Veganuary or regenuary;
The devil in the detail of the truly ethical choice
By Georgia Wingfield-Hayes
Choosing to eat differently for a month, for the sake of your health, the climate or biodiversity is admirable, so hats off to everyone that took part in either veganuary (vegan January) or regenuary (regenerative January) or anything else besides!
In this article we are going to have a look at the outcomes from choosing a different diet in terms of environmental and human health and animal welfare.
The environmental impact of how we eat – veganuary or regenuary?
Considering that livestock production consumes one-third of global cereals, it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that giving up meat is one of the best things you can do to help reduce the land area required for human food. This consideration applies particularly to animal food production dependent on cereals such as poultry, eggs and pork.
However herbivores, such as sheep, cattle and deer, largely live on land that is unsuitable for crops, because its hilly, rocky, too rough, or dry to plough. These animals should/could fall outside of the ‘cereal production equation,’ except that sheep and cattle are generally fattened on cereals, we’ve all seen the horrific images of massive feedlots in the USA.
Remember it is not the COW it is the HOW
Sheep and Cattle grown in regenerative systems however are not fed grains, they eat what herbivores are supposed to eat – living plants. One of the measures of success in a regenerative system is to see that biodiversity is increasing. People who work in this kind of agriculture are not just interested in this because they are passionate about nature, but also because biodiversity benefits production. Diverse, carefully managed land produces more food for everyone, wildlife and livestock alike. Plus the animals are far healthier eating a varied diet.
Before we assess the impact of choosing plant-based or animal-based proteins – choosing veganuary or regenuary – it is important to understand the role of herbivores as ecosystem engineers. One of the beautiful things about regenerative livestock farming is that what benefits wildlife, benefits production. We use our grazing animals to stimulate the health and diversity of our grassland ecosystems by managing them under a holistic grazing plan. With this, animals only ever graze an area for a period 1-3 days, before being moved on, leaving the land to rest for a few months. This removes the necessity for intestinal parasite treatments, which otherwise kill soil life. It means grasslands get tall, allowing plants to flower and set seed, so insect numbers skyrocket, small mammals thrive, owls have something to hunt and ground-nesting birds have somewhere to bring up their young.
This way of farming rapidly regenerate soil life, and that same life cycles carbon (from dead plants, animals and poo), into the soil structure, locking it away. In fact, our grasslands, managed well, are one of the biggest potential carbon sinks available to help ameliorate climate change. But the realisation of this requires consumers to support regenerative agriculture.
Carbon, in the form of organic matter, locked into soils gives it a sponge-like quality. In fact for every single percent increase in soil organic carbon, land can hold an extra 20,000 gallons of water per acre.
The USA great plains were once prairie – complex grassland ecosystems grazed by millions of buffalo. These deep soils often contained as much as 15% organic carbon, however, once ploughed or grazed in badly managed systems, these lands easily turn into dust bowls. This land no longer sinking carbon or holding water and is left mostly bare. So instead of the planet-cooling, air-conditioning effect of the year-round plant cover provided by the prairie, we’re left with bare ground that heats up like a radiator, bouncing that heat back into the atmosphere. The only way to heal this land and bring back the prairie is by using herbivores, in carefully managed systems to stimulate the grassland regeneration.
The question therefore about whether it is better to eat plant or animal-based proteins is a complex one. Cropland unless managed under regenerative, no-tillage methods are a disaster in terms of climate change and biodiversity loss. Every time we plough soil we destroy its complex nature and its sponge-like water holding capacity. We also destroy any habitat that an animal or bird might make their home. Ploughing quite simply erases life.
There are so many ways in which we eat and conduct our lives that impact negatively on the planet, so to be able to tuck into a beautiful piece of lamb, beef or venison from one of our regenerative farms or wild game estates is not only delicious but it feels good too. It feels good to eat something knowing that in doing so, you are supporting the diversity of all life rather than destroying it.
The implications of how we eat on our health
We believe being vegan, at least long-term, to be an unwise health choice, due to the nutrient deficiencies associated. It is no accident that no indigenous diets in our world are vegan. In cultures where little meat is consumed, such as Southern India, fish, seafood and dairy foods become an important part of the diet. Being vegan long-term, is therefore something of a novel experiment, which so far has been shown to create problems such as hormonal dysfunction and reduced bone density.
These problems are unsurprising when we consider how bone is built and maintained. Calcium, in order to make it into the bone matrix require the fat soluble vitamins A, D and K2, all of which are extremely difficult to acquire from anywhere but animal fat and protein.
A vegan diet is also deficient in vitamin B12, omega 3 fats, iron and zinc. It seems sad that people are making these dietary choices, most commonly in order to try and help the planet, when these choices are not great for their health and not necessarily the best choice for the environment either.
Soya v Regeneratively reared Animal Food
Soya, a traditional food in East Asia, is very high in anti-nutrients (factors that block nutrient absorption in the body). Historically soya was always fermented, in order to negate these factors, so it is best to choose soya in the form of tempeh and natto rather than unfermented tofu. Soya is also extremely high in phytoestrogens which can disrupt the function of hormones in our bodies. A diet high in soya therefore is enough to cause the bone density and hormone issues seen in longterm vegans.
Animals reared in regenerative systems eat a wonderfully varied diet. Not only does this keep them healthy and free from disease, but consequently the meat from these animals is of the highest nutrient quality, full of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals as well as healthy fats and protein.
Regenerative animal foods also contains the extraordinary health giving CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), one of the best forms of omega 3, due of it’s high bioavailability. CLA is known for it’s cancer-fighting properties. In one study Cows grazing pasture and receiving no supplemental feed had 500% more CLA in the milk fat, than cows fed on a typical diet found in intensive production systems.
Animals reared in regenerative systems eat a wonderfully varied diet.
Animals Welfare
Animals welfare is understandably a common reason for people choosing to no longer eat animal foods. This topic encompasses two broad issues, the conditions an animal experiences during its life and the reality of death.
Millions of animals suffer miserable lives under terrible conditions in intensive food production systems and despite being a nation or animal lovers, we also love cheap food, which means intensive production doesn’t get any better, and in the case of dairy it gets worse. So where possible in your life please do choose to buy foods that have high welfare standards, such as from regenerative and organic farms, where animals are able to express their natural behaviours and eat good diets.
Not wishing to be the cause of the death of an animal is understandable and please be assured that we use the very best professionals to ensure that our animals meet a stress-free end to life. When considering the topic of death, we must also consider the multiple unseen deaths that ploughing land for plant food production creates. The lives of wild creatures that are no-longer possible because their ancestral homes have been destroyed.
Regenuary is simple.
Ethical Butcher
For a month source as much of your food as possible from regenerative farming.
The crash in biodiversity that we are experiencing nationally and internationally is death rite-large in our world. Every time soil is ploughed, sprayed, fertilised and left bare, there are less earthworms, who to feed the voles, who feed the owls, etc, etc, etc. All these other beings who share our world are ever dwindling in our landscape. A stark contrast to what our farmers experience when they switch to regenerative agriculture and witness the return of the wondrous biodiversity of a bygone age.
As consumers therefore we must become more discerning about how we see. We too must become regenerative in our approach, just like our farmers, seeing the connections between all things, and make food choices accordingly, food choices that support life.
We would like to acknowledge the Ethical Butcher, who originally coined the term regenuary.
Nice work guys!
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