Back in the 1960s I used to watch a farming program on the BBC, maybe it's time to bring a good one back, but it must tell the true facts no a one sided one.
Is the Farming minister a farmer? Now we are not governed by the CAP farming,fishing and food should be a ministry back at the top table, it was down graded into a mere part of environment because decisions were made by the EU.
Full disclaimer: I'm a conservational biologist. Something to note with any research that makes it to the popular press: we, as scientists, have no influence over what a journalist might conclude from our findings or which aspect he might highlight. This is incredibly infuriating but also highly frustrating. We work on these publications for weeks, months, years and decades to deliver accurate and replicable results only to see them taken out of context and fitted to a narrative that it was never intended for and subsequently ridiculed and discarded. The point you make here is perfectly put. It can't all be on a global scale, because it shouldn't be in the first place. It's about making reasonable decisions. Livestock as such can't be demonized as the sole reason for our deteriorating environment. While there are lots of problematic practices around the world concerning livestock (cf USA, Argentina,Brazil to name a few famous examples) the practices you outline here are not only good but they're actually used in conservation. I can't speak for the UK, though I imagine there are similar projects there, in continental Europe we use livestock to regenerate ecosystems. It's good practice and also important to communicate to the general public. It's much more important to reflect on own actions than trying to shift blame according to a narrative. Overconsumption is a problem with any good, that applies to meat as much as to anything else. With meat there are some thermodynamic intricacies to be discussed as 1kg of meat theoretically needs 10kg of carbohydrates and protein to be generated. But that just means consuming consciously, as everything else as well. Eating less meat and of higher quality is good, but also eating what's locally and seasonally available is crucial. Producing locally and sustainably with the resources available and without shifting environmental impacts somewhere else is what we should focus on. Grocery shopping on farmers markets, re-establishing the connections to our land and the people that harvest it. These discussions can't be held unilaterally. Farmers, scientists and the general public should be much more involved in finding long term solutions and helping each other rather than playing the blame game. This would not only help each entities credibility, it would also help the general progress in which we tackle many of these complex issues. The BBC unfortunately doesn't seem to agree.
I agree. The BBC seem to have their own agenda, which more and more people are beginning to realise. Even my parents, well into their 70s, realise that the BBC is biased in many areas.
Very good post, thanks. I’m a naturalist also with a conservation background and acknowledge that most farmers and land managers love and wish to protect the countryside, wildlife and landscape. In the UK at least, it doesn’t take much good practice advice and modest incentive for farmers to embrace improvements to the environment if they are not already managing their land in a sustainable and wise manner.
Correct just look at where the fresh produce in our shopping baskets come from. All over the world and a lot of it comes to us by the worst polluters of the lot, planes.
I generally agree about seasonality, on the other hand we have a strawberry producer in Somerset who grows in greenhouses supplying ASDA in the off season. He uses recycled wood chippings to heat his greenhouses when he has too but other than that it's fairly low input. some times in the year he's the sole supplier to ASDA. just wanted to put that out there to say it can be done in this country.
Not correct - you can sustainable and locally grow strawberries in stacked indoor farms they are both more efficient and take up less space than the traditional method.
Nail on the head Harry, yet again. So fed up with selective facts, I started a degree in envirnomental science 2 years ago, trying to find the truth. If the green vegan brigade took time to look at the damage almond milk, rice, avocados etc do to the environment, the soap box wouldn't seem so high!
Thank you. It's very hard to find the truth, as you say. We do have to look at climate change on a global scale, it's no good doing it in the UK but not in India or China, for example. But to not question why a cow is producing methane, or whether it is part of the natural carbon cycle is simply making facts you have available to fit your story. One thing my journalistic background taught me is editorial integrity is everything and once you've lost it, it's gone for ever. I worry some of the stories the BBC has put out recently may have damaged its authority for ever. Good luck with your studies, the truth is out there but when it comes to environmental stuff, it takes some finding!
Marvelous informative as always Harry. Your brilliant at explaining things. I have no farming background and came from your car show just to look when you started the farm video and I’m hooked. I learned a lot from you. Thank you.
The problem isn’t sustainable farming. It’s low cost food (50p burger anyone) that demands high intensity low cost production for cheap food which promotes high carbon produce. We should try to eat better - and that probably means less . But that’s not a headline is it.
Very good point. My first job from school was in the clothing industry UK, an industry that has now almost disappeared now in the UK. Clothes are as cheap if not cheaper now than they were back when I started work.
Perhaps if we paid a proper fair price for our food to the farmer instead of subsidies and middlemen (supermarkets and big dairy's) driving the price down then the food we put on our table would be of a far higher quality.
I've been a student in the UK and expensive food wasn't an option. Also if you keep banning stuff they will move to other countries where they simply don't care.
@@mignik01 Harry highlighted your second point with Oil Seed Rape where a neonicotinoid seed dressing is banned in the EU and UK so shortfalls are made up with imports from The Ukraine.
@@danielmarshall4587 here in the USA , a lot of the clothes we buy are made in China . These politicians sold us out to CHINA . Prob 99% at big corporate stores is all Chinese junk
Harry - a farmer's wife who is also a Professor of Entomology is researching the impact of cows (Dexter's in her case) on sequestered carbon levels in the soil. She is studying dung beetles and similar invertebrates because grass fed ruminants also improve biodiversity enormously. On global warming your soil has been grass for decades and so carbon levels are probably pretty stable, but if you transferred your cows to another field that was newly put down to grass the sequestered carbon would increase quite dramatically, making the whole operation (assuming no external inputs) carbon negative!
Well Said Harry! As a sheep and beef farmer in Northern Ireland I couldn't agree more. The Beef and lamb produced in Britain and Ireland are the best in the world. Our Animals are well cared for and extremely well regulated
@@TruthTortoise81 You maybe dont need to eat meat, but then you have to get Iron from other methods. Also have you thought other people like the taste and feel of meat and want To support beef farming?
I agree with you. Really great stuff. For some reason Harry’s video about rebuilding a collapsed stone wall on his farm struck a chord, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Such a likeable fellow.
So well presented, I am an artist and paint out in the fresh air in Yorkshire. I often meet farmers in the Wolds who are always happy to talk and appreciate me listening to their issues with farming. The land is beautiful up here and is down to their hard work and husbandry. Looking at your video puts me back into the land. Learning more about farming is now an issue for me and a farmer friend regularly feeds me ‘Farmers Weekly’ which I devour with great interest. Thanks for putting it together so professionally.
I think a lot of people confuse beef production with how it's done in the USA, where it's mostly done on constrained land in pretty inhumane conditions.
Unfortunately, industrial beef farming (not only in the USA) is the ONLY way man's craving for super cheap animal protein can be satisfied. Harry and other smallholders like him are being slowly squeezed out by the mega-farms. I don't see the UK Gov making life any easier for the small farms.
As a ranching and feedlot operation in the Central Basin of Washington State, USA, we are trying to be as efficent and resposible as possible with resources. With an annual capacity of ~40,000 head, we are trying to turn commdities into beef as fast as possible. Studies have been conducted that show that cattle are just as happy being on a small lot as a big pasture, as long as they are with their penmates. our cattle stay on lots of 50 or 100 from birth until packing, this eases stress and creates a higher quality product. The effiency of having 15 guys and 280 acres feed that many cattle is incredible, if all those cattle were out on pasture, they would be tended by hundreds of ranchers spread over hundreds of thousands of acres all around the PNW. In the feedlot, the cattle are always well taken care of, sick ones are taken to a sick pen, where they can recuperate with other animals, and recive close attention and good care. We try to move cattle in as low stress of a way as possible, because that stress will damage the meat, and cause us to recive a dockage at the meatpacker. To finish them any other way is not financially viable for the amount of beef that is needed to supply the meatpackers and the meatloving people of the USA.
@@tomrobinson2914 A grass fed animal will never grade as well as a grain fed one. The hanging weight of the carcass of grass weight is always less than a grain fed one. The fat marbling and distribution always grade lower i.e. choice vs. prime. This video by the bearded butchers does a great job of explaining it in layman's terms ruclips.net/video/yomerhQkpSc/видео.html . What this translates to is that a grain fed beef (feedlot finished) is going to be juicer and more flavorful than a grass fed been(pasture finished) which can be gamier and not as tender. so, to use your argument, yes, do consume the higher quality product. Our current CAFE regulations require that American cars must meet a certain level of emissions standards in order to be legal, and with the surge in electric and hybrid vehicles, we are steadily getting cleaner fleets in general. As to your parting shot, our overweight population could use to eat les carbohydrates and fatty foods, consume more protein and exercise more often.
Fair play to you Harry putting the facts out there as they are. The BBC and RTE here in Ireland give out the same rubbish. It seems that national broadcasters have a major issue with putting out the truth with facts.
I think the story for environment change from eating beef , comes more from industrial beef farming,( gmo feed and antibiotics given to cattle, in the states) and cutting down trees in the amazon forest area to create pastures to raise cattle, , if the land itself can raise and maintain a number of farm animals safely, and humanely , then that process makes sense , manure and chemical runoff from industrial farms hurt everyone.
Fully agree about the industrial beef farming happening elsewhere in the world. What I'm hoping is people in the UK start to realise is raising beef on grass that can't be used for anything else, is actually a very sustainable way of farming and should be supported.
@@harrysfarmvids i follow Harrys garage religiously , and have just recently subscribed to this channel and i fully appreciate the quality of the presentation that is shown, on how and why jobs are done on the farm. Thank you for bringing to light the beef situation living in the states i have refrained from eating animals on a personal choice, but i would and never will, tell people what they should or shouldnt do on a personal choice, thank you for this channel and always look forward to excellent content on both channels
I do like a well informed rant. I have friends and family in farming both arable and live stock, and they are fed up with being demonised, because as you said most of the info on the news doesn't represent the UK farmer.
Such a well composed piece. It is a symptom of the dumbing down of broadcasting that broadcasters think they can get away with milking the zeitgeist and playing to the galleries. There seems to be no compulsion to go for the whole story, but to select the bits that feed the narrative. Excellent stuff Harry, I hope those kites work!
I love your vids Harry , both the garage and the farm , what I like is the honesty of laying out the costs ect and the way you explain things so we can understand what actually is happening on farms in our country , some of us may know someone in the farming world but most of us have no idea, and you bring it to us in a friendly and informed way , well done , keep up the good work
Thanks. I guess it helps having an journalistic background and making sure you get your facts right. Editorial integrity is everything, which I sometimes think the BBC has forgotten..
Great video Harry, as always. It's a real pleasure to listen to somebody that actually looks at ALL the facts and produces a scientific, factual analysis of what's actually going on. Our media, as well as our government, could learn a thing or two. I'm not going to hold my breath, it's much easier to bark up the wrong tree, right?!
Harry I have to thank you. I am not a farmer (I am a film writer/producer) but I am an avid consumer of beef. As I write there is a beautiful piece of organic British topside resting in the kitchen! It's so refreshing to hear someone talking sense, complete sense, about this most demonised of industries. I'm not adverse to a bit of Harry's Garage either!...one of your legion of fans and a local.
Slightly off topic. Most of the weight of a supermarket lorry's load is liquid. i.e. Drinks , a lot of it bottled water . less than 10 is dairy or meat. This does have a huge impact on fuel which, of course impacts CO2 emissions. I am a Lorry Driver who delivers to a supermarket.
I’d personally like this vid to be shown on BBC Countryfile - better than the environmental drivel they normally spout. “Table thumping” moment - love it! Keep up the good work Harry!
There is so much misinformation and disinformation broadcast these days. It makes you wonder what the real agenda of that programme was. I got rid of my TV when I woke up to these shenanigans!
Harry. Yet again, a great video. As previous comments said, you hit the nail on the head. I'm tired of the of the media both in the UK and in Ireland presenting lazy data. Our farming representatives need to educate the public. It's a matter of survival now. The ways things are going we will be out of business because of mis-information. Brazilian and Argentina beef will take over. Where did you take the information slides in the video from?
Harry, thank you so much for this. I was so angry watching that program, couldn't believe how badly it had been researched. I've read some of the facts you relayed in Diana Rodgers Sacred Cow book and now film. Another problem was the lack of info on nutrition as if that didn't have a place in a discussion about food - what? And the portion sizes were not comparable - tiny bit of soy product against a huge steak. Thanks again Harry, the programme makers need to be consulting experts like you and also not being so shoddy about research. Collette
spot on, there is no point in comparing 200g of protein in a steak meal and 40g of protein in a vegetarian meal and saying they are equivalent meals from an environmental point of view. If they are going to be compared then meals with the same amount of protein needs to be compared.
Top work Harry, very informative as per usual. I think you are overdue a slot on the BBC to give yours / beef farmers point of view on this increasingly covered issue.
another issue is brazil, cutting down acre after acre of rainforest and burning for space for cattle. How about we also focus on stopping deforestation
What do you think the UK was before it became a huge farm? Aha deforestation isn’t just a problem in Brazil, Borneo, Congo etc just happened beyond living memory in Europe.
@@naturshoot8448 absolutely has, but they would call us hypocrites considering the whole of the UK is a farm where it was once Atlantic rainforest. Most of the palm oil grown is for the processed products the west buy in supermarkets. So you do have to be careful when we start to witch-hunt these people, we are effectively saying it’s ok for us to do it but because your ancestors respected the land you cannot. A lot of them hate what western capitalism has done to their rainforest but they feel they have no choice, so when we turn around and tell them off I can understand why they tell us to piss off.
Yes that is what we have to do, but why are they cutting down the forest? 1 for soy which goes to China. Nothing to do with our beef and two for cattle who have been moved from the grass lands Because they are growing sugar cane in the traditional grassland,
Excellent video Harry I’m heavily involved in Regenerative agriculture and the biggest battle we face is the perception of farming created by the media. The fact is, in a perfect farming environment, cattle are an integral part of the life cycle and are necessary when looking to move away from synthetic ferts and sprays. Unfortunately that doesn’t make for sexy headlines. I’m all for grass fed cattle used as part of a mob grazing cycle and I’m vegan!
Harry, could you please do a video and on the effects Brexit is having on farming , i know you have the integrity to give us the good, the bad and the down right ugly. I lay my cards on the table I’m a avid remainer, but i like to base my arguments on empirical evidence ergo my request.
Thanks for this. There needs to be a serious push-back against the MSM and what amounts to propaganda against UK beef and sheep farming. I live in the Peak District and used to work at the summit of Great Dun Fell in Cumbria (where the radar dome now sits) and the people who turn such steep upland areas into productive agricultural land deserve our wholehearted support and not the denigration to which they are currently subjected.
Thanks and so true. The upland farmers of the UK are the real heroes in all of this, carrying on the tradition of upland farming, which is a flipping tough way to make a living. I simply don't get this sudden obsession with methane emissions from livestock in the UK. If it was such a problem, then why wasn't it a problem when UK livestock numbers were much higher? Also, livestock don't create the methane from nowhere, the composition of methane (carbon and hydrogen) are in the cellulose and starch the cow is eating, so it's just the natural carbon cycle in balance. Only man creates any additional release of CO2 from farming livestock, via burning fossil fuels or adding inputs like fertiliser, etc. which has nothing to do with the innocent, grass-eating cow!
@@harrysfarmvids Many thanks for the reply. I should perhaps say that my reason for being at Great Dun Fell in the 1970s and 80s was to perform cloud physics experiments (it was a handy location for it being in cloud for parts of about 250 days a year). We had no idea at the time that, as the “indirect aerosol effect”, it would take on central importance as one of the primary areas of uncertainty in the whole climate change issue. I do worry that it has been deemed necessary to convince the public that the “science is settled” as, in reality, there are huge areas of uncertainty - not that there is climate change, but that we have a total unarguable understanding of the causes. Clouds interact with a very high proportion of the incoming and outgoing radiation of the Earth and imperceptibly small changes in the lifetimes of clouds or their albedo (reflectivity) could have a huge effect on the radiative balance. The received wisdom is that everything to do with clouds is driven by the greenhouse gasses. This overlooks the very real possibility that our changes in land usage, deforestation, etc could have made slight changes to the cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) spectrum that, quite independently of the greenhouse gasses, could be a significant contributory factor in changing the radiative balance of the planet. We still have a far from perfect understanding of the organic sources of CCN (trees, etc) Unfortunately, CCN are difficult to measure and we have effectively no historical data to use as a baseline and we still don't make extensive accurate measurements of CCN. Of course this comment will get me labelled (not for the first time) as a denier - such is the politicisation of the issue.
I love these videos; so good to see a proper rational discussion of the facts. Until I saw this I thought I was the only one talking about the Bison and the Deer! One thing you didn't mention - bison were a great deal heavier than our farm animals, and presumably produced more methane in proportion to weight. That suggests that bison produced more methane in the past than current beef farming does!
Thank you Harry for educating us and giving us the bigger picture. This is why I watch this channel, to learn where my food comes from and effort that goes into producing it.
Well said that man! Top work Harry. I saw a quote this week - If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. Too many people are so easily led by selective information that’s thrown in your face on tv without knowing the true facts.
I’m no expert Harry, far from it but I recently watched “Cowspiracy” on Netflix and the whole beef production to feed global population (not Uk specifically) means it’s unsustainable for the planet, they did a part on grass fed which is far better for the environment but I think they said if you produced all beef from grass fed beef (better beef, more humane, better flavour) you’d need to convert half the worlds land mass to grass pasture. Like I said I’m no expert but it doesn’t appear sustainable longer term full stop at the rate we are currently consuming beef.. vid content is excellent btw. Cheers
@@sparkyplug28 To grow 1kg of beef takes like 100x the land area required to grow 1kg of rice. Eat beef if you want but it is an undeniable fact that it is insanely bad for the environment.
You can't beat a bit of urban middle class outrage to skew an argument. That was an excellent explanation of what British farmers have been doing for generations. Cows are carbon neutral. That is how it is for any animal husbandry that respects it's natural habitat and diet. Disclaimer: I am both urban and middle class!
Ooooh oooh oooh. Steady on my dear chap. One shouldn't write on here with a middle class, middle aged or middle english accent. No one will believe you. More inclined to believe mad Russian scientist - see comment above.
Solid gold. Balanced, objective, no-nonsense insights from an expert in his field (as it were). Should be shown in schools. Not that many decades ago, it would have been.
Thanks Harry - well researched! I think the BBC programme ( not the BBC per say) would not have intentionally tried to present a misleading story. There is, quite rightly, a big discussion about climate change going on at the moment. Just to put the CH4 emission due to rice into perspective, you have to normalise the emission by the number of people being sustained by whatever it is you are considering. I eat a good piece of beef twice a month, it's expensive but it's something special. I think we've lost our sense of value with over and easy consumption of many things.
Harry, I really enjoyed your “rant” you really want too get that info to the average Joe Public, so informative of what the farming and countryside is all about, Thanks
Clear explanation Harry, thank you. Is it just me or have others noticed how much of the BBC output is journalists interviewing journalists in recent years. Try an experiment - for the next few days keep an eye out for that and you’ll see what I mean. I just wonder, given how much air time they try to fill nowadays, that is their easiest (and cheapest) option. Unfortunately that elevates those journalistic opinions above the facts. Perhaps the Horizon film is an example of that. Just a thought.
I won't be looking out - I gave up watching mainstream TV a year ago in disgust at the lies and censorship over every issue, as did many others. The BBC is finished.
I wouldn't say without guilt, you're still taking the life of an animal. But you can feel like you're contributing a bit less to the destruction of the environment.
The way that Harry produces is better than factory farming, no question, but it would still better to cut beef out completely. Land that can't grow crops could be returned to wild flower meadows or woodland.
@@jakespooner8567 Well Harry is a Farmer and I fail to see how income can be generated, from wild flower meadows or woodland? It certainly isn't in the majority of taxpayers benefit to purchase that land for such purpose. Maybe you could buy it, if Harry is happy to sell?
It’s been said before in the comments, but I feel the need to say it again. When Harry talks, you listen. He just has the knack to completely capture and suck you in, no matter what the subject matter may be. He really needs to be utilised by a tv company, his knowledge, manner and charisma is simply one of a kind. Almost Attenborough esk.
Great job Harry true gent and a well needed ambassador for beef farming . Get this mans presentation to the Prince of Wales 🏴 Let Harry make his case 💪
yep don't disagree, but culling the deer would aid woodland regeneration and provide organic venison, why not, oh bambi! thats it environmentally what is needed is a well managed doe cull to reduce the deer population and manage at a sustainable density to reduce the cost of tree establishment and allow cost effective ancient semi-natural woodland management.
I told my young daughter, she was eating bambi sausages and Rudolph burgers. The silly primary school teacher went literally crying to the headmaster stating that my daughter was a demon child. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
Muntjac are vermin, introduced and totally out of control. Deer by and large are managed. Muntjac are also vicious if you corner one. They need total culling.
Harry, I’m a veggie farmer in the US but I probably spend more time educating people on the merits of sustainable cattle farming than I do on organic produce. It’s so fun to hear a fellow motor head/farmer “ranting” about grass fed beef! Some pastured beef cattlemen here in the states call themselves “grass farmers”.
Thank you Harry. It’s work like this that encourages people to look beyond eye catching headlines and not simply jump on the bandwagon because it’s “perceived” as the right thing, when there is a possibility it isn’t and/or makes no real difference.
We don't eat beef that often but when we do we look for grass fed beef, simply because we think it's consistently better quality. Never really looked into the differences in environmental impact of the different beef farming regimes. Very interesting!👍
There are many ways to consume a beef animal, for instance you could; - put it on a plate and eat it - put it in a blender and drink it - put it in a pipe and smoke it Jokes aside, great video, refreshing to see someone who actually has an genuine informed opinion on this matter
Totally agree. Also, you make such a good point to counter the trophic-levels argument. There's a lot to be said for trophic levels (where only 10% of the solar energy captured is passed from one layer to the next). But, you or I cannot eat the grass. Grass is everywhere. It is one of the Worlds most common biomes.
Thanks for the clarification!! Like you said Harry, the bad reputation of beef and dairy production comes mostly from those gi-normous farms in the US, Brazil, Argentina etc. stuffing their animals into tiny corrals and feeding them GMO corn and soy. I don't want to eat a cow that has never seen, yet alone eaten grass in it's life. On the other hand, I would like to mention using herbicides might be useful for a certain time - on the long run the weeds eventually become more and more resistant. The non-resistant weeds die - the resistant ones spread. Sooner or later a more effective herbicide is needed - which is gladly provided by the chemical industry but often has unwanted side effects. For many farming issues more and more smart solutions come online. Chasing pigeons away with hawks, real or fake, is indeed a smart solution.
That biogenic carbon cycle is beautiful. It's almost as if it's what nature intended! Thanks Harry. Top videa. Thanks for getting spreading the message. The majority of British beef agriculture is totally sustainable.
Beef on grass is actually below carbon neutral. If the grass was left to fall to the ground the same bacteria that the cow has in its gut would do the same job in the soil create carbon dioxide and methane.
Thoroughly enjoyed that Harry. A very balanced and informative viewpoint. As Hutchslover eludes to below, eating seasonally and more importantly locally produced produce is key to addressing many of the issues the media like to press home. It has alway amazed me that it's often cheaper for me to buy New Zealand lamb rather than locally produced Welsh lamb. How can this be when the Welsh lamb is produced within 5 miles of where I live? This seems crazy to me! I stumbled on Harry's farm from watching your content on Harry's garage and have to say I'm hooked! Nice one Harry.
Oh flip! That really wasn't on purpose, I promise! I might have to pin this comment to calm down any more Welsh viewers who spot I didn't mention the Welsh! My only caveat is the Welsh are better known for being sheep farmers but that's not a proper excuse really. Bother..
Absolutely spot on about the beef farming. I recall one “vegan” moron on This Morning some time back and he had no relevant points to the uk beef farmer what so ever, he just shouted everyone down who didn’t agree with him and seemed to think all beef farming was cattle-lots as you described in the US and also South America and Russia. That’s the issue with mainstream media and in particular with the beeb, they give far too much support to the in vogue minorities rather than giving well informed well balanced information from all parties involved.
As a new subscriber I am very appreciative of your knowledge and your ability to explain and communicate that to those of us who are not farmers and only have what the media tell us to go on. You are farming in a more natural way that respects the animals and the land as well as the customers as far as I can see and your arguments seem well thought out and reasoned. Thank you so much for helping us understand the reality of things here. God bless from Northern Ireland.
Great educational video thanks Harry. I live in Kinsale and can attest to the fact that a) Irish beef is great because it's grass fed year round, and b) judging by the local soccer pitch, the "black shadows" do deter the grazing birds.
Maybe Harry had a "little bit of a rant" but at least he used facts and figures and consideration of the whole cycle instead of the usual BBC journalistic idea of taking one small piece of the reality and exaggerating.
6:47, awesome. Great looking birds! Regarding the commentary about the steep hill at 8:45, what would the breakeven period be if you were to terrace that land out by excavating the hillside into a series of stair-like, flat plateaus wide enough to fit the equipment? I imagine it could take a decade or more, but it piqued my curiosity. 9:15, "worms operating" sounds very hardcore in relation to their role on the farm. 10:15: woo, Octopus! Love it. 11:25, very gorgeous and artful photo.
I think your point about rice is partially valid, but when you account for the CO2 production per usable yield (kg), rice can feed far more people and is more accessible in developing nations, with larger populations where wetlands and climate is favourable over beef, which also has to be eaten much quicker. You also didn't mention the water use per kg. (www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Venice/pdf/special_events/bozza_scheda_DOW04_1.0.pdf) 1kg of rice is equal to around 2500l of water, whereas 1kg of beef is equal to around 15,000l of water. You mentioned media relating to a 'global report' of food production, even though you mentioned rice CO2 production which isn't usually grown in the UK? I will admit, I'm glad cows in the UK are usually brought up in fields, I will leave the animal rights argument as this is the environmental topic (though interconnected). However, the transport and environmental pollution caused with food waste with meat production is another point missed, with the meat having to be kept at cold temperatures, and a lot of meat being thrown away due to its short lifespan it causes further economic and environmental damage. Methane, it still contributes the atmosphere trapping more of the suns UV rays and therefore global warming and climate change, CO2 also doesn't stay in the atmosphere forever, but it does take considerably longer for it to be re-absorbed naturally (by oceans, plants etc.). The nationalistic view of "the UK is good at growing beef" is strong, and it's tied with recent history, but the planet needs us to help stop producing carbon emissions. I.e more forests and a shift to a better and more sustainable future, building a better future for all requires less meat production/consumption - I don't mean to stop eating meat, but a shift to more plant-based meals. I do not mean for my comment to upset, just indeed to inform people of some of the points missed in the debate. Feel free to add any other points I missed :)
The methane excreted by cattle is consumed by microbes in the soil. We’ve have had far far far more ruminants on the planet than now. You’re wrong about meat being bad for the environment. You’ve swallowed the lies.
Why do we need to eat less meat, just because of global warming? You seem to think plant based is the only way. What about regulating industry, thant can pollute as much as they want, as long as they have a carbon permit. My concern is that the billionaires pushing the climate change agenda actually are using climate change for their own benefit, I mean you don’t become a billionaire without being totally selfish and self worshipping. So naturally I am very weary of the agenda they are pushing and I ask myself why.
Hear, hear. A grand job. I’ve been fascinated by your channel. I was brought up on a farm in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the 1950s and very interested in how things are done now. I discovered you from Harry’s Garage. Another passion. Great cars 👍🏻🇬🇧
Well done for a wonderful explanation of beef farming. Very interesting and worthy of a university lecture, no way could this be interpreted as a rant ,Thank you Harry.
I'm shocked, someone is still watching broadcast TV? In the developed world by far and away the largest contribution to emissions comes from burning hydrocarbon. Eating pastoral beef will have a very tiny net impact. In New Zealand we have this argument all the time because we have a lot of cows (not to brag) and they all graze year-round because the climate is very gentle. Yet we get compared to U.S. feed lot operations. 🤷🏻♂️
As a ranching and feedlot operation in Central Washington, USA, we are trying to be as efficent and resposible as possible with resources. With an annual capacity of ~40,000 head, we are trying to turn commdities into beef as fast as possible. While this method may produce more methane, it saves a lot of CO2, by being in close proximity to kill plants and commodity traders. It is much cheaper to ship a load of #600 calves 200 miles then it is to ship #1200 finish beef the same distance. The effiency of having 15 guys feed that many cattle is incredible, if all those cattle were out on pasture, they would be tended by hundreds of ranchers all around the PNW. In NZ, you may have the manpower to make a system of pastoral finshing work, but you also do not have the same demand for high quality beef, because of the small population size, but here in the states, we do. To finish them any other way is not financially viable for the amount of beef that is needed to supply the meatpackers and the meatloving people of the USA.
@@andrewg.3434 Yeah, good point. A lot of ours is for export because the country only has a small population. We just all have to pray that veganism doesn't take off! 😬
@@thomas316 That makes sense. Yes, otherwise we'll be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Much of the emissions stemming from the beef industry is from the transportation, from ranch to backgrounder, backgrounder to feed yard, feed yard to kill plant, and kill plant to consumer. Eating locally sourced meat is the best way combat emissions
@@thomas316 I've read a lot about NZ rivers. Once upon a time, good for swimming. Now toxic due to run off from cattle production. Is that still the case or have beef production methods changed in recent years?
@@johntease6782 Nobody should ever be "too good" to represent people in their government, that's an attitude that can only harm society. Why shouldn't people have the best, the smartest, the most moral, the most balanced people in government?
Long time viewer/lurker but subscribed and wanted to comment. Thankyou for a very thorough and balanced discussion on the topic! I've said to others when complaining about a wood burning stove, "what happens to the co2 if the tree ends up rotting...?", the same thing!! Appreciated your extra details on the case of beef farming though, especially the stat of emissions from growing rice! Another sad fact that is missed is the energy used to produce the crazy 'meat' alternatives (in the lab) but also how well (or not) the body can actually digest these highly processed products.
Wonderful, just the balance and depth that you are looking for from trusted sources, which the BBC used to exemplify, but now panders to the short sharp shock headline approach, shallow in approach and far too much spoon-feeding, both of their sources and to their audience. Harry, you're a breath of fresh air in this field as you were to automotive publishing with Evo, long may it last.
Ah! The L322 Range Rover, as much as owners moan about reliability issues, parts costs etc. people stick with them and the roads are still full of them, that tells you something!, still got my 2011.
Recently sold ours after ten brilliant years. Great bit of kit, felt lovely to drive and certainly wasn’t anymore unreliable than anything else I’ve had, apart from our new electric cars. Still miss her...
I should add also that the Land Rover specialist I’ve used for many years loathes the Newest model (L405) and will refuse to work on more than a certain number per week, the unibody panels, under trays and miles of electronics make the labour time totally cost prohibitive and they just hate presenting an owner with a huge bill that’s mostly labour.
A fantastic evidence based explanation that all politicians need to appraise themselves of before the jump on the band-wagon of condemning beef production. Thank you Harry. Andrew.
I was never really that interested in farming, until Harry popped up. Learning so much now, and finding it fascinating. Learnt so much about methane and Co2 emissions etc in just 20 mins. Thank you!
Since Harry went into depth on this the first time, we've only bought locally grown grass fed & finished organic beef. We buy it directly from the ranch and it's significantly cheaper than crappy supermarket beef and it far less heavy than the mainstream stuff. Plus it's much more profitable for the farmers. We're doing the same with some of our fruit & veg as well. As a nice side effect, it's reduced our overall grocery bill and encouraged us to experiment with different recipes.
Hello I'm new to crypto and I have been making huge loses but recently i see a lot of people earning from it, please can someone please tell me what am not doing right, though I spend most times taking care of my farms
Spot on! I've had the same conversation with some friends who farm on the Azores. Lots of rain, volcanic hilly terrain, grass naturally grows there. Good grass, cows love to feed on it. It makes good quality beef. No one actually feeds the cows, they just graze. And they piss, and they manure the land and their hooves air the land naturally. No one fertilizes the land, it gets naturally fertile by the grazing cows. No one waters the land, it just rains a lot over there. Without grazing, the Azores would probably be an arid, barren land!
The BBC has not covered itself in glory recently with its woke, remain and left wing biases, this is just another example of selling a story with a scant respect for the facts. Another excellent video Harry, thanks.
The bias is to oversimplification, not left or right. But we’re living on an over-stressed planet, and that’s directly due to human practice. It needs to be reported, not over-simplified.
Insightful, articulate and fact sourced. Harry, you really do these videos well. If the world could take the initiative and deep fact check stories (no use calling it factual news) the planet would be all the better.
Hi Harry! You are my hero! You basically summarized the book 'Sacred Cow' in a short video! It's such an important subject, with so much dis-information, you may wanna consider making an even shorter video with just the grass feeding/C02-part, so it would be easier to share and get that information out there. Either way, thank you for talking sense!! Greetings from cattle farmer in training from Norway.
Harry.................NEEDS TO BE HANDED THE JOB AS ........Top AGRICULTURAL MINISTER FOR UK🇬🇧👍❤️🎬
Back in the 1960s I used to watch a farming program on the BBC, maybe it's time to bring a good one back, but it must tell the true facts no a one sided one.
Fat chance, hardly any minsters have ACTUAL experience in the field of their roles. Disgusting
@@Pilkboi The fisheries minister couldn't even name fish species
Is the Farming minister a farmer?
Now we are not governed by the CAP farming,fishing and food should be a ministry back at the top table, it was down graded into a mere part of environment because decisions were made by the EU.
"as top agricultural minister for the whole of the EU and the UK" (FTFY - despite the CAPS ranting like a madman, you are quite correct ;)
Full disclaimer: I'm a conservational biologist. Something to note with any research that makes it to the popular press: we, as scientists, have no influence over what a journalist might conclude from our findings or which aspect he might highlight. This is incredibly infuriating but also highly frustrating. We work on these publications for weeks, months, years and decades to deliver accurate and replicable results only to see them taken out of context and fitted to a narrative that it was never intended for and subsequently ridiculed and discarded.
The point you make here is perfectly put. It can't all be on a global scale, because it shouldn't be in the first place. It's about making reasonable decisions.
Livestock as such can't be demonized as the sole reason for our deteriorating environment. While there are lots of problematic practices around the world concerning livestock (cf USA, Argentina,Brazil to name a few famous examples) the practices you outline here are not only good but they're actually used in conservation. I can't speak for the UK, though I imagine there are similar projects there, in continental Europe we use livestock to regenerate ecosystems. It's good practice and also important to communicate to the general public.
It's much more important to reflect on own actions than trying to shift blame according to a narrative. Overconsumption is a problem with any good, that applies to meat as much as to anything else. With meat there are some thermodynamic intricacies to be discussed as 1kg of meat theoretically needs 10kg of carbohydrates and protein to be generated. But that just means consuming consciously, as everything else as well. Eating less meat and of higher quality is good, but also eating what's locally and seasonally available is crucial. Producing locally and sustainably with the resources available and without shifting environmental impacts somewhere else is what we should focus on. Grocery shopping on farmers markets, re-establishing the connections to our land and the people that harvest it.
These discussions can't be held unilaterally. Farmers, scientists and the general public should be much more involved in finding long term solutions and helping each other rather than playing the blame game. This would not only help each entities credibility, it would also help the general progress in which we tackle many of these complex issues. The BBC unfortunately doesn't seem to agree.
I agree.
The BBC seem to have their own agenda, which more and more people are beginning to realise.
Even my parents, well into their 70s, realise that the BBC is biased in many areas.
Very good post, thanks. I’m a naturalist also with a conservation background and acknowledge that most farmers and land managers love and wish to protect the countryside, wildlife and landscape. In the UK at least, it doesn’t take much good practice advice and modest incentive for farmers to embrace improvements to the environment if they are not already managing their land in a sustainable and wise manner.
The BBC will be closed down soon,English people have had enough of them
The BBC should be relocated to North Korea. They'd be great there.
BBC needs a good swill out of the PC parasites.
Eating seasonally will help environment too. We shouldn’t be able to get strawberry s in the winter.
Correct just look at where the fresh produce in our shopping baskets come from. All over the world and a lot of it comes to us by the worst polluters of the lot, planes.
That too. It's all got too easy!
I generally agree about seasonality, on the other hand we have a strawberry producer in Somerset who grows in greenhouses supplying ASDA in the off season. He uses recycled wood chippings to heat his greenhouses when he has too but other than that it's fairly low input. some times in the year he's the sole supplier to ASDA. just wanted to put that out there to say it can be done in this country.
Correct! In Greece we now have tomatoes all year long, which is against nature!
Not correct - you can sustainable and locally grow strawberries in stacked indoor farms they are both more efficient and take up less space than the traditional method.
Nail on the head Harry, yet again. So fed up with selective facts, I started a degree in envirnomental science 2 years ago, trying to find the truth. If the green vegan brigade took time to look at the damage almond milk, rice, avocados etc do to the environment, the soap box wouldn't seem so high!
Thank you. It's very hard to find the truth, as you say. We do have to look at climate change on a global scale, it's no good doing it in the UK but not in India or China, for example. But to not question why a cow is producing methane, or whether it is part of the natural carbon cycle is simply making facts you have available to fit your story.
One thing my journalistic background taught me is editorial integrity is everything and once you've lost it, it's gone for ever. I worry some of the stories the BBC has put out recently may have damaged its authority for ever.
Good luck with your studies, the truth is out there but when it comes to environmental stuff, it takes some finding!
@@harrysfarmvids It's what happens when you hire activists instead of journalist.
@@harrysfarmvids Well said harry !
And the rainforest cleared for their beloved Soya.
Marvelous informative as always Harry. Your brilliant at explaining things. I have no farming background and came from your car show just to look when you started the farm video and I’m hooked. I learned a lot from you.
Thank you.
The problem isn’t sustainable farming. It’s low cost food (50p burger anyone) that demands high intensity low cost production for cheap food which promotes high carbon produce.
We should try to eat better - and that probably means less .
But that’s not a headline is it.
Very good point. My first job from school was in the clothing industry UK, an industry that has now almost disappeared now in the UK. Clothes are as cheap if not cheaper now than they were back when I started work.
Perhaps if we paid a proper fair price for our food to the farmer instead of subsidies and middlemen (supermarkets and big dairy's) driving the price down then the food we put on our table would be of a far higher quality.
I've been a student in the UK and expensive food wasn't an option. Also if you keep banning stuff they will move to other countries where they simply don't care.
@@mignik01 Harry highlighted your second point with Oil Seed Rape where a neonicotinoid seed dressing is banned in the EU and UK so shortfalls are made up with imports from The Ukraine.
@@danielmarshall4587 here in the USA , a lot of the clothes we buy are made in China . These politicians sold us out to CHINA . Prob 99% at big corporate stores is all Chinese junk
"On the BBC I had a sort of table thumping moment"......I think there's a lot of people who can relate to that.
Not a rant at all Harry! This is what needs to be broadcast on mainstream television.
Harry - a farmer's wife who is also a Professor of Entomology is researching the impact of cows (Dexter's in her case) on sequestered carbon levels in the soil. She is studying dung beetles and similar invertebrates because grass fed ruminants also improve biodiversity enormously. On global warming your soil has been grass for decades and so carbon levels are probably pretty stable, but if you transferred your cows to another field that was newly put down to grass the sequestered carbon would increase quite dramatically, making the whole operation (assuming no external inputs) carbon negative!
Well Said Harry! As a sheep and beef farmer in Northern Ireland I couldn't agree more. The Beef and lamb produced in Britain and Ireland are the best in the world. Our Animals are well cared for and extremely well regulated
Well cared for? You have them killed. That's not how you care for an otherwise healthy animal which would choose survival over death.
@@kusaweir3074 🤡
@@kusaweir3074 That's what farming does.
@@kusaweir3074 you kill poor broccoli 🥦
New Zealand has better beef and lamb then you
Eating less but good quality meat is the way to go...taste so good.
I don't eat meat. Nobody needs to eat meat.
@@TruthTortoise81 You maybe dont need to eat meat, but then you have to get Iron from other methods. Also have you thought other people like the taste and feel of meat and want To support beef farming?
A properly logical conclusion regarding the beef there. Very nice to see in this absurd world these days.
Man, I like Harry’s Farm almost more than Harry’s Garage...
I agree with you. Really great stuff. For some reason Harry’s video about rebuilding a collapsed stone wall on his farm struck a chord, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Such a likeable fellow.
They're both brilliant - thanks Harry!
Thank you Harry, as a town boy and petrol head, this channel has really enlightened me.
Keep it up, one of my favourite channels.
So well presented, I am an artist and paint out in the fresh air in Yorkshire. I often meet farmers in the Wolds who are always happy to talk and appreciate me listening to their issues with farming. The land is beautiful up here and is down to their hard work and husbandry. Looking at your video puts me back into the land. Learning more about farming is now an issue for me and a farmer friend regularly feeds me ‘Farmers Weekly’ which I devour with great interest. Thanks for putting it together so professionally.
I think a lot of people confuse beef production with how it's done in the USA, where it's mostly done on constrained land in pretty inhumane conditions.
Unfortunately, industrial beef farming (not only in the USA) is the ONLY way man's craving for super cheap animal protein can be satisfied.
Harry and other smallholders like him are being slowly squeezed out by the mega-farms.
I don't see the UK Gov making life any easier for the small farms.
@@JohnnyMotel99 very true ..........uk gov will most likely ramp up a cheap food policy , regardless of standards ect ........
As a ranching and feedlot operation in the Central Basin of Washington State, USA, we are trying to be as efficent and resposible as possible with resources. With an annual capacity of ~40,000 head, we are trying to turn commdities into beef as fast as possible. Studies have been conducted that show that cattle are just as happy being on a small lot as a big pasture, as long as they are with their penmates. our cattle stay on lots of 50 or 100 from birth until packing, this eases stress and creates a higher quality product. The effiency of having 15 guys and 280 acres feed that many cattle is incredible, if all those cattle were out on pasture, they would be tended by hundreds of ranchers spread over hundreds of thousands of acres all around the PNW. In the feedlot, the cattle are always well taken care of, sick ones are taken to a sick pen, where they can recuperate with other animals, and recive close attention and good care. We try to move cattle in as low stress of a way as possible, because that stress will damage the meat, and cause us to recive a dockage at the meatpacker. To finish them any other way is not financially viable for the amount of beef that is needed to supply the meatpackers and the meatloving people of the USA.
@@tomrobinson2914 A grass fed animal will never grade as well as a grain fed one. The hanging weight of the carcass of grass weight is always less than a grain fed one. The fat marbling and distribution always grade lower i.e. choice vs. prime. This video by the bearded butchers does a great job of explaining it in layman's terms ruclips.net/video/yomerhQkpSc/видео.html . What this translates to is that a grain fed beef (feedlot finished) is going to be juicer and more flavorful than a grass fed been(pasture finished) which can be gamier and not as tender. so, to use your argument, yes, do consume the higher quality product. Our current CAFE regulations require that American cars must meet a certain level of emissions standards in order to be legal, and with the surge in electric and hybrid vehicles, we are steadily getting cleaner fleets in general. As to your parting shot, our overweight population could use to eat les carbohydrates and fatty foods, consume more protein and exercise more often.
Fair play to you Harry putting the facts out there as they are. The BBC and RTE here in Ireland give out the same rubbish. It seems that national broadcasters have a major issue with putting out the truth with facts.
I think the story for environment change from eating beef , comes more from industrial beef farming,( gmo feed and antibiotics given to cattle, in the states) and cutting down trees in the amazon forest area to create pastures to raise cattle, , if the land itself can raise and maintain a number of farm animals safely, and humanely , then that process makes sense , manure and chemical runoff from industrial farms hurt everyone.
Fully agree about the industrial beef farming happening elsewhere in the world.
What I'm hoping is people in the UK start to realise is raising beef on grass that can't be used for anything else, is actually a very sustainable way of farming and should be supported.
@@harrysfarmvids i follow Harrys garage religiously , and have just recently subscribed to this channel and i fully appreciate the quality of the presentation that is shown, on how and why jobs are done on the farm. Thank you for bringing to light the beef situation living in the states i have refrained from eating animals on a personal choice, but i would and never will, tell people what they should or shouldnt do on a personal choice, thank you for this channel and always look forward to excellent content on both channels
I do like a well informed rant. I have friends and family in farming both arable and live stock, and they are fed up with being demonised, because as you said most of the info on the news doesn't represent the UK farmer.
Well said once again Harry, I've said before you learn more from Harry in 20 minutes than all the other fluffy biased outlets.
Such a well composed piece. It is a symptom of the dumbing down of broadcasting that broadcasters think they can get away with milking the zeitgeist and playing to the galleries. There seems to be no compulsion to go for the whole story, but to select the bits that feed the narrative. Excellent stuff Harry, I hope those kites work!
I love your vids Harry , both the garage and the farm , what I like is the honesty of laying out the costs ect and the way you explain things so we can understand what actually is happening on farms in our country , some of us may know someone in the farming world but most of us have no idea, and you bring it to us in a friendly and informed way , well done , keep up the good work
Thanks. I guess it helps having an journalistic background and making sure you get your facts right. Editorial integrity is everything, which I sometimes think the BBC has forgotten..
Excellent rant, thank you for clarifying the beef situation in your usual clear and informative way.
Great video Harry, as always. It's a real pleasure to listen to somebody that actually looks at ALL the facts and produces a scientific, factual analysis of what's actually going on. Our media, as well as our government, could learn a thing or two. I'm not going to hold my breath, it's much easier to bark up the wrong tree, right?!
I applaud and admire your analysis on British grass-fed beef. COngratulations and thank you for spreading the word!
Why haven’t you been snapped up by the BBC as a presenter, you’re the best thing on Utube, full stop.
Because he has an opinion...
Harry I have to thank you. I am not a farmer (I am a film writer/producer) but I am an avid consumer of beef. As I write there is a beautiful piece of organic British topside resting in the kitchen! It's so refreshing to hear someone talking sense, complete sense, about this most demonised of industries.
I'm not adverse to a bit of Harry's Garage either!...one of your legion of fans and a local.
Slightly off topic. Most of the weight of a supermarket lorry's load is liquid. i.e. Drinks , a lot of it bottled water . less than 10 is dairy or meat. This does have a huge impact on fuel which, of course impacts CO2 emissions. I am a Lorry Driver who delivers to a supermarket.
I’d personally like this vid to be shown on BBC Countryfile - better than the environmental drivel they normally spout. “Table thumping” moment - love it! Keep up the good work Harry!
There is so much misinformation and disinformation broadcast these days. It makes you wonder what the real agenda of that programme was. I got rid of my TV when I woke up to these shenanigans!
I would love to see “J Class” accreditations being introduced to the farming sector based on Harry’s analogy
Harry. Yet again, a great video. As previous comments said, you hit the nail on the head.
I'm tired of the of the media both in the UK and in Ireland presenting lazy data.
Our farming representatives need to educate the public. It's a matter of survival now. The ways things are going we will be out of business because of mis-information. Brazilian and Argentina beef will take over. Where did you take the information slides in the video from?
Harry, thank you so much for this. I was so angry watching that program, couldn't believe how badly it had been researched. I've read some of the facts you relayed in Diana Rodgers Sacred Cow book and now film. Another problem was the lack of info on nutrition as if that didn't have a place in a discussion about food - what? And the portion sizes were not comparable - tiny bit of soy product against a huge steak. Thanks again Harry, the programme makers need to be consulting experts like you and also not being so shoddy about research. Collette
spot on, there is no point in comparing 200g of protein in a steak meal and 40g of protein in a vegetarian meal and saying they are equivalent meals from an environmental point of view. If they are going to be compared then meals with the same amount of protein needs to be compared.
CO2 caused catastrophic global warming is a scam.
Top work Harry, very informative as per usual. I think you are overdue a slot on the BBC to give yours / beef farmers point of view on this increasingly covered issue.
another issue is brazil, cutting down acre after acre of rainforest and burning for space for cattle. How about we also focus on stopping deforestation
What do you think the UK was before it became a huge farm? Aha deforestation isn’t just a problem in Brazil, Borneo, Congo etc just happened beyond living memory in Europe.
So deforestation in Indonesia for Palm Oil (plants) hasn't been an environmental disaster then?
Its up to Brazil to do what it wants with its rainforest, sorry, but do you actually a want a world government or something?
@@naturshoot8448 absolutely has, but they would call us hypocrites considering the whole of the UK is a farm where it was once Atlantic rainforest.
Most of the palm oil grown is for the processed products the west buy in supermarkets.
So you do have to be careful when we start to witch-hunt these people, we are effectively saying it’s ok for us to do it but because your ancestors respected the land you cannot. A lot of them hate what western capitalism has done to their rainforest but they feel they have no choice, so when we turn around and tell them off I can understand why they tell us to piss off.
Yes that is what we have to do, but why are they cutting down the forest? 1 for soy which goes to China. Nothing to do with our beef and two for cattle who have been moved from the grass lands Because they are growing sugar cane in the traditional grassland,
Excellent video Harry
I’m heavily involved in Regenerative agriculture and the biggest battle we face is the perception of farming created by the media. The fact is, in a perfect farming environment, cattle are an integral part of the life cycle and are necessary when looking to move away from synthetic ferts and sprays. Unfortunately that doesn’t make for sexy headlines.
I’m all for grass fed cattle used as part of a mob grazing cycle and I’m vegan!
Harry, could you please do a video and on the effects Brexit is having on farming , i know you have the integrity to give us the good, the bad and the down right ugly.
I lay my cards on the table I’m a avid remainer, but i like to base my arguments on empirical evidence ergo my request.
Thanks for this. There needs to be a serious push-back against the MSM and what amounts to propaganda against UK beef and sheep farming. I live in the Peak District and used to work at the summit of Great Dun Fell in Cumbria (where the radar dome now sits) and the people who turn such steep upland areas into productive agricultural land deserve our wholehearted support and not the denigration to which they are currently subjected.
Thanks and so true. The upland farmers of the UK are the real heroes in all of this, carrying on the tradition of upland farming, which is a flipping tough way to make a living. I simply don't get this sudden obsession with methane emissions from livestock in the UK. If it was such a problem, then why wasn't it a problem when UK livestock numbers were much higher?
Also, livestock don't create the methane from nowhere, the composition of methane (carbon and hydrogen) are in the cellulose and starch the cow is eating, so it's just the natural carbon cycle in balance. Only man creates any additional release of CO2 from farming livestock, via burning fossil fuels or adding inputs like fertiliser, etc. which has nothing to do with the innocent, grass-eating cow!
@@harrysfarmvids Many thanks for the reply. I should perhaps say that my reason for being at Great Dun Fell in the 1970s and 80s was to perform cloud physics experiments (it was a handy location for it being in cloud for parts of about 250 days a year). We had no idea at the time that, as the “indirect aerosol effect”, it would take on central importance as one of the primary areas of uncertainty in the whole climate change issue. I do worry that it has been deemed necessary to convince the public that the “science is settled” as, in reality, there are huge areas of uncertainty - not that there is climate change, but that we have a total unarguable understanding of the causes.
Clouds interact with a very high proportion of the incoming and outgoing radiation of the Earth and imperceptibly small changes in the lifetimes of clouds or their albedo (reflectivity) could have a huge effect on the radiative balance. The received wisdom is that everything to do with clouds is driven by the greenhouse gasses. This overlooks the very real possibility that our changes in land usage, deforestation, etc could have made slight changes to the cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) spectrum that, quite independently of the greenhouse gasses, could be a significant contributory factor in changing the radiative balance of the planet. We still have a far from perfect understanding of the organic sources of CCN (trees, etc)
Unfortunately, CCN are difficult to measure and we have effectively no historical data to use as a baseline and we still don't make extensive accurate measurements of CCN.
Of course this comment will get me labelled (not for the first time) as a denier - such is the politicisation of the issue.
Superb Harry, You should be invited onto the BBC & explain this to the ill informed
The bbc having someone on who is inteligentent and gives honest facts, dont be so foolish.
Think Harry would be wasting his valuable time! 😂
I love these videos; so good to see a proper rational discussion of the facts. Until I saw this I thought I was the only one talking about the Bison and the Deer! One thing you didn't mention - bison were a great deal heavier than our farm animals, and presumably produced more methane in proportion to weight. That suggests that bison produced more methane in the past than current beef farming does!
Thank you Harry for educating us and giving us the bigger picture. This is why I watch this channel, to learn where my food comes from and effort that goes into producing it.
You didn't get educated. That would involve telling you it's a scam.
Well said that man! Top work Harry. I saw a quote this week - If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. Too many people are so easily led by selective information that’s thrown in your face on tv without knowing the true facts.
I’m no expert Harry, far from it but I recently watched “Cowspiracy” on Netflix and the whole beef production to feed global population (not Uk specifically) means it’s unsustainable for the planet, they did a part on grass fed which is far better for the environment but I think they said if you produced all beef from grass fed beef (better beef, more humane, better flavour) you’d need to convert half the worlds land mass to grass pasture. Like I said I’m no expert but it doesn’t appear sustainable longer term full stop at the rate we are currently consuming beef.. vid content is excellent btw. Cheers
That movie is full of lies, sorry but it is,
Does the program tell you how much land you would have to covert to rice fields if we all stopped eating beef?!
@@sparkyplug28 To grow 1kg of beef takes like 100x the land area required to grow 1kg of rice. Eat beef if you want but it is an undeniable fact that it is insanely bad for the environment.
@@lukio12 only the land where beef graze is impossible to grow rice. Of course I’m sure eating just rice gives you a good diet 😂
You can't beat a bit of urban middle class outrage to skew an argument. That was an excellent explanation of what British farmers have been doing for generations. Cows are carbon neutral. That is how it is for any animal husbandry that respects it's natural habitat and diet. Disclaimer: I am both urban and middle class!
Ooooh oooh oooh. Steady on my dear chap. One shouldn't write on here with a middle class, middle aged or middle english accent. No one will believe you. More inclined to believe mad Russian scientist - see comment above.
Solid gold. Balanced, objective, no-nonsense insights from an expert in his field (as it were). Should be shown in schools.
Not that many decades ago, it would have been.
depends on the school
Nope. CO2 doesn't control the temperature of Earth. Climate change is natural.
Thanks Harry - well researched! I think the BBC programme ( not the BBC per say) would not have intentionally tried to present a misleading story. There is, quite rightly, a big discussion about climate change going on at the moment. Just to put the CH4 emission due to rice into perspective, you have to normalise the emission by the number of people being sustained by whatever it is you are considering. I eat a good piece of beef twice a month, it's expensive but it's something special. I think we've lost our sense of value with over and easy consumption of many things.
Harry, I really enjoyed your “rant” you really want too get that info to the average Joe Public, so informative of what the farming and countryside is all about, Thanks
Clear explanation Harry, thank you. Is it just me or have others noticed how much of the BBC output is journalists interviewing journalists in recent years. Try an experiment - for the next few days keep an eye out for that and you’ll see what I mean. I just wonder, given how much air time they try to fill nowadays, that is their easiest (and cheapest) option. Unfortunately that elevates those journalistic opinions above the facts. Perhaps the Horizon film is an example of that. Just a thought.
I won't be looking out - I gave up watching mainstream TV a year ago in disgust at the lies and censorship over every issue, as did many others. The BBC is finished.
Thanks for the information Harry, very insightful and I can enjoy beef without guilt now. As long as it's grass fed.
I wouldn't say without guilt, you're still taking the life of an animal. But you can feel like you're contributing a bit less to the destruction of the environment.
"Grass fed" only means it was on pasture for 180 days a year. The rest of the time it can be in sheds being fed hay or silage, or anything else.
The way that Harry produces is better than factory farming, no question, but it would still better to cut beef out completely. Land that can't grow crops could be returned to wild flower meadows or woodland.
@@EP-bb1rm I take your point about the definition but both “hay” and “silage” are “grass”. Just dryer or wetter depending on the circumstances.
@@jakespooner8567 Well Harry is a Farmer and I fail to see how income can be generated, from wild flower meadows or woodland?
It certainly isn't in the majority of taxpayers benefit to purchase that land for such purpose.
Maybe you could buy it, if Harry is happy to sell?
Well said Harry. The grazing cattle in the your field with the May Flower, buttercups and clover is a wonderful image to the eyes.
Good piece Harry; if only the facts were more fashionable than opinions. You keep making it, I'll keep eating it!
Facts prove CO2 doesn't control the temperature of Earth..
It’s been said before in the comments, but I feel the need to say it again. When Harry talks, you listen. He just has the knack to completely capture and suck you in, no matter what the subject matter may be.
He really needs to be utilised by a tv company, his knowledge, manner and charisma is simply one of a kind. Almost Attenborough esk.
Great job Harry true gent and a well needed ambassador for beef farming . Get this mans presentation to the Prince of Wales 🏴 Let Harry make his case 💪
yep don't disagree, but culling the deer would aid woodland regeneration and provide organic venison, why not, oh bambi! thats it environmentally what is needed is a well managed doe cull to reduce the deer population and manage at a sustainable density to reduce the cost of tree establishment and allow cost effective ancient semi-natural woodland management.
I told my young daughter, she was eating bambi sausages and Rudolph burgers.
The silly primary school teacher went literally crying to the headmaster stating that my daughter was a demon child. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
Culling is already going on to manage the deer herds. My son in law assist's with it.
The whole UK deer population is controlled.
@@Q-nt-Tf Who ? The silly teacher? Or my daughter?
This was back in 2006/7.
Muntjac are vermin, introduced and totally out of control. Deer by and large are managed.
Muntjac are also vicious if you corner one.
They need total culling.
Well said about the beef farming situation Harry. Best wishes
Harry, I’m a veggie farmer in the US but I probably spend more time educating people on the merits of sustainable cattle farming than I do on organic produce. It’s so fun to hear a fellow motor head/farmer “ranting” about grass fed beef! Some pastured beef cattlemen here in the states call themselves “grass farmers”.
Best wishes from Germany to you ❤️🇩🇪❤️
🇪🇺- minded. Sad we’ve left. I know it’s not perfect, but.......
@@chriswalford4161 👍🏻❤️
Thank you Harry. It’s work like this that encourages people to look beyond eye catching headlines and not simply jump on the bandwagon because it’s “perceived” as the right thing, when there is a possibility it isn’t and/or makes no real difference.
Another sensible well researched argument from Mr Metcalfe. If only some ministers were as sensible as him!
We don't eat beef that often but when we do we look for grass fed beef, simply because we think it's consistently better quality. Never really looked into the differences in environmental impact of the different beef farming regimes. Very interesting!👍
That kite's pining for the fjords Harry.
Beautiful plumage.
He's not pining, he's passed on.
There are many ways to consume a beef animal, for instance you could;
- put it on a plate and eat it
- put it in a blender and drink it
- put it in a pipe and smoke it
Jokes aside, great video, refreshing to see someone who actually has an genuine informed opinion on this matter
Good guy Harry treating his Combine like his Countach
Totally agree. Also, you make such a good point to counter the trophic-levels argument. There's a lot to be said for trophic levels (where only 10% of the solar energy captured is passed from one layer to the next). But, you or I cannot eat the grass. Grass is everywhere. It is one of the Worlds most common biomes.
Does Harry sell his beef direct? Be interested in supporting these responsible farming practices.
I seem to remember from another vid, that it is not his cattle but he rents his pastures to his neighbor.
Thanks for the clarification!!
Like you said Harry, the bad reputation of beef and dairy production comes mostly from those gi-normous farms in the US, Brazil, Argentina etc. stuffing their animals into tiny corrals and feeding them GMO corn and soy.
I don't want to eat a cow that has never seen, yet alone eaten grass in it's life.
On the other hand, I would like to mention using herbicides might be useful for a certain time - on the long run the weeds eventually become more and more resistant. The non-resistant weeds die - the resistant ones spread.
Sooner or later a more effective herbicide is needed - which is gladly provided by the chemical industry but often has unwanted side effects.
For many farming issues more and more smart solutions come online. Chasing pigeons away with hawks, real or fake, is indeed a smart solution.
That biogenic carbon cycle is beautiful. It's almost as if it's what nature intended! Thanks Harry. Top videa. Thanks for getting spreading the message. The majority of British beef agriculture is totally sustainable.
Beef on grass is actually below carbon neutral. If the grass was left to fall to the ground the same bacteria that the cow has in its gut would do the same job in the soil create carbon dioxide and methane.
Thoroughly enjoyed that Harry. A very balanced and informative viewpoint. As Hutchslover eludes to below, eating seasonally and more importantly locally produced produce is key to addressing many of the issues the media like to press home. It has alway amazed me that it's often cheaper for me to buy New Zealand lamb rather than locally produced Welsh lamb. How can this be when the Welsh lamb is produced within 5 miles of where I live? This seems crazy to me! I stumbled on Harry's farm from watching your content on Harry's garage and have to say I'm hooked! Nice one Harry.
everything Harry talkin about is interesting)
Harry is the most interesting man in the world.
I totally agree with you Harri, you mentioned English farmers Ireland and Scotland farmers but what about the Welsh.??
Oh flip!
That really wasn't on purpose, I promise! I might have to pin this comment to calm down any more Welsh viewers who spot I didn't mention the Welsh! My only caveat is the Welsh are better known for being sheep farmers but that's not a proper excuse really. Bother..
Absolutely spot on about the beef farming. I recall one “vegan” moron on This Morning some time back and he had no relevant points to the uk beef farmer what so ever, he just shouted everyone down who didn’t agree with him and seemed to think all beef farming was cattle-lots as you described in the US and also South America and Russia. That’s the issue with mainstream media and in particular with the beeb, they give far too much support to the in vogue minorities rather than giving well informed well balanced information from all parties involved.
As a new subscriber I am very appreciative of your knowledge and your ability to explain and communicate that to those of us who are not farmers and only have what the media tell us to go on. You are farming in a more natural way that respects the animals and the land as well as the customers as far as I can see and your arguments seem well thought out and reasoned. Thank you so much for helping us understand the reality of things here. God bless from Northern Ireland.
Very informative, included a Lot of things I hadn’t considered. Harry is pretty smart!
Great educational video thanks Harry. I live in Kinsale and can attest to the fact that a) Irish beef is great because it's grass fed year round, and b) judging by the local soccer pitch, the "black shadows" do deter the grazing birds.
I love this channel. I have no interest in farming until I see a Harry’s Farm video. I learn something every time. Thanks Harry!
Thank you Harry, too much crap in the press. Buy local, buy grass fed.
Maybe Harry had a "little bit of a rant" but at least he used facts and figures and consideration of the whole cycle instead of the usual BBC journalistic idea of taking one small piece of the reality and exaggerating.
6:47, awesome. Great looking birds!
Regarding the commentary about the steep hill at 8:45, what would the breakeven period be if you were to terrace that land out by excavating the hillside into a series of stair-like, flat plateaus wide enough to fit the equipment? I imagine it could take a decade or more, but it piqued my curiosity.
9:15, "worms operating" sounds very hardcore in relation to their role on the farm.
10:15: woo, Octopus! Love it.
11:25, very gorgeous and artful photo.
I think your point about rice is partially valid, but when you account for the CO2 production per usable yield (kg), rice can feed far more people and is more accessible in developing nations, with larger populations where wetlands and climate is favourable over beef, which also has to be eaten much quicker. You also didn't mention the water use per kg. (www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/Venice/pdf/special_events/bozza_scheda_DOW04_1.0.pdf) 1kg of rice is equal to around 2500l of water, whereas 1kg of beef is equal to around 15,000l of water. You mentioned media relating to a 'global report' of food production, even though you mentioned rice CO2 production which isn't usually grown in the UK? I will admit, I'm glad cows in the UK are usually brought up in fields, I will leave the animal rights argument as this is the environmental topic (though interconnected). However, the transport and environmental pollution caused with food waste with meat production is another point missed, with the meat having to be kept at cold temperatures, and a lot of meat being thrown away due to its short lifespan it causes further economic and environmental damage. Methane, it still contributes the atmosphere trapping more of the suns UV rays and therefore global warming and climate change, CO2 also doesn't stay in the atmosphere forever, but it does take considerably longer for it to be re-absorbed naturally (by oceans, plants etc.). The nationalistic view of "the UK is good at growing beef" is strong, and it's tied with recent history, but the planet needs us to help stop producing carbon emissions. I.e more forests and a shift to a better and more sustainable future, building a better future for all requires less meat production/consumption - I don't mean to stop eating meat, but a shift to more plant-based meals.
I do not mean for my comment to upset, just indeed to inform people of some of the points missed in the debate. Feel free to add any other points I missed :)
The methane excreted by cattle is consumed by microbes in the soil. We’ve have had far far far more ruminants on the planet than now. You’re wrong about meat being bad for the environment. You’ve swallowed the lies.
A lot of words considering what you are saying is wrong! You are spouting nonsense from UNESCO 🤦♂️
Why do we need to eat less meat, just because of global warming? You seem to think plant based is the only way. What about regulating industry, thant can pollute as much as they want, as long as they have a carbon permit. My concern is that the billionaires pushing the climate change agenda actually are using climate change for their own benefit, I mean you don’t become a billionaire without being totally selfish and self worshipping. So naturally I am very weary of the agenda they are pushing and I ask myself why.
Hear, hear. A grand job. I’ve been fascinated by your channel. I was brought up on a farm in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the 1950s and very interested in how things are done now. I discovered you from Harry’s Garage. Another passion. Great cars 👍🏻🇬🇧
Really nicely explained Harry, long live the Rolls Royce cow.
Well done for a wonderful explanation of beef farming. Very interesting and worthy of a university lecture, no way could this be interpreted as a rant ,Thank you Harry.
I'm shocked, someone is still watching broadcast TV?
In the developed world by far and away the largest contribution to emissions comes from burning hydrocarbon. Eating pastoral beef will have a very tiny net impact. In New Zealand we have this argument all the time because we have a lot of cows (not to brag) and they all graze year-round because the climate is very gentle. Yet we get compared to U.S. feed lot operations. 🤷🏻♂️
As a ranching and feedlot operation in Central Washington, USA, we are trying to be as efficent and resposible as possible with resources. With an annual capacity of ~40,000 head, we are trying to turn commdities into beef as fast as possible. While this method may produce more methane, it saves a lot of CO2, by being in close proximity to kill plants and commodity traders. It is much cheaper to ship a load of #600 calves 200 miles then it is to ship #1200 finish beef the same distance. The effiency of having 15 guys feed that many cattle is incredible, if all those cattle were out on pasture, they would be tended by hundreds of ranchers all around the PNW. In NZ, you may have the manpower to make a system of pastoral finshing work, but you also do not have the same demand for high quality beef, because of the small population size, but here in the states, we do. To finish them any other way is not financially viable for the amount of beef that is needed to supply the meatpackers and the meatloving people of the USA.
@@andrewg.3434 Yeah, good point. A lot of ours is for export because the country only has a small population. We just all have to pray that veganism doesn't take off! 😬
@@thomas316 That makes sense. Yes, otherwise we'll be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Much of the emissions stemming from the beef industry is from the transportation, from ranch to backgrounder, backgrounder to feed yard, feed yard to kill plant, and kill plant to consumer. Eating locally sourced meat is the best way combat emissions
@@thomas316 I've read a lot about NZ rivers. Once upon a time, good for swimming. Now toxic due to run off from cattle production. Is that still the case or have beef production methods changed in recent years?
Harry, no apology needed. Your "rant" is actually some of the best brass tacks info on sustainable farming I've ever seen.
Wish harry was an MP ,fact talk followed by common sense.
@@johntease6782 Nobody should ever be "too good" to represent people in their government, that's an attitude that can only harm society. Why shouldn't people have the best, the smartest, the most moral, the most balanced people in government?
Long time viewer/lurker but subscribed and wanted to comment. Thankyou for a very thorough and balanced discussion on the topic! I've said to others when complaining about a wood burning stove, "what happens to the co2 if the tree ends up rotting...?", the same thing!! Appreciated your extra details on the case of beef farming though, especially the stat of emissions from growing rice!
Another sad fact that is missed is the energy used to produce the crazy 'meat' alternatives (in the lab) but also how well (or not) the body can actually digest these highly processed products.
Thank you, very interesting and informative. Lot of things I didn't know.
Wonderful, just the balance and depth that you are looking for from trusted sources, which the BBC used to exemplify, but now panders to the short sharp shock headline approach, shallow in approach and far too much spoon-feeding, both of their sources and to their audience. Harry, you're a breath of fresh air in this field as you were to automotive publishing with Evo, long may it last.
Ah! The L322 Range Rover, as much as owners moan about reliability issues, parts costs etc. people stick with them and the roads are still full of them, that tells you something!, still got my 2011.
@@integralevideo brother had one for a short while ........says it was more costly to run than his tipper lorry , and that can carry 9 tons
Recently sold ours after ten brilliant years. Great bit of kit, felt lovely to drive and certainly wasn’t anymore unreliable than anything else I’ve had, apart from our new electric cars. Still miss her...
I should add also that the Land Rover specialist I’ve used for many years loathes the Newest model (L405) and will refuse to work on more than a certain number per week, the unibody panels, under trays and miles of electronics make the labour time totally cost prohibitive and they just hate presenting an owner with a huge bill that’s mostly labour.
A fantastic evidence based explanation that all politicians need to appraise themselves of before the jump on the band-wagon of condemning beef production. Thank you Harry. Andrew.
I was never really that interested in farming, until Harry popped up. Learning so much now, and finding it fascinating. Learnt so much about methane and Co2 emissions etc in just 20 mins. Thank you!
Since Harry went into depth on this the first time, we've only bought locally grown grass fed & finished organic beef. We buy it directly from the ranch and it's significantly cheaper than crappy supermarket beef and it far less heavy than the mainstream stuff. Plus it's much more profitable for the farmers. We're doing the same with some of our fruit & veg as well. As a nice side effect, it's reduced our overall grocery bill and encouraged us to experiment with different recipes.
Don't you think that there are other things someone can bring out his little saves(money) to invest in, rather than farming.
Investing in crypto now is really cool, especially with the current rise in the market for now
@@lopezwalker742 You're right ma'am
But don't know why people still remain poor out of ignorance
Most people don't invest due to ignorance
People are scared of investing because of the high rate of scam in the business.
Hello I'm new to crypto and I have been making huge loses but recently i see a lot of people earning from it, please can someone please tell me what am not doing right, though I spend most times taking care of my farms
I'm amused by the lack of a 'proper' grain store; the loan to build it was well spent on getting EVO magazine off the ground! Excellent video as ever.
Fantastically put, I really think that this should be presented on the bbc instead.
Probably because it’s not biased enough against agriculture and it’s too realistic in the way it’s put.
Spot on!
I've had the same conversation with some friends who farm on the Azores. Lots of rain, volcanic hilly terrain, grass naturally grows there. Good grass, cows love to feed on it. It makes good quality beef. No one actually feeds the cows, they just graze. And they piss, and they manure the land and their hooves air the land naturally. No one fertilizes the land, it gets naturally fertile by the grazing cows. No one waters the land, it just rains a lot over there.
Without grazing, the Azores would probably be an arid, barren land!
The BBC has not covered itself in glory recently with its woke, remain and left wing biases, this is just another example of selling a story with a scant respect for the facts. Another excellent video Harry, thanks.
The bias is to oversimplification, not left or right.
But we’re living on an over-stressed planet, and that’s directly due to human practice.
It needs to be reported, not over-simplified.
Insightful, articulate and fact sourced. Harry, you really do these videos well. If the world could take the initiative and deep fact check stories (no use calling it factual news) the planet would be all the better.
Great informative video as normal... If I was going to be critical.... you missed an opportunity for some Packham Bashing....
Very well presented. Hopefully the BBC will be knocking on your door now that they are increasing educational content👍
Your cows if I may say are in very fine shape . Here's to you.
Hi Harry! You are my hero! You basically summarized the book 'Sacred Cow' in a short video! It's such an important subject, with so much dis-information, you may wanna consider making an even shorter video with just the grass feeding/C02-part, so it would be easier to share and get that information out there. Either way, thank you for talking sense!! Greetings from cattle farmer in training from Norway.