Increasing demand for animal-sourced foods is creating a “trap” where both options for meeting that demand - intensive versus extensive farming methods - each bring their own risks for the emergence and spread of infectious zoonotic diseases, according to this paper. The author sets out recommendations for managing zoonotic disease risks from livestock.

The New Zealand government has announced proposals to introduce farm-level taxes for agricultural emissions, with the aim of incentivising farmers to adopt climate mitigation measures. The plans involve pricing long-lived greenhouse gases and biogenic methane separately; farmers who meet certain thresholds for livestock numbers or fertiliser use will pay a bill that depends on their farm areas, livestock numbers and production, and nitrogen fertiliser use; incentive payments (funded by the tax) will be made to farmers who adopt a range of emissions reduction measures; additional payments will be made to farmers who sequester carbon through managing indigenous vegetation. A consultation on the proposals is open until 18 November 2022.

This primer from the Transnational Institute describes the diversity of pastoralist systems that are found around the world. Among other topics, it explains the similarities and differences between pastoralists and peasants; explores the ways in which pastoralists have inaccurately been blamed for desertification; argues that anti-livestock narratives should not conflate pastoralism and industrial livestock farming; and asks to what extent animal-sourced foods are important for nutrition.

This book presents an overview of animal welfare as it relates to farming, hunting, fishing, entertainment and environmental implications. It discusses legal developments around the world as well as how different groups of stakeholders view animal welfare issues.

This paper analyses the narratives linking meat and the environment that were found in 116 articles from eight online news outlets in the UK during 2019. It found that anti-meat narratives are most common: 54% of articles had anti-meat-consumption sentiments, while only 5% were mostly in favour of meat consumption or against a shift to plant-based diets; the remaining articles were neutral or contained mixed arguments. Sentiment varied by farming type: less than 10% of articles were against meat in general; 28% were against industrial farming but favoured more sustainable methods; and the remainder were neutral or balanced, with no articles being generally in favour of the meat industry. The eight news outlets studied were the BBC, the Guardian, MailOnline, Sky News, the Sun, the Mirror, LAD Bible and BuzzFeed.

The global availability of food calories for people could increase by 13%, and protein supply could increase by 15%, if livestock were fed more by-products and residues in place of some feed that is edible to humans, specifically cereals, pulses, vegetable oils and whole fish. This study combines data from several sources to trace feed composition throughout the global food system.

In this podcast by the Sustainable Food Trust, Prof Tim Spector (of Kings College, London and the nutrition analysis company ZOE) talks about the influence of the microbiome on both human and livestock health.

The Culture & Animals Foundation (CAF) has launched the first two episodes of “Martin’s Act at 200,” an audio documentary that explores the origins and legacy over two centuries of the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act, which was signed into UK law 200 hundred years ago and is widely considered the first piece of animal welfare legislation from a modern political body. Three series of six episodes each will eventually be released, examining animal advocacy around the world.