The meat on your plate was fed on soybeans too
Re: “No such thing as an environmental impact-free lunch”, Have Your Say, September 14.
Robin Grant suggests it is those who consume soymilk who are responsible for the destruction of the majority of the tropical rainforests, along with the loss of species.
On the contrary, it is those who eat animal products who are responsible for most of this destruction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, around 75 per cent of soy worldwide is used for livestock feed. Thus, most of it is consumed indirectly in the form of chicken, pork, beef, farmed fish, eggs and dairy products.
It says on its website that the average European consumes 61 kilograms of soy each year and that, if global demand for animal products grows as expected, soy production will need to increase by nearly 80 per cent by 2050.
It’s true that all food production has an environmental impact, but the production of animal products has a greater environmental impact than the production of plant foods.
Jenny Moxham
Australia
