Cattle have a role (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Cattle have a role

8:49am Monday 8th October 2007 in Readers' letters By Telegraph & Argus

SIR - Keith Rayner (T&A, October 2) should have a look at last year's UN Food and Agricultural Organisation report for a balanced view on the role played by cattle in producing climate change gases.

Some 1.5 billion cattle are responsible for 18 per cent of climate change gases, more than cars, planes and ships put together.

Fuel used to produce fertiliser for feed, and clearing forests for grazing and the transport of meat produces nine per cent of all CO2, 37 per cent of all the methane is cattle burped and 65 per cent of the nitrous oxide comes from manure.

The global herd has increased five-fold since 1950 and if we all eat less meat it would certainly help reduce the rate at which the climate is changing.

Keith Thomson, Heights Lane, Bradford