Friends of the Earth (FoE) has urged the government to reduce imports of South American animal feed and use more home-grown products.
Research by FoE has revealed that half of the soy beans imported to Britain to feed livestock could be replaced by UK animal feed, which could lead to an increase in production.
The organisation claims the increasing clamour for soy has led to many forests being replaced by huge soy plantations.
Sandra Bell, senior food campaigner at FoE, claimed many consumers do not realise the impact importing feed has on rainforests.
She said: “Animals should be born, bred and fed British – but pressure from supermarkets and biased EU subsidies force farmers to rely on damaging imports.
“The government must listen to growing calls for it to restore a thriving meat and dairy sector by helping farmers switch to planet-friendly practices.”
FoE is campaigning for the government to reward farmers who use environmentally friendly techniques with funds from EU subsidies.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the waste-to-energy industry includes; elevators – bucket elevators – valves
