Those in the animal feed industry will have cause for celebration today after a study seeks to dispel the myth that animal rearing is harmful to the environment.
The report was authored by Frank Mitloehner, an air quality expert at the University of California at Davis, who concluded that lower consumption of meat and dairy products will not have a positive impact on global warming.
He claimed that research and campaigns suggesting that animal rearing accounts for a large proportion of carbon emissions were "scientifically inaccurate" and distracted from the real solutions to tackling climate change.
Mr Mitloehner said: "We certainly can reduce our greenhouse-gas production, but not by consuming less meat and milk.
"Producing less meat and milk will only mean more hunger in poor countries."
His comments may come as a relief to firms in the animal feed industry who have faced the possibility of global decline in meat consumption on the back of what Mr Mitloehner is one-sided research.
Specialist feed manufacturer B Tickle & Sons in Liverpool received welcome news last week after securing a £250,000 grant from Natwest in order to expand operations and purchase new machinery such as screw conveyors.
Conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyorsEmma Green