11/05/08 Emission omissions

One report on greenhouse gases has been used wildly to discredit the U.S. beef industry. I'm Jeff Keane' I'll be right back with some details and comments. A 2006 United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization report that stated, "cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent than transportation" has been used to discount animal agriculture. The report claimed livestock accounted for nine percent of carbon dioxide and 37 percent of methane emissions from human related activities. Anti-livestock groups use this information and mold it into headlines like "American meat eaters are responsible for 1.5 more tons of carbon dioxide per person than vegetarians every year." This all comes from an article by Greg Henderson in Drovers magazine. But data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 report shows United States livestock production systems are superior to other nations concerning emissions environmentalists worry about. The EPA report shows livestock contribute less than 2.4 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gases. The EPA methane accounting credits only 27 percent to livestock in the U.S. and methane is only about eight per cent of U.S. greenhouse emission. Actually, most livestock methane emission problems are more prevalent in underdeveloped countries, but I don't think anti-livestock groups get much press in countries trying to feed themselves; they only make points with well-fed populations. I'm Jeff Keane. Drovers October 15, 2008