process substances contributing to climate change or air pollution, are emitted into the atmosphere…’

Among its recommendations are changing the food given to animals, and yet it admits: ‘…feed and feed supplements used to enhance productivity may well involve considerable greenhouse gas emissions to produce them…’

Rosamund Raha, Head of Information at the Vegan Society, says:

“Tinkering around the edges of livestock production is not going to reverse global warming. Only a plant based diet will provide a solution. Further evidence is provided in a recent report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition which shows that an organic vegan diet has the least environmental impact of the seven diets considered. Environmentalists will need to take another look in their shopping baskets as drastic changes to farming practices are needed if we are to halt global warming.”

Ends.

Note to editors:

For further information contact Rosamund Raha, Head of Information, The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, St Leonards-on –sea, East Sussex TN37 7AA.

Telephone 01424 448829 e-mail Show email address.

References:

• The Vegan Society
• Vegan Organic Network
• UN, FAO, Livestock’s Long Shadow pages 79 and 120
• European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006). Evaluating the environmental impact of various dietary patterns combined with different food production systems. L. Baroni, L. Cenci, M. Tettamanti and M. Berati (pdf version).