December 7, 2011 - The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and the American Meat Institute (AMI) are taking on the myths associated with the environmental impact of meat production in the latest of their Meat MythCrushers video series.
The video, featuring Judith Capper, Ph.D., associate professor of the department of animal sciences at Washington State University, corrects an oft cited-but erroneous quote from a 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study claiming: "Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouses gases, a bigger share than transport."
The livestock sector's true contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is slightly more than three per cent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"Beef has made an incredible contribution over the last 30 years," Capper noted. "Advances in management, nutrition, genetics, health and welfare - all of these things have made our farms more productive, more efficient. We've cut the total carbon footprint per pound of beef by 18 per cent.
She added that all animal agriculture contributes just 3.4 per cent of the total greenhouse gasses and cattle are responsible for only 2.7 per cent.
