What role can livestock play in a sustainable food system? In Meat: A Benign Extravagance, Simon Fairlie lays out a convincing case as to why eating meat and dairy is part of a holistic and sensible agricultural system.   In this episode, we discuss:

• Why widely quoted figures on livestock's impact on the environment are misleading: from feed conversion ratios to water use to greenhouse gas emissions.
• How a 'default livestock diet' makes ecological sense
• The uncertainties and potential shortcomings of veganic farming
• An (uncomfortable) reality: truly sustainable agriculture calls for the ruralising of society

  Links:

• Simon Fairlie's book Meat – A Benign Extravagance
• Simon Fairlie's recent articles on Resilience.org
• 'If you want to save the world, veganism isn't the answer' The Guardian

  You might also like:

• FFS 032 – The Last Acceptable Prejudice
• FFS 029 – Carbon Neutral Restaurants
• FFS 021 – My Beef With Veganism