Page 3281 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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of producing human food, particularly red meat. Loss of wild areas of land agriculture is the leading cause of the current mass extinction of wildlife. I hope that we are all aware of the massive land clearing happening in New South Wales and Queensland primarily to allow more beef production. I have been moved almost to tears by the photos of baby koalas cuddling their mothers in what is now just a blank landscape.
Depending on how you calculate it, greenhouse gas emissions due to animal agriculture are variously estimated as between five per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions for direct emissions and 15 per cent for the entire life cycle. More efficient use of water, grain, legumes and land to produce human food and reduce food waste are also essential ways to help reduce human starvation and malnutrition.
Of course, when considering animal agriculture, we should also consider the impact it has on animals. I mentioned the impact of land clearing, but there is also the impact on the animals being farmed. Thankfully, due to the advocacy of the ACT Greens, the ACT has banned some of the most problematic forms of intensive animal farming or factory farming, such as sow stalls and battery cage eggs.
However, most of the animal products eaten in Canberra come from outside our borders and may well be from places with very poor animal welfare. There is a range of serious animal welfare concerns in intensive animal farming, such as extremely cramped conditions. If people saw those conditions they would find them shocking. Anyone who watched the recent film Dominion would find it very shocking, as I did. For many people, limiting their consumption of animal products is a way to withdraw support for these intensive practices.
For many people, the very fact that eating animal products results in the death of sentient creatures is a reason to avoid eating them. I am pleased that the Animal Welfare Legislation Amendment Act 2019, which is currently before the Assembly, recognises that animals are sentient beings with intrinsic value. It recognises that they deserve to be treated with compassion and have a quality of life that reflects their intrinsic value, and that people have a duty to care for the physical and mental welfare of animals. Eating less animal products is a good way to care for animals.
Eating fewer animal products is not just good for the environment or animals, it is really good for human health as well. There is considerable evidence that high consumption of animal foods is related to many human health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and various cancers. Those with cardiovascular issues may be interested to know that there is no cholesterol in plant-based foods, only animal-based foods.
Some people worry that it is impossible to be adequately nourished on plant-based food alone, but no meat does not mean no protein. There are plenty of high protein plant-based foods like tofu, quinoa, mushrooms, lentils, chickpeas and, in fact, basically every bean or legume. Earlier this year, the prestigious medical journal, the Lancet, wrote extensively about diet and human health, describing a healthy diet as one which:
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