Sir, – Sadhbh O’Neill makes some excellent points in her article “Irish leaders need to start being honest about livestock’s long shadow and our unsustainable diets” (Environment, Opinion & Analysis, August 22nd), and I agree wholeheartedly with the overall premise of the article and the need to reduce our meat intake. However, I would disagree on one point in particular: “some animal products provide essential nutrients that can be difficult to replace”.
The British and American Academies of Nutrition and Dietetics state that vegan diets can support healthy living for people at all life stages. They point out that “eating plant-based foods reduces the risk of suffering from many chronic degenerative diseases, including heart disease and type-two diabetes”.
In Ireland alone we slaughter in excess of 100 million animals annually, and 82 per cent of EU farming subsidies goes to this industry. Many animals, such as pigs, live their short, miserable lives in barren pens, only seeing the light of day en route to the slaughterhouse. It does not need to be like this. The ideology that drives agriculture in Ireland today is unsustainable. For the animals, the environment and your health, it is time to think about what’s on your plate. – Yours, etc,
JOAN BURGESS,
Annmount,
Cork.