New study provokes controversy over the risk of red meat
Eating red meat is linked to cancer and heart disease, but are the risks big enough to give up burgers and steak?
A team of international researchers says probably not, contradicting established advice.
In a series of papers, the researchers say the increased risks are small and uncertain and that cutting back likely wouldn't be worth it for people who enjoy meat.
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Burping cows: should we be prolonging or eliminating livestock farming?
Francisco and Patricio Norris, and their full-time team of eight, who are the brains behind a small start-up called Zelp are trying to neutralise the well-known environmental hazards of livestock farming.
Theirs is a movement, and business, that formed in 2017 and has worked tirelessly to get its emission-fighting product to market ever since.
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European livestock sector fights back
Over a dozen livestock stakeholders have been campaigning across metro stations in Brussels as well as online, in a bid to fight back against the narrative propagated by NGOs and environmentalists on animal farming.
At stake is the very conception of modern animal farming practices in Europe.
A multi-stakeholder group in the livestock food chain are not bowing to this narrative and have started a campaign “to restore balance.” The campaign European Livestock Voice brings together sectors ranging from animal health to breeding and provides an online platform with FAQ-format information on livestock in Europe.
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Painting zebra stripes on cattle discourages biting flies, new study says
What if cows could avoid flies from biting them just by wearing stripes?
According to a new study, when Japanese researchers painted zebra-style stripes on cows, biting flies bothered them half as much than cows without stripes.
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Perspective
Further perspectives and results on high density rotational grazing
I have been informed that the results and debate on this topic have been keenly followed! Thus, as a follow up to last month’s contribution, titled: The grazing management model debate continues!, I have done a further literature study of comparatively new findings and overviews ( see below), and to give my own perspective on the topic.
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Lamb and Mutton SA ruffles its feathers for the Festive Season 2019
Any South African would agree that lamb should be the guest of honor at any Festive Season dining table and this year should be no exception. Lamb and Mutton SA kicks off the festive season early in November this year with campaigns alongside well-known food personalities in South Africa serving different parts of the market. These campaigns include a delicious nostalgic recipe series on their website and social media with Herman Lensing, food editor of Sarie magazine who recently released his cookbook, "Dit proe soos huis", in honour of his late mother. There will also 3 Christmas “Cooking with lamb” cooking classes in Durban and Johannesburg in November and December with The Lazy Makoti, the No. 1 cookbook seller of 2019, specifically aimed at young South African women who do not know how to work with lamb and mutton. Check out the cooking_with_lamb social media platforms for information, videos and recipes from these classes. And then Lamb and Mutton SA also launches a brand new video series with J'Something, pioneering musician and restaurant owner of the Sun Arena restaurant “Something's Cooking”, who also has its own YouYube food channel.
This series can be viewed on his channel through this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4c9aQemeFc.
Follow Healthy Meat- by Lamb and Mutton SA on Facebook and cooking_with_lamb on Instragram to see what Lamb and Mutton SA will be doing this Festive Season!
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Hide market trends
The current average hide price is R1.74/skin, this is 16.7% lower than last week's price of R2.09/skin, according to ABSA Agri Trends.
Outlook
The current price is 2.8% lower than prices were a month ago and the hide price is 62.9% lower than prices were a year ago. The global hide market remains under pressure. Prices remain weak locally and globally. The worldwide hide supply continues to grow while end-user demand continues to decline. Increased beef production in Australia, the US and Brazil has caused the oversupply of hides in the market. The reduction in the manufacture of luxury goods coupled with the rise of convincing synthetic leather substitutes has caused a decline in global demand. Some tanneries have closed down in China due to environmental concerns, which reduced selling options for hides in the country. Due to all these factors, the hide market remains low in the global and local market. Local prices may go down even further as the market already has enough stock for orders this year. The automotive companies are shutting down early December.
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November 2019
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You may not have to cut back on red meat after all, controversial new guidelines say
A nice juicy tenderloin might no longer be served with a side of guilt, at least in the health realm.
Most people don't need to reduce their intake of red or processed meat for health benefits, unless they want to, according to a new set of guidelines from a group of international experts.
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Antibiotic resistance increased dramatically since 2000
Researchers report that the growing appetite for animal protein in low- to middle-income countries has resulted in a smorgasbord of antibiotic consumption for livestock that has nearly tripled the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria between 2000 and 2018.
The researchers found that antibiotic resistance in livestock was most widespread in China and India, with Brazil and Kenya emerging as new hotspots.
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Communicating modern animal farming
A communication gap between citizens and farmers in the modern livestock sector is increasingly widening and the general sentiment is shifting from an overall good opinion of those who keep feeding the world toward a negative view on farmers’ role in today’s society.
According to livestock sector stakeholders, this communication gap is leading to misinterpretation of the reality of animal farming, if not intentional disinformation and the sector is making efforts to avoid or mitigate unpleasant effects like the so-called agri-bashing and violence against animal growers.
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Biscuits, beer or beef: which takes the most water to produce?
Our diets can have a big environmental impact. The greenhouse gas emissions involved in producing and transporting various foods has been well researched, but have you ever thought about the water-scarcity impacts of producing your favourite foods? The answers may surprise you.
Researchers looked at the water scarcity footprints of the diets of 9,341 adult Australians, involving more than 5 000 foods. The amount of water used to produce a food, and whether water was scarce or abundant at the location it was drawn from, were measured.
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Beef market trends
It is expected that US cattle prices will remain firm going into 2020. Global beef production is forecast to grow 1% in 2020 to 61.9 million tonnes, according to ABSA Agri Trends.
Increased production in Brazil, the US and Argentina more than offset declines in China, Australia, and the EU. Prices have been under pressure due to the constrained demand.
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Sheep meat market trends
There is positive sentiment in the lamb/mutton market driven by the strong Chinese demand, according to ABSA Agri Trends.
China's demand for red meat from all sources is expected to continue to grow. This could limit the capacity and ability for farmers to rebuild their flock. Locally lamb, mutton prices are the most expensive meat prices therefore prices remain under pressure due to the subdued demand, however prices may recover in the short term in line with seasonal trends.
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