What role can livestock play in a sustainable food system? In Meat: A Benign Extravagance, Simon Fairlie lays out a convincing case as to why eating meat and dairy is part of a holistic and sensible agricultural system.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why widely quoted figures on livestock's impact on the environment are misleading: from feed conversion ratios to water use to greenhouse gas emissions.
How a 'default livestock diet' makes ecological sense
The uncertainties and potential shortcomings of veganic farming
An (uncomfortable) reality: truly sustainable agriculture calls for the ruralising of society
