Book Review: "It's not the Cow but the How"

The work of the Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) will need little introduction to the readers of these pages. Their work in advancing the cause of sustainable and regenerative farming has been important and their development of the Global Farm Metric, an international approach to the measurement of farming systems, is gaining increasing recognition. 

So this recent report, entitled “Grazing Livestock - It’s not the cow but the how”, will be welcomed by many as a serious addition to the literature on this important agricultural topic. And it does not disappoint. This is an in depth review of a complex subject, which runs to 150 fully referenced pages, the size of which might have been slightly reduced had a few of the photographs of grazing cattle been omitted! 

The dedication of the SFT to the cause can be judged, to some degree, by the fact that this report is freely available and can be downloaded as a pdf from their website¹:  here. 

When it comes to cattle nutrition, one size does not fit all. The contrast between intensive “factory-style livestock enterprises”, supported as they are by grain grown with large chemical inputs, and grass based food production from cattle, is remarkable when the quantity of external inputs and the sequestration of carbon is being considered. The report contends that any transition to more circular, regenerative farming systems and the undoubted benefits they bring to biodiversity and climate change challenges, will be impossible without the integration of grazing cattle and sheep.

This is a complex subject, with critical social and political aspects, as well as the more obvious food production and biological angles. The science with respect to soil sequestration is as yet incomplete; and the debate on how best to measure emissions, particularly methane, continues. This report does not shy away from these topics; indeed chapter 2.4 looks in some detail at the metrics employed in the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that a broader, more holistic approach is required. 

The authors do not avoid controversy. There is a recognition, for example, that extensively produced beef, when conventionally analysed using Attributional Life Cycle Assessments (ALCA), will often return a higher carbon footprint than the more intensively produced product. But they go on to argue that the narrow perspectives of current metrics, including GWP100 vs GWP*,  do not fully represent the wider benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, of the extensive system. But the intensity of the carbon footprint, in whatever farming system is just one aspect. The nutritional value of 100 grams of beef, it is contended, cannot be directly compared with 100 grams of beans; one should compare apples with apples, not pears!

The report makes a number of recommendations including the need for government and food producers to be more closely involved in what will inevitably be a difficult transition and the adoption of sustainability labelling, using a common metric. At VetSalus we support these conclusions, indeed we have for some time been seeking to more closely involve veterinarians in food production systems. 

There will be alternative viewpoints, particularly when considering the measurement of the intensity of carbon content under different systems. This author has extensive experience of dairy production in New Zealand and while this report has a strong U.K. bias, it will add perspective to the debate in that country, which is currently evaluating the intensity of its largely pasture based systems. 

One prominent quotation neatly sums up the premise of this important work:

Grazing livestock have a central role to play in a regenerative food system, and this is ultimately due to their ability to thrive off grass.

Whether you agree or are uncertain about such a sweeping statement, reading this publication will enhance your understanding of this controversial topic. At VetSalus we heartily recommend this work as essential reading for all our consultants and other interested parties.