Subsidies have devalued food and the value of farms and farm labor. If they went away, meat and dairy consumption would fall simply because we would have to pay the true dollar value of producing those foods.
I don't agree with the environmental assessment in this article though. The quantity produced might be the same, but a cup of cow milk has a lot more calories and micronutrients than plant milk. Sure, many people don't have the genetics to digest it, but there's a reason mammals drink milk until they can eat other foods. They wouldn't survive long sipping puddles of soy water.
Even after adjusting for calories, the environmental impact of animal agriculture is insane. Meat is obviously waaaay worse than dairy, but dairy still uses way more land and water, with a disproportionate environmental impact on any measure you can think of.
It’s wild how many people think they know so much about this topic and then comment something nonsensical on this post lol
What is your expertise in agriculture or nutrition? This comment and some of your others in this thread make assumptions that suggest you may not know as much as you think about the topic.
Not hard to do basic research on climate change. But of course, your comments on this thread make it clear that some people do in fact struggle with finding basic facts.
I’m sorry that you’re bitter about all the downvotes on your misinformed comments
Yes it's not hard to read a few articles and feel informed. I happen to have been studying these issues for nearly 10 years, do work with local agriculture organizations, and know dozens of farmers. These climate estimates are based on mathematical models, which are based on other models all of which make major assumptions. Raising animals for meat and dairy in natural conditions and on the right scale can be much more environmentally sustainable than growing beans and eating vegan. Factory farming level, I agree with you for the most part.
If you earnestly want to influence people to consider your beliefs, belittling is a sure way to do the opposite. I used to be vegan and buy into the plant-based narrative. If you want to understand these issues more I suggest meeting some farmers, if possible working on a farm, and in general understanding how exactly food (or milk) makes it into your fridge. Thanks for replying to my question.
Yes, but factory farming is a very new phenomenon. Painting any animal ag as an environmental problem distracts us from the fact that the entire system doesn't have to be set up the way it is. For the record I am about as anti-big ag and factory farming as one can be. My issue with all of this is that we can argue about why system B is better than system A, but not even consider the possibility of system C.