Livestock consumption and climate change - A framework for dialogue

UK's livestock products accounts for around 8% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to reduce these emissions, such as campaigns for consumers to eat less meat, have alienated livestock producers, who are concerned that they are being unfairly targeted, and who have pointed to potential unintended consequences. It is in the public interest to address such concerns and involve producers in shaping this important policy agenda.
This report sets out a framework to help producers, policy-makers and environmental groups to discuss and address the contribution of livestock products to climate change. The framework was developed by means of desk research, interviews with producer organisations, and a stakeholder roundtable. It highlights the fact that livestock production affects not only climate change, but also other environmental issues, animal welfare and the lives of producers and consumers.
Changing livestock consumption to tackle climate change may have knock-on effects for any of these wider sustainable development issues. Scrutinising these effects systematically can help move stakeholders out of deadlock and into negotiation over the steps policy-makers can take to move forward. The report ends with recommendations for promoting further dialogue, pursuing research priorities, comparing different policy interventions and pushing ahead with 'no regret' policies.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/research_centre/?3308/Livestock-consumption-and-cl...