The True Cost of Meat

(This article was written for my degree and was designed to go on a website, the facts are from various online sources referenced at the end)

No one agrees with murder. Yet billions of people every day are providing profit to a business which promotes just that. Killing animals to satisfy our wants is murder. It isn’t just the animals meat eaters are affecting either, the planet is also suffering. Climate change is constantly in the media today and there is a good reason for that.

There are several main issues to consider – Green House Emissions, Land and Food Distribution, Animal’s Rights, Factory Farming and Getting the right Nutrients .

Green House Emissions

At least 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from animal farming. That makes it one of the top three contributors to climate change. The United Nation’s top climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri states “[...] UN figures suggest that meat production puts more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than transport.” The newspapers, and recent television campaigns have all focused on electricity and transport but these facts suggest it is our diets that need addressing the most.

Livestock emit large quantities of methane which is an even bigger problem than the largely publicised Carbon Dioxide. In fact it has been quoted as being 23 times worse. Nitrous Oxide is hundreds of times worse again and can be found in the manure produced by farmed animals. These are such shocking figures that it is surprising more hasn’t already been done to stop it.

The average weekly consumption of meat in the UK is between 1kg and 1.6kg per person. Researchers at the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Tsukuba, Japan found that producing 1kg of beef results in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the amount of CO2 emitted by the average car over a distance of 250 kilometres. Taking these statistics into account it is clear that eating meat amounts to vast amounts of pollution. Of course the transportation and storage of the animals also adds to the meat industry’s already enormous carbon footprint. The fact that what we eat has such a big effect is good news on the one hand as our diets are one of the easiest things to change. This means, for all those who simply cannot give up their cars, they can still reduce their own carbon footprints by eating less or no meat each week. For more on this see the section on Meat Free Monday’s .


Land and Food Distribution

It is estimated that 20 vegetarians can be fed on the amount of land needed to feed one meat eater. Although this may not be exactly correct it certainly is the case that meat eaters consume a disproportionate amount of the world’s available food which is not going to help the 800 million people in the world who currently cannot get enough nutrition. It takes 8 kg of grain to produce 1kg of beef: so if everyone were to switch to a plant based diet it would be a much more efficient way for the world to get its required nutrients. The more land used to farm animals the less land there is to grow crops. If the demand for meat stays high, then so does the demand for land. Fewer crops mean higher prices for the crops, much too high for the poorer countries to afford. This can’t result in anything good, only more suffering for those already without enough food.

This demand for farming land also leads to deforestation. 90 per cent of Central American rainforests have been cleared for cattle and crops to feed those animals. This means destroying natural habitats of many already endangered species. Cutting down trees also has a further negative impact on the environment as there are fewer of them to absorb the extra carbon dioxide being produced.



Meat Free Monday’s


Meat Free Monday is a new initiative promoted by Paul and Stella McCartney. They are both already well known to those involved in campaigning for animals as they continue to support many of Animal Aid’s campaigns. This campaign of their own is described on their website as an ‘environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption’. Many people remain ignorant of the true cost of their diets and this new idea plans to change that. It is very difficult to convince everyone to become vegetarian but the McCartney’s are aware of this and by starting small, hope they can make a big difference. You can visit the official website here.

If all inhabitants of the UK adopted Meat-Free Monday, it would be more profitable for the environment than taking five million cars off of the road or replacing one billion normal light bulbs with their low-energy equivalents. These statistics prove that it is within our power to make a difference. Even a small change such as not eating meat one day of the week can have a global impact. It is now up to governments and city councils to help promote and encourage ‘Meat Free Mondays’ to everyone.

Animal’s rights

Even without the environmental issues the fact remains that we kill animals for our own pleasure. Some people may argue that it is natural: humans have always eaten meat, but is that enough to make it right?

Consider these facts -

• Up until 1928 women couldn’t vote but our attitudes changed towards them.
• Up until 1938 it was not illegal for child labour but now the concept seems cruel.
• Up until 1964 it was the law that murderers could be hanged but these days most people are against capital punishment.

These facts prove that just because something has happened before it doesn’t mean it should continue. Children and women once had very few rights until society came to its senses. Why hasn’t society realised that animals have rights too? Science has proved animals can feel pain as well as several other basic human emotions such as sadness and boredom. They also enjoy company of their own species and can form strong bonds. People sometimes argue animals aren’t as intelligent as us and this leads them to believe they are less important: but animals are clever. They may not be able to do some things we can, but there are also things they do which we can’t. Could you communicate underwater like a dolphin?

Difference always brings with it discrimination. Isn’t it about time we learnt that different doesn’t always mean inferior? When you think about the animal you are eating, imagine your pets in the same position. Most people would feel very different then but why should all animals not get the same fair treatment? It doesn’t matter if an animal is a pet or not, it will still feel fear when it is chased around an abattoir and feel pain when it is killed.

Factory Farming

Around 1,000 million animals are killed for food every year. Meat products are produced quickly and cheaply to meet demand and make a profit. The meat industry doesn’t care about the animals; it sees them merely as products: vehicles by which to get as much money as they can. Because of this animals are kept in horrendous conditions and put through stressful lives just to die prematurely. There are so many stories and so many examples that have been discovered in undercover investigations or that are shockingly standard practice.


These are just a few examples of the cruelty animals suffer every day –

• Pigs, often thought of as dirty and ugly, are actually clean animals but in farms they are forced to live in their own waste. Breeding sows are killed at 3 or 4 years old: having spent their lives in pain and exhausted from continuous pregnancies. Once they are deemed no longer ‘useful’ they are turned into cheap convenience foods that we eat without a thought such as sausages and pork pies.

• Around 52 million birds each year collapse under the strain of their own weight and die before they have got to slaughter standard. Their deaths are unimportant to farmers who throw them away without a care.

• Around 20 million turkeys are slaughtered throughout the year in the UK. They would normally live approximately 10 years, but factory farmed turkeys have their lives ended at just 12-26 weeks.

• Millions of day-old male chicks are shredded alive because they can’t lay eggs so are of no use to farmers trying to produce eggs.

• Each year, around one in 20 adult sheep die of cold, starvation or sickness before they can be slaughtered. This is because they are not designed to live outside in harsh conditions with no shelter. Lambs who do survive are usually killed at the incredibly young age of four months.

• Billions of fish are dragged out of the oceans in huge nets, their eyes often pop out of their heads due to the change in pressure and they begin to suffocate as they are gutted alive.

• 30% of the UK’s milk comes from cows which are zero-grazed. This means they are confined in dirty and crowded sheds, often with problems standing because of swollen udders.
Many people chose ‘Free Range’ and feel that by doing so their purchase isn’t profiting any inhumane practices but the term ‘Free range’ is very misleading. The conditions free-range animals are kept in can be more confined than most people believe.
Animals will still be kept inside in dirty conditions. They can be called free range because there will be access to outside. This doesn’t necessarily mean they can get to it, especially if there are hundreds of animals inside the shed.

Further reading and case studies can be found here.


Getting the Right Nutrients

A balanced vegetarian diet is better for your health. It is often the case that people want to make a difference but they think it is too hard to get the right nutrients if they are cutting out all meat. The truth is there are hundreds of alternative ways to get what you need. Some dietary requirements that you would need to make sure you were still getting enough of include:
• Protein
• Minerals (including iron, calcium and zinc)
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D.

But you can find these in various foods. Some good plant sources of protein include:
• Beans, peas and lentils
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Soya products
• Whole (cereal) grains.

Most of these can be easily included in meals and found in all supermarkets. On the whole you will also find that they are no more expensive than meat products. Iron can be found in green leafy vegetables, peas and wholegrain cereals. Calcium can be found in dairy products or if you want to become vegan, then you can find calcium in fruit juices and some dark green leafy vegetables, in particular Asian greens. By making sure you substitute your meat for some of the above things then you will be getting all the necessary nutrients. In fact a well-balanced vegetarian diet decreases your risk of many problems including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and even some forms of cancer. Vegetarians on the whole have lower rates of death from several degenerative diseases.
For hundreds of delicious vegetarian and vegan meals visit some of these websites:

• http://www.veganrecipes.org.uk/
• http://lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk
• http://www.vegsoc.org/


So what does this all mean to you?

When it comes down to it, there is no way around the fact that killing animals for meat causes more problems than it solves. It might allow us to eat what we think tastes best but that act of selfishness comes at a great price. We are killing helpless animals, the planet and ourselves so why do we keep on doing it?

Animals have feelings and deserve the basic rights we have – to enjoy happy lives away from pain and suffering. We may see ourselves as above them but that doesn’t mean we have the right to deny billions of animals their basic rights. It is time to listen to your conscience: It may seem an impossible task to stop this cruelty but all it takes is for you to stand up and take action and the rest will follow.


Animal Aid, (2010), www.animalaid.org.uk
Animal Aid, Outrage, Issue 157, winter 2009.
Better Health Channel, http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
Linda McCartney Food, http://lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk
Meat Free Mondays, http://www.meatfreemondays.co.uk/
Recipes for Sustainability, http://www.veganrecipes.org.uk/
Support Meat Free Monday, http://www.supportmfm.org/
The Vegetarian Society, http://www.vegsoc.org/