Wednesday, 30 September 2020

Soya Milk and Soya Milk

When I first saw this story about Marks and Spencer banning soya for its milk production, I thought they were banning soya milk (drank by vegans and by people with lactose intolerance). It appears, actually, that they are attempting to be seen as reducers of rainforest clearance (such as happens in Brazil) to grow soya as a feed for cattle (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/30/marks-and-spencer-cuts-soya-production-milk-deforestation). So, their intention is encourage 'their' dairy farmer suppliers to use material, such as sugar beet, as an alternative additional feed. Of course, the traditional food for cows is grass but this is deemed inadequate. There will, of course, still be environmental problems associated with the production of milk and dairy products (e.g. methane production and the inevitable production of calves). It is unclear whether they will try a similar ban on beef producers (where soya is used more intensively than in dairy). I suspect that they will continue to sell soya milk.

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