In what consider shocking, due to the apparent direction of the Biden administration, US Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack stated ‘If we are going to feed 9 billion people, you need meat protein. We will need plant, animal and fish protein.’ Seemingly a pro Ag, pro Beef sentiment, not exactly endorsed by members of the Democratic party – at least, not the more vocal ones.
In an interview with The Guardian, Secretary Vilsack said, Americans can carry on eating meat while keeping the world within safe limits on global heating. I do not think we have to reduce the amount of meat or livestock produced in the US. And a significant percentage is exported. It’s not a question of eating more or less or producing more or less. The question is making production more sustainable.”
He did add the caveat that general livestock production could still be made more efficient, which along with other measures to reduce green house emissions in the Ag sector would be enough to meet the reductions desired.
At Cop26, the US, EU, and others signed deals to reduce their global emissions overall up to 30 percent by the years 2030. Just how exactly this goal will be reached exactly is not yet clear – and will likely vary in affect industry to industry, country to country.
Vilsack said: “If you reduce methane by livestock by 30%, by food additives or different feed, or you capture the methane to biogas – take the manure and use it as biofuel – then you have made livestock production more sustainable. I do not think you need to reduce meat consumption to get that.”
He added: “If we are going to feed 9 billion people, you need meat protein. We will need plant, animal and fish protein.”
He also made mention that the US was engaged in financing demonstration projects for new technology, among different farming techniques and methods that are being tested for roll out. Though, the specifics are not certain on what these new projects, technology, and techniques are yet. However, the US, along with UAE, are main investors in a $4 billion grant given to the Agricultural Innovation Mission, which is also backed by more than 30 other countries.
Vislack stated again, “The climate crisis threatens to disrupt food systems around the globe, exacerbate food insecurity and negatively impact farmers’ livelihoods. We must invest in innovative, science-based solutions to help agriculture mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
However, his remarks seemed to agitate certain groups, among them Greenpeace, which holds that meat diet, in particular the appetites of Americans, are responsible for a majority or emissions, and more needs to be done than not. Greenpeace also holds the thought that, among emissions, that meat diets are a direct driver of deforestation worldwide.
John Sauven, director of Greenpeace UK, accused Vislack of being basically in the pocket the meat industry, stating, “It’s time politicians stopped giving cover to the industrial meat industry. At the moment they get a free ride and we pay the price for their huge health and environmental impacts.”
