I heard something to do with Nitrogen and …cow farts(?) I am really unsure of this and would like to learn more.

Answer -

4 Parts

  • Ethical reason for consuming animals
  • Methane produced by cows are a harmful greenhouse gas which is contributing to our current climate crisis
  • Health Reasons - there is convincing evidence that processed meats cause cancer
  • it takes a lot more calories of plant food to produce the calories we would consume from the meat.

Details about the answers are in the comments

      • usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml
        141·
        2 years ago

        livestock production in the UK and Ireland is still linked to rainforests abroad since chickens, pigs and cows are often fed imported soybeans. Brazil is the world’s largest soybean exporter, and much of its crop is grown on deforested land.

        Many people might also be surprised to learn that Ireland and western regions of Great Britain are home to rainforests: temperate forests sometimes called Celtic or Atlantic rainforests. And, like their tropical counterparts, UK and Irish rainforests are threatened by grazing livestock, particularly deer and sheep.

        https://theconversation.com/livestock-grazing-is-preventing-the-return-of-rainforests-to-the-uk-and-ireland-198014

      • Gebruikersnaam@lemmy.ml
        131·
        2 years ago

        If it is anything like here they supplement the feed with a ton of soy beans, which is causing huge problems in Brazil. iirc 87% of soy is used for cattle.

      • jeffw@lemmy.world
        9·
        2 years ago

        Just globally. Not sure about specific countries. Virtually all of the Amazon deforestation, for example

          • jeffw@lemmy.world
            16·
            2 years ago

            We can’t have more cows if they don’t have food. We need to cut down trees to grow other stuff to feed the cattle. Global demand for beef is rising, mainly due to increases of standards of living in Asia.

            So how do we raise more cattle without more farmland to grow food for them?

              • jeffw@lemmy.world
                131·
                2 years ago

                The cows are the issue though. If people buy beef, it doesn’t come out of the sky. How do you raise an animal without feeding it?

                • TwoFace211@feddit.ch
                  28·
                  2 years ago

                  You don’t. You enforce laws on deforestation. Either by replacing every cut tree with a new planted one somewhere not good for farmland, or just banning it. Supply would plateau and the price of the commodity will go up which is unfortunate but the reality of increased demand.

                  • jeffw@lemmy.world
                    10·
                    2 years ago

                    Ah yes, let’s stop illegal rainforest destruction by banning it. Nobody ever tried that l! /s