Eat less meat to save environment, Kenyans told
Kenyans have been advised to reduce their meat consumption as a way of saving the planet.
World Animal Protection together with Animal Welfare organizations said the increasing demand for meat has led to the growth of industrial animal farms which contribute to a warm, hotter, and unpredictable climate.
Speaking in Nairobi at the end of a two-day African Protein Summit, the group noted that by eating less meat, and from higher welfare production systems and alternative proteins, there will be less greenhouse gas emission leading to fewer effects of climate change.
The summit is also urging governments in Africa to put a temporary ban on industrial livestock systems that endanger animals and contribute to climate change.
“The skyrocketing demand for meat has billions of stressed animals mutilated and confined to cramped and barren cages or pens for their whole lives. Animals cruelly packed in such shades are often immensely stressed leaving them prone to infection by bacteria or parasites that can cause foodborne illness in humans, such as Salmonella” said Dr Victor Yamo, the Farming Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection.
Dr Yamo urged Africa governments to recognize the inter-connectivity between public health and planetary impacts of industrialized farming systems and commit to stopping the support for these systems.
“We recognize that the change will be slow but sure and that systematic shifts are needed to deliver the biggest health gains for our population. Some of those include re-orientating subsidies away from factory farming towards humane and sustainable practices, improving affordability of plant-based foods, and providing transition support for farmers no longer wishing to engage in factory farming.” Said Dr Yamo.
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