Number of animals ‘not relevant to climate change issue’

The debate on ‘more or less animals in Ireland’ is not relevant to dealing with the global challenge of climate change, says Teagasc scientist Rogier Schulte.

“Instead of a debate on animal numbers, we need a debate on what food we need to produce, where we want to produce it and for whom,” Prof Schulte told 400 farming and food industry leaders attending the Agricultural Science Association conference in Kilkenny.

“The current debate on ‘eat less meat’ is too simplistic when you take a global perspective,” he said.