By Sophy Robinson
Sophy is a former trustee of Humanists UK and she has worked for many years as a performance coach in large global corporate and UK public sector organisations. For this article, she interviewed farming expert ffinlo Costain.
Some would argue that the way land is farmed in the UK should be changed beyond recognition, and that all forms of livestock grazing and management should cease. This is on the grounds of both animal welfare and climate change. In the film “Apocalypse Cow”, climate-activist George Monbiot argues against all forms of livestock farming, with particular emphasis on the evils of methane belching and farting cows. Vegan diets are advocated, with land devoted to growing cereal crops, beans, pulses and vegetables to feed the population. However, farming expert ffinlo Costain fronted a TEDx Talk with the title: “We can’t solve the climate crisis without cows”. This might seem counterintuitive to many, given the bad press that cows have been getting in recent years. I contacted ffinlo to see what evidence there is that cows can actually help us live in a sustainable way, as well as addressing climate change concerns.
He highlighted three particular sources of research to back his arguments (see later), and claimed: “We need to look at land in a holistic way: climate change is complex and, for example, involves considerations about carbon emissions, water, nutrient recycling and biodiversity. Historically our old agricultural systems were more sustainable, but since then they have become increasingly decoupled from nature. As we tried to achieve economies of scale, the focus increased on simplification, and maximising the output of one product from one large unit of land: whether a huge field, or an entire farm. In recent years, we’ve been looking at how best to reintegrate nature within a ‘farm system’. This has become known as ‘Regenerative Agriculture’.”
“The important thing about ruminants is that the dung and urine they deposit adds nutrients to the soil.”
Regenerative Agriculture (RA) focuses on outcomes, such as topsoil regeneration – strengthening its health and vitality, increasing biodiversity, improving the water-cycle and supporting bio-sequestration (the capture and storage of carbon) – all of which increase humanity’s resilience to climate change. But ffinlo claimed that RA, at its best, must involve ruminants, because they are an important way of accelerating ecological outcomes on many farms.
Apparently, the important thing about ruminants is that the dung and urine they deposit adds nutrients to the soil, which they then trample and disperse into the ground. To maximise these benefits, short intensive grazing periods should be followed by long rest periods, mimicking the herd behaviour of wild ruminants such as those grazed on the USA’s Great Plains. Cattle should be moved around according to systems which benefit the land they graze in quite specific ways. RA is a subtle form of farming, in which decisions about the density of stock animals, and the time they spend grazing and trampling on different parcels of land depends on the location, climate, nutrient and soil conditions (e.g. clay, loam etc.); as well as what else is planted, grown and harvested on that ground over several years.
“Ruminants are a phenomenally important part of the story. The cow's hoof can make all the difference, but they must be moved around a farm system. The land needs long periods of rest: anything from two to six months, depending on the context”, said ffinlo. “This approach allows farmers to get air in the soil, to manage the water content and run off, and to increase biodiversity. They can rotate livestock with crops which produce a diversity of food for human consumption, while capturing carbon, producing habitats for wildlife and retaining soil health.”
But what about concerns about animal welfare on farms with livestock? RA protagonists, such as ffinlo, argue that the potential for herd welfare and health is higher when farmers adopt regenerative practices. “Stock density is actively managed depending on the local environment and weather conditions, and selecting the right breed to thrive is done with more precision. There are generally more opportunities for ‘natural behaviours’. Animals may prefer to be in groups, or to pick their friends (ref. The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young). They are more likely to be moved between short term grazing areas, which increases the variety in their diet, may give them access to different hedgerows (allowing them to self-medicate) and reduces problems with flies that hatch in their dung. Farmers report that vets are called out rarely, indicating that animal health is improved.”
However, this won’t reassure everyone. So, is a better solution to use technology to grow meat in labs and factories, so that animals are removed from the food chain? “The trouble is that these processes are vastly inefficient”, said ffinlo. “Research known as a ‘life-cycle assessment’ has shown that, unless scientists find a way to alter energy-intensive production steps, the emissions that result could be from four to twenty-five times higher than those produced by livestock farming. You also lose the multiplicity of environmental benefits that regenerative agriculture delivers.” (See research cited later.) He continued: “Also, so far, lab grown meat has been demonstrated to have a much more restricted range of micronutrients than meat from farm animals, provided they are part of the rotational systems I’ve been describing. I’m worried that companies are jumping on this as a business opportunity, and that this will be the cheap processed food of the future used to feed the world’s poor.”
Our discussion about the relationship between humans and farmed livestock with ffinlo’s message: “Beware of the negative things you hear about farming. You should always assess the motivations of the source of the messages. Humans need diversity in their diets, and land can be used to include cattle in a sustainable way to produce our food. Agriculture is really changing.”
More information about ffinlo Costain
ffinlo Costain is the Editor-in-Chief of 8point9.com and has worked in farming, land and food business policy for over 20 years. While he was Chief Executive of Farmwel he gave evidence to UK parliamentary committees, and advised ministers and the Committee on Climate Change on the role of agricultural climate gases. He founded the Food & Global Security Network in 2020 and, prior to COP26, published Soil Health: A security threat profile. ffinlo has advised ministers and senior leadership teams in many European countries. He hosts the Farm Gate podcast.
Research and resources on climate-friendly agriculture involving livestock, cited by ffinlo Costain
Roots So Deep Peter Byck https://rootssodeep.org/info
Byck leads a $10m research project comparing Adaptive Multipaddock Grazing with conventional grazing on 10 farms in the USA. Collaborating with 20 scientists, it focuses on soil health and soil carbon storage, microbial/bug/bird diversity, water cycling and much more. See the documentaries Roots so Deep following the work. Byck is a professor at Arizona State University in the School of Diversity.
Digging Deep Paige Stanley. https://paige-stanley.com/
Paige has degrees including a PhD in Environmental Science (University of California, Berkeley). Her research draws on a wide range of disciplines including soil biogeochemistry, grazing and rangeland ecology, agroecology, rancher sociology, and political ecology to approach research questions holistically. The research focuses on the impact of adaptive multi-paddock grazing management on soil C sequestration and stabilization, as well as other rangeland ecosystem functions such as water infiltration. It is part of a $19 million international coalition project.
FAI farms in the UK. https://www.faifarms.com/
The website says: “FAI Farms deliver award winning programmes and results within the food sector. The organisation is made up of farmers, scientists and consultants who understand sectoral challenges and the power of cooperation to solve them. Our impacts are well evidenced, and benefit the welfare and health of animals, the environment, business and community. Farmwel’s priorities are to mitigate global warming, integrate agriculture with biodiversity, and ensure that good, nutritious food is available for all. Farmwel also convenes the Food & Global Security Network, and produces the Farm Gate podcast.”
More resources
Ted x Talk: “We can't solve the climate crisis without cows” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Ed84v_C5k
The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young
https://8point9.com/lab-grown-meat-up-to-25-times-worse-for-climate-than-beef/
https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/lab-grown-meat-carbon-footprint-worse-beef
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