A group of highly-respected, independent international academics have banded together to project positive news about eating red meat as a result of their mutual concerns about the impacts of inaccurate and partisan work in the same field of research.
The group, including Professor Dr. Peer Ederer, instigated the Dublin Declaration which states that livestock systems are “too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry.” Prof. Dr. Ederer is also co-founder and director of GOALSciences, the Global Observatory of Accurate Livestock Sciences, which has the mission to research and communicate scientific evidence about the role of animals in the global food system.
“The vast majority of scientists are positive about red meat’s nutritional, ecological, environmental and ethical role in society,” Prof. Dr. Ederer told Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) ahead of Great British Beef Week (23 - 30 April), a week-long celebration of locally produced beef - including Welsh Beef - and its taste, quality and world-leading sustainability credentials.
Professsor Dr Ederer, who was the keynote speaker at Hybu Cig Cymru- Meat Promotion Wales’ (HCC) annual conference last year, cited examples of where inaccurate research had been corrected or was to be corrected by scientists seeking to redress the balance - “examples of where science is able to heal itself,” he told HCC.
He said an article in the Lancet linking deaths to red meat had been proven to be wrong and the revision accepted by the authors and the publishers. Similarly, a recent piece published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggesting support for dietary recommendations for limiting consumption of red meat had been rebuked. “This same information has been republished again and again and again - and yet the scientific community has disproved it again and again and again”, he said.
“We need to ask ourselves a question - how come they keep on publishing this nonsense? It is always headline news in all scientific journals and then also in mainstream media. Yet the studies that are debunking it - well, they seem to get buried in some scientific and academic material that never sees the light of day.
“I cannot give you an answer, but within the Dublin Declaration we are working on trying to figure out why this is the case and making those reasons known,” he said.
HCC’s Head of Strategic Marketing and Connections, Laura Pickup said: “Professor Ederer’s message is important and resonates with the Welsh Way of producing red meat. Wales is one of the most sustainable places on earth to produce it. Our farming systems are non-intensive and rely on abundant grass and rainfall. Welsh farms also contribute to carbon sequestration, soil regeneration and increased biodiversity.
“Lean red meat is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, and when combined with other healthy ingredients, contributes towards good health as part of a balanced diet.
“We are pleased to hear acclaimed academics such as Professor Dr Ederer banging the drum on behalf of our industry. We would also urge farmers to become ambassadors for the positive production methods that they deploy on their farms during Great British Beef week and beyond.”
