Food for Thought

Farmers reject ‘reckless’ study which likens harm of red meat sector to tobacco and fossil fuels (The Telegraph – 2 April 2022)

Scientists say that consumption of red and processed meat is a threat to both human health and that of our long-suffering planet.

This dire warning meats the requirement to get global warming into any news item. You certainly can’t have a beef with that. (It took me just three sentences.)

I want to bring this important story to the notice of my readers. I don’t want to chicken out of my responsibility, but please don’t think I am just fishing for compliments. No, I do not want to be cow-ardly and will grab my bull-horn to get my message out.

But, before I take the bull by the horns, I find myself on the horns of a dilemma. The fact is, I enjoy a nice piece of tasty red meat – there can be no mis-steak about that.

A spokesman for Hybu Cig Cymru, that’s “Meat PromotioAn” for any readers who do not speak Welsh, complained about the senseless comparison of meat with harmful products like tobacco. While both meat and tobacco can be smoked, they will end up in different parts of your body. It seems that some cannot stomach that. But we will not breathe a word about this.

The National Farmers’ Union came in for the heaviest scrutiny, although their deputy president was not impressed and said that the study was “reckless and unjustified”.

How things have changed over the years. A long time ago we had expressions such as: to put meat on the table and he’s a meat-and-potatoes person. Perhaps we should now say: take that meat off the table and she’s a potatoes and more potatoes person.

My apologies to readers; I was not trying to be punny about such a serious subject. But I hope that someone has herd me. This is certainly a case of food for thought.