Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

Background

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is an โ€œarmโ€™s length bodyโ€ (ALB) of the UKโ€™s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra),1โ€œAbout us,โ€ Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/nYdo7  classified as a  non-departmental public body (NDPB).As an NDPB, the AHDB has some operational control over policy, can collect levies, and accept grant-in-aid money.2โ€œPublic Bodies Handbook โ€“ Part 1,โ€ Cabinet OfficeArchived June 15, 2021.

The AHDB is funded through statutory levies paid by โ€œfarmers, growers and others in the supply chain,โ€ including beef, lamb, pork, and dairy producers.3โ€œAbout the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB),โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/GEtEs 

The AHDB was formed in 2008 from five previous levy bodies: the Meat and Livestock Commission, the Milk Development Council, the British Potato Council, the Home-Grown Cereals Authority, and the Horticultural Development Council.4โ€œThe Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Order 2008, Article 17โ€ Legislation.gov.ukArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/n7Lz8  The boardโ€™s legal purpose is to develop, improve, and increase the efficiency, productivity, marketing, services, and sustainability of the UKโ€™s agriculture and horticulture industry.5โ€œThe Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Order 2008, Article 3โ€ Legislation.gov.ukArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/bpOHZ 

Working with more than 100,000 farming and supply chain businesses across the UK, the AHDB employs both regional officers and an international team to โ€œdevelop export markets in new countries such as China and the Far Eastโ€.6โ€œAbout the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB),โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/GEtEs 

In January 2021, the AHDB launched a ยฃ1.5 million advertising campaign titled โ€œWe Eat Balancedโ€ to โ€œprovide clear facts to help those reducing meat and dairy consumption to re-consider their choices and to promote a healthy, sustainable diet.โ€7โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

Stance on Climate Change

The AHDB states: โ€œOver the next 40 years, the global food system will have to feed more people with less impact. This will mean providing a higher quality diet whilst dealing with greater competition for land, water and energy and the economic and political pressures of globalisation as the climate changes.โ€ According to the organisation, โ€œagriculture can also make a big contribution to mitigating climate change by storing carbon in soils and vegetation and by generating renewable energy.โ€8โ€œGreenhouse Gas Action Plan (GHGAP),โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/uR7UC 

The AHDB is a member of the industry-led initiative Greenhouse Gas Action Plan (GHGAP), which aims to reduce its membersโ€™ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e) per year from 2018 to 2022.9โ€œGreenhouse Gas Action Plan (GHGAP),โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/uR7UC 

In March 2021, the AHDB hosted a webinar series titled โ€œCarbon Week.โ€ One session titled โ€œSupply chain requirements โ€“ building a narrativeโ€10โ€œCarbon Week,โ€ AHDB, January 29, 2021. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/sh343  explored why AHDB members โ€œshould invest time and effort in measuring and reporting our sustainability and environmental performanceโ€ in order to โ€œdemonstrate that its products are sustainable in a way that is transparent, assured and timely, to continue to ensure consumer, investor and retailer confidence.โ€11โ€œCarbon Week: Supply chain requirements โ€“ building a narrative,โ€ AHDBArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/vRjsL 

In January 2021, the AHDB wrote in a press release in response to Veganuary, a campaign that encourages people to eat plant-based during January, that โ€œthere is a belief that the month is now โ€˜ownedโ€™ by those who follow alternative lifestyle choices and set out to convert others while spreading misinformation and mischief around livestock farming.โ€ The board announced plans โ€œto use social media to push positive messages about our meat and dairy sectors, supported by advertorials in high-profile titles, and working behind the scenes with social media influencers.โ€12โ€œItโ€™s time the livestock sector reclaimed January,โ€ AHDB, January 2, 2020. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/PFPci 

The same month, AHDB launched a campaign titled โ€œWe Eat Balancedโ€ to โ€œprovide clear facts to help those reducing meat and dairy consumption to re-consider.โ€13โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

In December 2020, the AHDB responded to the Sixth Carbon Budget report published by the UK Climate Change Committee, stating that โ€œdespite the UK having some of the worldโ€™s most sustainable red meat and dairy production systems, it is clear that in order for us to continue production and consumption, significant carbon savings must be made.โ€14โ€œAHDB responds to UK Climate Change Committee report,โ€ AHDB, December 9, 2020. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/Bt0rt 

In late 2020, the AHDB announced the launch15โ€œAHDB launches on-farm carbon footprinting,โ€ AHDB, November 18, 2020. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/UZQAi  of a โ€œFarm Excellenceโ€ network โ€” a program to assess the carbon footprints of member farms, including 10 beef and lamb producers and four pork producers.16โ€œFarm Excellence,โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/3MlxP 

Livestock emissions

In a 2020 presentation,17โ€œHaving positive conversations about meat & dairy, January 2020,โ€ AHDBArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/z6QTk  the AHDB stated that โ€œwhile emissions of the entire agricultural sector (including livestock and aquaculture) account for 10% of the [UKโ€™s] total emissions, those due to the use of fossil fuels represent a far more important 64%.โ€ The organisation also argues that โ€œit is commonly cited that livestock emit more emissions than transport, but this is untrue.โ€18โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

During the same year, Greenpeace published a report estimating that animal farming in the EU, including the UK, emitted 704 Mt CO2e in 2018, more than โ€œall EU cars and vans combined.โ€19โ€œFarming for Failure,โ€ GreenpeaceArchived June 26, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/RYzSK  In the report, Greenpeace considered not only the livestock sectorโ€™s direct emissions and energy consumption emissions, known as scope 1 and 2 emissions, but also indirect emissions caused by livestock farming, such as land use and land-use change associated with animal feed production. These types of emissions, which are also referred to as scope 3 emissions, account for the majority of the meat industryโ€™s emissions and are not included the 10 percent estimate given by the AHDB.20Fiona Harvey. โ€œEUโ€™s farm animals โ€˜produce more emissions than cars and vans combinedโ€™,โ€ The GuardianArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/hKn5J 

Key Narratives

The AHDB promotes a number of narratives to justify the meat industryโ€™s business model. Find out more about how the meat industry is climate-washing its activities in our investigation. And you can read counter-arguments and criticisms of these narratives in our factsheet.

โ€˜Animal agriculture isnโ€™t a serious driver of climate changeโ€™

โ€˜Animal agricultureโ€™s climate impact is exaggeratedโ€™

In 2020, the AHDB criticised the BBC for rewarding children for going meat-free for at least two weeks, as part of childrenโ€™s TV show Blue Peterโ€™s โ€œclimate hero challenge.โ€ The AHDB claimed that โ€œphrases including โ€˜reducing the amount of meat you eat, especially beef and lamb, is known to be even better for the climate than reducing the amount you travel in a carโ€™ is incorrect, misleading and based on widely-debunked data.โ€21โ€œAHDB, QMS and HCC respond to CBBCโ€™s Blue Peter Green Badge campaign,โ€ AHDB, April 13, 2021. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/56RHn  In 2020, Greenpeace published a report estimating that animal farming in the EU, including the UK, emitted 704 Mt CO2e in 2018, more than โ€œall EU cars and vans combined,โ€ considering both the sectorโ€™s direct and indirect emissions.22โ€œFarming for Failure,โ€ GreenpeaceArchived June 26, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/RYzSK 

Other meat industry groups also criticised the BBCโ€™s โ€œclimate hero challengeโ€, including Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), a member of SAI Platform,23โ€œAHDB, QMS and HCC respond to CBBCโ€™s Blue Peter Green Badge campaign,โ€ AHDB, April 13, 2021. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/56RHn  a food industry initiative that encompasses the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability, and Hybu Cig Cymru/Meat Promotion Wales, a member of the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Beef.24โ€œHCC joins global push for sustainable meat,โ€ Meat Management, March 16, 2021. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/RlmgW

โ€˜British meat is environmentally friendlyโ€™

According to the AHDB, โ€œthe UK is one of the most sustainable places in the world to produce beef and lamb.โ€25โ€œRed meat and the environment: The facts,โ€ AHDB. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/Zwo5L  The organisation notes that โ€œland and water are different across the world, so while livestock require large quantities in comparison with plant-based foods, they are often being used for their ideal purpose.โ€26โ€œWhat would happen if the world converted to veganism?,โ€ We Eat Balanced. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/tLApS 

According to a 2019 study by environmental scientists from Harvard University, transitioning to a more plant-based food production system in the UK has the potential to extend the UKโ€™s 1.5ยฐC carbon budget by 75% to 103% up to 2050 while still meeting the populationโ€™s nutrition requirements.27โ€œEating Away at Climate Change With Negative Emissions,โ€ Harvard Law School, April 11, 2019. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/Jfgjy 

โ€˜Grazing supports biodiversity and sequesters carbonโ€™

In a 2020 presentation, the AHDB stated that โ€œgrasslands [used for livestock grazing] capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, provide a habitat for wildlife and aid biodiversity.โ€28โ€œHaving positive conversations about meat & dairy, January 2020,โ€ AHDBArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/z6QTk 

The AHDB states elsewhere that โ€œby taking a more holistic approach to measuring the carbon footprint of livestock farming, the emissions from cattle and sheep are likely to be largely offset through carbon sequestration, or carbon absorption.โ€ It supported this claim by referring to an unspecified study from New Zealand โ€œshowing how sustainable red meat production can be in temperate climates such as the UK.โ€ The AHDB further notes that โ€œwhile carbon sequestration would occur without cattle and sheep grazing, their existence allows us to produce food from this land while in harmony with nature.โ€29โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

When contacted by DeSmog, the AHDB specified that it was referring to a 2020 study by ecologists from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) commissioned by the meat industry group Beef + Lamb New Zealand, showing that โ€œwoody vegetation on NZ sheep and beef farms is offsetting between 63% and 118% of their on farm agricultural emissions.โ€30โ€œAnalysis of carbon stocks and net carbon position for New Zealand sheep and beef farmland,โ€ Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Archived June 15, 2021

The AHDB later deleted the original document that included these statements, telling DeSmog that โ€œas the campaign activity has now ended, the [campaigns conversation] pack has been removed.โ€

In 2021, New Zealandโ€™s Ministry for the Environment stated in a separate report that the AUT study included โ€œsome fundamental limitations in how the estimates of carbon sequestration were derivedโ€ and concluded that the proportion of emissions being offset was only 33 percent.31โ€œNet emissions and removals from vegetation and soils on sheep and beef farmland,โ€ Ministry for the Environment. Archived June 15, 2021. A study on the concept of โ€œgrazed ecosystems,โ€ also known as โ€œholistic management,โ€ has found that โ€œthe application of HM [holistic management] principles of trampling and intensive foraging are as detrimental to plants, soils, water storage, and plant productivity as are conventional grazing systems.โ€32John Carter et al. โ€œHolistic Management: Misinformation on the Science of Grazed Ecosystems,โ€ International Journal of Biodiversity. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/jvg3j 

โ€˜Livestock graze on land unsuitable for other usesโ€™

In a 2020 presentation, the AHDB argued that โ€œjust over 60% of UK agricultural land is grassland, less suitable economically and environmentally for anything other than livestock grazing.โ€33โ€œHaving positive conversations about meat & dairy, January 2020,โ€ AHDBArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/z6QTk 

University of Oxford environmental researcher Marco Springmann argues that โ€œif everybody were to make the argument that โ€˜our pastures are the best and should be used for grazingโ€™, then there would be no way to limit global warming.โ€34Damian Carrington. โ€œWhy you should go animal-free: 18 arguments for eating meat debunked,โ€ The Guardian, June 19, 2020. Archived July 9, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/zVUwT  A 2020 study by biodiversity experts from Aarhus University on how rewilding can serve as a climate mitigation strategy identified plant-based diets as a key means of freeing up land for this purpose.35Jens-Christian Svenning. โ€œRewilding should be central to global restoration efforts,โ€ One Earth, December 18, 2020. Archived June 30, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/Q4qpv

โ€˜Plant-based diets do not solve the problem of climate changeโ€™

โ€˜Dietary change is an ineffective climate strategyโ€™

As part of the โ€œWe Eat Balancedโ€ campaign, the AHDB states that โ€œshould livestock production be dramatically reduced due to more people becoming semi-vegetarian, emissions are unlikely to reduce very much. This is due to the emissions of any replacement foods and products. This is supported by a Swedish study which shows the carbon footprint of lifelong vegans is only 4% lower than meat eaters.โ€36โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

When contacted by DeSmog, the AHDB specified that it was referring to a 2014 study by economists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). According to the study, switching to vegetarianism could reduce GHG emissions associated with diet by 20 percent. The study hypothesised that if consumers spend the income they save by not buying meat โ€œaccording to their current preferences, they would forego 96% of potential energy savings and 49% of greenhouse gas emission savings.โ€ The AHDB later deleted the original document that included these statements, telling DeSmog that โ€œas the campaign activity has now ended, the [campaigns conversation] pack has been removed.โ€37Janina Grabs. โ€œThe rebound effects of switching to vegetarianism. A microeconomic analysis of Swedish consumption behavior,โ€ Ecological Economics, August 2015. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/RbPPK 

The organisation further states: โ€œStudies suggest removing animal products from western diets could reduce personal carbon footprints by around 2%. Care must be taken to avoid replacing sustainably and locally produced foods such as red meat and dairy with imported goods, with potentially wider environmental implications.โ€38โ€œWill reducing the UKโ€™s red meat consumption improve our environmental impact?,โ€ We Eat Balanced. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/SFHIq 

However, a systematic review based on multiple studies concluded that GHG emissions โ€œdiffer considerably per diet, with a vegan diet having the lowest CO2eq production per 2000 kcal consumed.โ€39Bingli Chai et al. โ€œWhich Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets,โ€ Sustainability, July 2019. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/ICLxh  According to an analysis published by Oxford Universityโ€™s Our World in Data project, the transport of food accounts for only a small share of emissions, while most GHG emissions caused by animal agriculture result from the production of the meat itself.40Hannah Ritchie. โ€œYou want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local,โ€ Our World in Data, January 24, 2020. Archived July 13, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/wJHsU 

โ€˜Less meat is wasted than fruit and vegetablesโ€™

In response to the publication of the EAT-Lancet report, which calls for a reduction in food waste to decrease food demand, the AHDB cites the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stating that โ€œfood waste from meat and dairy is one of the lowest at 20%, with up to 45% of fruit and vegetables wasted, 30% of cereals and 30% of fish.โ€41โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

Studies have found โ€œplant-based diets are also more climate friendly when they are wasted,โ€42Bingli Chai et al. โ€œWhich Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets,โ€ Sustainability, July 2019. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/ICLxh  however.  Researchers from the University of Michigan43Martin Heller & Gregory Keoleian. โ€œGreenhouse Gas Emission Estimates of U.S. Dietary Choices and Food Loss,โ€ Journal of Industrial Ecology, September 4, 2014. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/IsaIH showed that โ€œfruits and vegetables which comprise 33 percent of food waste [in the U.S.], account for only 8 percent of carbon dioxide emissions,โ€ while animal products โ€œaccount for 33 percent of food waste by mass and 74 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.” 44Bingli Chai et al. โ€œWhich Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets,โ€ Sustainability, July 2019. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/ICLxh 

A 2021 study by researchers from Freiburg University and Vienna University of Economics and Business concluded that โ€œan exclusive focus on food waste would potentially mislead policymakers and prevent them from addressing diets, despite [dietary change towards more plant-based diets] being the more effective strategy for reducing resource use.โ€45Hanna Helander et al. โ€œEating healthy or wasting less? Reducing resource footprints of food consumption,โ€ Environmental Research Letters, February, 2021. Archived June 30, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/d2J7R 

โ€˜Meat is needed for a healthy diet and to feed the worldโ€™ 

โ€˜Meat is crucial to feeding a growing global populationโ€™

The AHDB states on its website: โ€œOver the next 40 years, the global food system will have to feed more people with less impact.โ€46โ€œGreenhouse Gas Action Plan (GHGAP),โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/uR7UC  It argues elsewhere that โ€œresponsible and strategic livestock farming is a highly productive industry that produces a large amount of nutritious food for the population.โ€47โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

AHDB Head of Market Specialists for Livestock and Dairy Chris Gooderham stated in 2019: โ€œAny cap on [the sectorโ€™s] production would be a misguided and meaningless tactic for tackling climate change. Our farmers need support to further improve productivity and reduce their carbon footprint while continuing to produce vital, nourishing food for a growing population.โ€48โ€œAHDB responds to โ€˜Peak Meatโ€™ by 2030,โ€ AHDB, December 16, 2019. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/5WEat

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), a sustainable development organisation,49โ€œWorld Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future,โ€ World Resources Institute, December 2018. Archived July 14, 2021 feeding 10 billion people by 2050 without transitioning to a more plant-based global diet would necessitate the destruction of the worldโ€™s remaining forests and โ€œagriculture alone would produce almost twice the emissions allowable from all human activities.50โ€Damian Carrington. โ€œBeef-eating โ€˜must fall drasticallyโ€™ as world population grows,โ€ The Guardian, December 5, 2018. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: โ€‹โ€‹https://archive.ph/wip/0CheC

โ€˜Diet is a personal choiceโ€™

As part of the AHDBโ€™s โ€œWe Eat Balancedโ€ campaign, which aims to โ€œhelp those reducing meat and dairy consumption to re-consider [sic] their choices,โ€ the AHDB stated that โ€œchoosing to exclude all animal products is a personal choice,โ€ noting that โ€œthe majority of people in the UK include animal products like red meat and dairy.โ€51โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021.

โ€˜Meat is particularly nutrient-denseโ€™

In 2020, the AHDB criticised the BBC for encouraging children to reduce their meat consumption as part of an environmental initiative by childrenโ€™s TV show Blue Peter, stating that โ€œthe minerals and vitamins found in red meat should form an important part of a growing young personโ€™s diet.โ€52โ€œAHDB, QMS and HCC respond to CBBCโ€™s Blue Peter Green Badge campaign,โ€ AHDB, April 13, 2021. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/56RHn 

As part of the AHDBโ€™s โ€œWe Eat Balancedโ€ campaign, the AHDB notes that vitamin B12 is โ€œfound naturally in red meat […] and in dairy […], as well as eggs and fish and can be more difficult to source from foods of plant origin.โ€53โ€œVitamin B12,โ€ We Eat Balanced. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/xGIws 

Will Jackson, AHDBโ€™s Strategy Director for Beef & Lamb, responded to the EAT-Lancet Commission report stating: โ€œ[Dairy and red meat] are an important nutritional part of a healthy, balanced diet. […] Government guidelines suggest we should have 70g of red meat a day. Average population intake in the UK is currently below this figure. Any suggestion that we should further reduce our intake could have unintended detrimental consequences on health.โ€54โ€œAHDB response to Eat Lancet Commission report,โ€ AHDB, January 16, 2019. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/ZxQKP The UKโ€™s official dietary guidelines, however, recommends reducing the intake of red and processed meat to โ€œno more than 70 grams per day.โ€55โ€œThe Eatwell Guide: Helping you eat a healthy, balanced diet,โ€ Public Health England. Archived June 15, 2021.

Nutrition associations, including the British Nutrition Foundation, approve of meat-free diets.56โ€œPlant-based diets,โ€ British Nutrition Foundation. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/jcaHh  According to the American Dietetic Association, โ€œappropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.โ€57Winston Craig & Ann Reed Mangles. โ€œPosition of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets,โ€ Journal of the American Dietetic Association, July, 2009. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/WdQYV 

The AHDB states elsewhere that โ€œfoodโ€™s carbon footprint is typically calculated by weight and doesnโ€™t factor in nutrient availability.โ€58โ€œEat Balanced: Having Positive Conversations About Meat & Dairy 2021โ€, AHDB. Archived January 30, 2021. According to an analysis by Oxford Universityโ€™s Our World in Data, beef, lamb, and mutton also have significantly higher carbon footprints per 100 grams of protein than plant-based sources of protein such as tofu and other pulses.59Hannah Ritchie & Max Roser. โ€œEnvironmental impacts of food production,โ€ Our World in Data, January, 2020. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/C7seZ 

โ€˜Innovations in animal agriculture will tackle climate changeโ€™

โ€˜Slaughtering and livestock management innovations will cut emissionsโ€™

The AHDB suggests reducing farmsโ€™ carbon footprint by slaughtering animals earlier, the use of anaerobic digesters, and better slurry and manure management.60โ€œEnvironment FAQs for farming, growing and the industry,โ€ AHDB. Archived July 4, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/O1WeB 

Environmental organisations GRAIN and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) argue โ€œthat the large gains in โ€˜efficiencyโ€™ realised by industrial farming in the twentieth century will be hard to repeat without major ecological, social and health impacts.โ€ They describe the efficiency of intensive livestock production as โ€œa myth.โ€61โ€œEmissions impossible: How big meat and dairy are heating up the planet,โ€ GRAIN & Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), July 18, 2018. Archived July 14, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/3T9Zz

โ€˜New grazing techniques can sequester carbonโ€™

In a 2020 presentation, the AHDB stated that โ€œresearch is currently underway which looks at the extent of carbon neutrality when responsible and strategic grazing methods are used to produce red meatโ€ and that โ€œthe early results have been promising, demonstrating that managing livestock effectively can sequester tons of atmospheric carbon in soils.โ€62โ€œHaving positive conversations about meat & dairy, January 2020,โ€ AHDBArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/z6QTk 

Environmental scientists from the University of Oxford have criticised the idea of using cattle grazing to capture carbon for only offsetting 20-60 percent of annual average emissions from the grazing ruminant sector, concluding that โ€œgrass-fed cattle remain net contributors to warming.โ€63Tara Garnett et al. โ€œGrazed and confused?,โ€ FCRN. Archived June 30, 2021

Funding

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is an โ€œarmโ€™s length bodyโ€ of the UKโ€™s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), classified as a non-departmental public body (NDPB).64โ€œAbout us,โ€ Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/nYdo7  The AHDB is funded through statutory levies paid by โ€œfarmers, growers and others in the supply chain,โ€ including beef, lamb, pork, and dairy producers.65โ€œAbout the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB),โ€ AHDBArchived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/GEtEs 

For the financial period 2019/20, the AHDB reported a total income of ยฃ67.2 million.66โ€œAgriculture and Horticulture Development Board,โ€ AHDB. Archived June 15, 2021 According to a 2018 Defra report, the AHDB also has โ€œnon-levy income of around ยฃ10 million per year from EU grants, fees for services, and from its commercial subsidiary, Meat and Livestock Commercial Services Ltd (MLCSL).โ€67โ€œRequest for Views on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board,โ€ Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, August, 2018. Archived June 15, 2021

A ยฃ1 million dairy marketing campaign the AHDB launched in 2020, titled โ€œMilk Your Moments,โ€ was co-funded by Defra, the Scottish government, the Welsh government, and the Northern Ireland Executive.68Philip Case. โ€œMilk Your Moments campaign reaches millions,โ€ Farmers Weekly, June 17, 2020. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/UYPGy 

Lobbying

According to LobbyFacts.eu, the AHDB spent โ‚ฌ300,000-399,999 on lobbying EU institutions every year between 2015 and 2019, declared four full-time lobbyists, and has held at least one meeting with the European Commission since 2014. According to the database, the AHDB Brussels office โ€œmonitoredโ€ a range of policies, including the ongoing Common Agricultural Policy simplification, policies on animal and plant health, promotion of agricultural products, climate and energy framework and air quality proposals, and food labelling.69โ€œAgriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB),โ€ LobbyFacts.eu. Archived December 31, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/9IzDT  

Starting from 2017, the AHDB participated in an EU-funded campaign, โ€œaiming to convince millennial consumers (aged 25-35) across four EU markets (France, Ireland, Germany and the UK) to โ€˜Love Lamb,โ€™โ€ alongside Interbev, Franceโ€™s leading cattle association, and Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board.70โ€œEU LAMB CAMPAIGN,โ€ REA. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/NXacX 

The AHDB co-developed the UKโ€™s national dietary guidelines with Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, as a member of the guidelinesโ€™ โ€œexternal reference group.โ€71โ€œFrom Plate to Guide: What, why and how for the eatwell model,โ€ Public Health England. Archived June 15, 2021 It is also a โ€œsustaining memberโ€ of the British Nutrition Association, another organisation involved in shaping governmental nutrition policies.72โ€œCurrent members,โ€ British Nutrition Foundation. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/qeUyg 

In 2020, the AHDB launched a ยฃ1 million dairy marketing campaign titled โ€œMilk Your Moments,โ€ co-funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Scottish government, the Welsh government, and the Northern Ireland Executive.73Philip Case. โ€œMilk Your Moments campaign reaches millions,โ€ Farmers Weekly, June 17, 2020. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/UYPGy 

The same year, along with meat industry groups Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Hybu Cig Cymru / Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), the AHDB criticised the BBC for suggesting that children reduce their meat consumption as part of childrenโ€™s TV show Blue Peterโ€™s โ€œclimate hero challenge.โ€74โ€œAHDB, QMS and HCC respond to CBBCโ€™s Blue Peter Green Badge campaign,โ€ AHDB, April 13, 2021. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/56RHn  The BBC subsequently changed the challenge from asking children to go โ€œmeat-freeโ€ for at least two weeks to choosing a couple of vegetarian meals a week.75Ben Webster. โ€œBlue Peter drops anti-meat message after farmerโ€™s beef with BBC,โ€ The Times, April 13, 2021. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/z34wu   Vegan campaign group Surge criticised the BBC for bowing to meat industry pressure, arguing that critics of the campaign perpetuated โ€œthe false narrative that land can either produce crops or, if it canโ€™t, it must be used to produce meat.โ€76Claire Hamlett. โ€œBlue Peter bends to flesh industry bullying,โ€ Surge, April 14, 2021. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/x7eiJ 

In 2017, Mick Sloyan, Senior Director for Pork at AHDB, stated that a meat tax would be โ€œan incredibly blunt tool for a complex problem,โ€ in response to Jeremy Coller, founder of the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative, who had suggested that โ€œif policymakers are to cover the true cost of livestock epidemics like avian flu and human epidemics like obesity, diabetes and cancer, while also tackling the twin challenges of climate change and antibiotic resistance, then a shift from subsidisation to taxation of the meat industry looks inevitable.โ€77Lauren Dean. โ€œMeat tax โ€˜increasingly probableโ€™ to keep within 2degc Paris agreement,โ€ Farmers Guardian, December 16, 2017. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/b25Nr 

Affiliations

The AHDB is an affiliate of the European Livestock Voice,78โ€œMeat the Facts,โ€ European Livestock Voice. Archived 14 July 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/aeJnj  an EU-level campaign started in 2019 by the farming association COPA-COGECA and 10 other livestock organisations.79โ€œCOPA-COGECA,โ€ DeSmog. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/nbSnC 

The AHDB is also a member of the International Meat Secretariat,80โ€œTransparency Register: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board,โ€ EUROPA. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/tS3jL   a nonprofit organisation representing the red meat sector at a global level.81โ€œAbout the IMS,โ€ International Meat Secretariat. Archived June 16, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/N8PoV

Phil Bicknell, Market Intelligence Director at AHDB,82โ€œPhil Bicknell,โ€ AHDB. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: โ€‹โ€‹https://archive.ph/wip/XXZm9  is the former Head of Food and Farming at the National Farmersโ€™ Union (NFU), an organisation representing farmers in England and Wales.83โ€œNational Farmersโ€™ Union (UK),โ€ DeSmog. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/1xbhd 

As part of the AHDBโ€™s โ€œWe Eat Balancedโ€ campaign, the organisation partnered with food standards scheme Red Tractor84โ€œEnjoy the food you eat We Eat Balanced,โ€ We Eat Balanced. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/3AJPv  and launched the Food Advisory Board (FAB) at the Food Matters Live 2019 event, an annual health and nutrition exhibition.85โ€œ17 million consumers informed about health benefits of meat,โ€ Farmers Guide, July 1, 2020. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/0ivwH 

The AHDBโ€™s Chair Nicholas Saphir was formerly employed by dairy company Dairy Crest (now Saputo Dairy UK) and the Organic Milk Producersโ€™ Cooperative (Omsco). According to the organisationโ€™s website, Saphir โ€œhas a long and successful record of chairing industry and government bodies in the food and farming sector, including being the chair of the Central Council for Agricultural and Horticultural Cooperation, founder chair of Food from Britain, president of the Fresh Produce Consortium and chair of the Agricultural Forum.โ€86โ€œManagement Team,โ€ AHDB. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/lidyc  

Speakers at the AHDBโ€™s 2021 โ€œCarbon Weekโ€ webinar series included Sarah Haire, Head of Agriculture at Dawn Meats and former Chair of the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability; Harriet Wilson, agriculture and sustainable sourcing manager at McDonaldโ€™s; and multiple speakers from agricultural and environmental consultancy ADAS Climate and Sustainability.87โ€œCarbon Week: Supply chain requirements โ€“ building a narrative,โ€ AHDBArchived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/vRjsL 

Research Collaborations

According to the EU Transparency Register,88โ€œTransparency Register: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board,โ€ EUROPA. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/tS3jL   the AHDB participated in Euro Dairy,89โ€œEuroDairy,โ€ EuroDairy. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/O4qxe  EU Pig,90โ€œHome Page,โ€ EU PiG Innovation Group. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/kmgR2  Dairy-4-Future91โ€œPropagating Innovations For More Resilient Dairy Farming in the Atlantic Area,โ€ Dairy-4-Future. Archived July 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/G8zQz  and Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe (iSAGE), EU-funded projects aiming to improve the efficiency, resiliency and sustainability of EU livestock farming.92โ€œHome,โ€ iSAGE: Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe. Archived June 15, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/ES0ys 

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