Industry reacts to BBC documentary

A BBC documentary Meat: A Threat to our Planet? provoked plenty of reaction from the industry. The programme investigated how meat production impacts on the environment, including large-scale farming practices in the US.

The four UK farming union presidents – NFU President Minette Batters, NFU Cymru President John Davies, NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick and UFU President Ivor Ferguson – responded to the documentary, commenting, “At no point did the documentary explain the vast differences between American meat production and UK production. This was a massive oversight considering the BBC’s audience and would have left people with the impression that all meat is produced in the same way.

“Simply showing the environmental impact of beef production in North and South America does nothing to help people make informed choices about food which can be grown and reared in ways that offer benefits for the environment. For example, with the UK’s climate, landscape and grass-based systems we have the means, and the ambition, to provide quality, nutritious meat in ways that not only protect the environment, but help mitigate the world’s impact on the climate.

“The documentary did, however, demonstrate the concerns UK farming has about future trade, and what we could expect to see on our supermarket shelves if the government were to allow food into the country which has been produced in ways that would be illegal here.”