Reminders about two village events coming up this weekend - pop along to support them for a sociable and enjoyable evening out!
Also included - the monthly letter from our MP, Dan Poulter
MONDAY 28th MARCH
Just before the covid pandemic struck, a young woman who introduced herself as a vegan angrily demanded of me why the Government was not taking action to ban meat and dairy products.
Veganism has now penetrated the mainstream and it’s easy to forget that barely a decade ago, it was a fringe movement. I welcome the fact that this has changed, but let’s get one thing straight. It’s entirely natural for humans to eat meat. As a species, we evolved eating meat. We have eaten meat for millions of years.
When I questioned the young woman about her reasons for wanting to put so many farmers out of business, she explained that meat and dairy farming was a major cause of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and for environmental reasons it should be banned. However, this argument ignores the fact that the carbon footprint (food miles) of transporting vegan staples like rice and quinoa to the UK, are far from unproblematic in climate terms. In fact, the climate footprint of rice is comparable to that of international aviation.
Locally sourced food, be it meat or vegetables, has the benefit of almost no food miles. Locally sourced meat has a lower carbon footprint than rice imported from overseas. Suffolk’s meat and dairy herds turn something we cannot eat – grass, into something we can – meat and dairy. They help to recycle fertility and make use of land that cannot easily grow crops.
The label often given to red meat as being an unhealthy food has become a dietary dogma, but research reveals a more complex picture. The association between red meat and negative health outcomes has been more commonly observed in studies where people are eating a highly processed diet, while studies of healthy omnivores eating a diet rich in plant foods have failed to find consistent evidence that red meat is unhealthy. The contribution of red meat to our diet is further complicated by the fact that not all meat is produced equally. Different farming systems, which provide animals with very different lives produce meat and dairy of varying quality. In that respect, we should be happy to eat and consume meat and dairy produced by our Suffolk farmers as part of a healthy and balanced diet which contains vegetables.
As an NHS doctor, I have reservations about imposing strict vegan diets, particularly upon infants due to risks of malnutrition. Vitamin B12 is most often obtained from animal foods and higher rates of deficiency have been found in vegans compared with other vegetarians and meat eaters. Maintaining adequate intake of B12 which helps make red blood cells and keep the nervous system healthy is a common challenge for vegans as it is not found in plant based foods. Many other essential vitamins and minerals including vitamins B2, niacin, vitamin D, iodine, zinc, potassium and selenium are also typically lower for vegans.
I will always support people making an informed choice about what they choose to put into their own bodies. Veganism is fine by me. But those who want to ban meat and dairy and put hundreds of farmers and food businesses in Suffolk out of business should think again.
Dr Dan Poulter MP
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
Tel: 020 7219 7038
Email: daniel.poulter.mp@parliament.uk
