Better cows here than on cleared rainforest

The OP presented a hypothesis, if you have any understanding of the scientific method you'll know that hypothesis comes before the published papers and theory. The poster in question has a reputation for snide one line comments designed to detract from the debate - there is no requirement for a poster here to back up every statement with a published journal, so if acd has a problem with some of the suppositions on the OP maybe they could formulate an actual argument as opposed to lazy claims of "source?"

As for this line from yourself:

Incredibly dishonest representation of the OP. The OPs point is that reducing our national herd will result in our cutbacks being made up elsewhere (e.g. Brazil), in countries with less eco-friendly growing practices.

So the claim in full is that reducing the national herd will cause Brazilian herd to grow which will be worse for climate change.

Do you think that growing more beef in Brazil and less in Ireland, for a near net-zero change in global herd numbers, will be better or worse for the environment?

He didn't say that though, not even close.

So in the absence of evidence you have no opinion on the matter.

But earlier you said it was all denialist claptrap to you. How could it be denialist if you have no evidence to the contrary?

Who has said it will or does?

The whole continent is due to cut herd numbers

Brazil on the otherhand is due to grow to meet global demand. Brazilian beef is cheap, and exported worldwide (Irish beef also goes worldwide)

Irelands loss could be Brazils gain. Nothing ridiculous about it.

🤪

You are being a bit disingenuous and I think you know it.

If you read this post:

and the conclusion you come to is that its about less cows globally, you are being disingenuous.

Even the thread title:

"Better cows here than on cleared rainforest"

Its so painfully obvious what the premise here is. You must have had a hard time in English class 🤣

Comparing the production of beef in Ireland and continental Europe is like comparing the growing of wine grapes in Ballydehob Vs Bordeaux.

Easy to do if you know next to nothing about growing grapes in either.

A lot of this debate is driven by people who know nothing about food production, the part weather plays, that soil types play.

If you can't understand why East Cork is tillage and poorer land by comparison in North Cork is dairy and more valuable production wise then you don't know very basic reality about growing produce, of any kind. Yet the same East Cork land if in North Cork would Excel in production.

It's not just beef and dairy, many of the activists haven't even the barest understanding about veg and fruit as well.

Has anyone else in this thread experience in commercial farming , organic and otherwise of livestock and vegetables?

Vegetables, they come from the shop, don't they?

The EU commission disagree with you on importing Brazilian beef but that is neither here nor there.

Beef is a fungible commodity.

Can you point out what parts I have "disingenuously rewrote"?

🤣 The man of science announces he has debunked something in the absence of evidence - sounds a lot more like faith and blind belief

I don't...I do remember, I did not realise you were involved in agriculture somehow when I responded a bit sarcastically to a comment of yours (a long time ago now) where you were bemoaning terrible ignorance of, and lack of respect (or even a hatred) for farming & agriculture out among the public...

I still think you are overly cynical (?), certainly when it comes to the public in Ireland, I am not sure why?

Are you paying too much attention to loud mouths (or trolls/bots!?) over on the exact opposite pov from you, spouting rubbish about farmers + green issues on social media? They won't reflect the general public IMO.

I genuinely think most people in Ireland are still well aware of how important agriculture is to us all + don't have some extremist deep-green viewpoint, where they want the national herd culled to nothing + all the beef & dairy farmers pensioned off and the whole lot reforested and "rewilded" etc!

There's supposed to be some kind of climate/CO2 adjustment mechanism coming in for imports to the EU, but I haven't read up much on the details of it. (edit: a quick google, and I see such food imports would not be covered by what is planned)

I suppose agricultural products are a special case (in that sector is quite protected from alot of non EU imports?), but would have though it should apply to things like meat produced in Brazil (so it will have, effectively extra "climate" related EU tariffs on it making it an expensive product).

Really politicians have to level with people and if there's these green adjustments made to food production of all sorts in the EU (e.g. less meat) there's no point just shifting the burden elsewhere. If beef production in EU starts to be reduced for example, beef consumption in EU also has to fall. It can't just be made up by getting that beef from Brazil instead etc.