In an initiative undertaken three years ago, the National Trust designated the Purbeck Heaths as England’s inaugural “Super NNR,” aiming to transform the region into an “open grazing savannah.”

Covering approximately half of the Super NNR, the newly established ‘savannah’ will encompass a 1,370-hectare expanse, providing a habitat for ponies, pigs, cattle, and deer to graze freely. Among the livestock, National Trust plans to introduce about 200 Red Devon cattle and Mangalitsa pigs.

Back in March 2020, a coalition of seven organizations, including National Trust and Natural England, came together with the aim of interconnecting 3,400 hectares of habitats to safeguard the local ecosystems. This collaborative effort led to the establishment of the Purbeck Super NNR.

Comprising a diverse blend of lowland wet and dry heath, valley mires, acid grassland, woodland, coastal sand dunes, lakes, and saltmarsh, the super reserve emerges as one of the most biodiverse locations in the United Kingdom.

Within its boundaries, a multitude of wildlife species find residence, including all six native reptiles: adder, grass snake, slow worm, sand lizard, smooth snake, and viviparous lizard.

According to a National Trust spokesperson, the ponies, pigs, and cattle are inquisitive creatures that actively navigate the terrain, engaging in various forms of browsing and soil disruption.

“By doing so, we’re fostering the development of novel and enhanced habitats for diverse species, akin to the activities of their predecessors. While we can’t reintroduce aurochs, the indigenous forebears of our domestic cattle, our herd of 200 Red Devon cattle can mirror their grazing and behavior patterns. Likewise, Exmoor ponies emulate the behavior of the extinct tarpan horses, and the distinctive Mangalitsa pigs, with their curly coats, engage in activities reminiscent of wild boars.”

Despite the belief held by many, the statement that the UK and Ireland’s livestock production is not associated with rainforests is not entirely accurate. This is due to the fact that imported soybeans are often used to feed chickens, pigs, and cows, which are raised for meat production. Brazil, the largest soybean exporter globally, cultivates a significant portion of soybeans on deforested land.

Contrary to popular belief, the UK and Ireland are home to rainforests known as Celtic or Atlantic rainforests. These temperate forests are being threatened by grazing livestock, especially deer and sheep. This might come as a surprise to many people.

Fragmented forests

The rainforests in the UK and Ireland are now only a small and scattered area. According to the Woodland Trust, they have been in a state of decline for a long time due to clearances, overgrazing, and conversion to other uses.

On Twitter, there’s debate about the absence of trees in many of Britain’s National Parks being “natural,” but that’s a misconception. As soon as grazing is prevented and fences are erected, trees and vegetation can make a swift comeback.

In order to safeguard nature, we must limit any additional deforestation, while also making an effort to revive what has been destroyed. While we tend to see current tree removal as deforestation, we should also consider actions that prevent forests from naturally regenerating as such.

Grazing livestock have huge land footprints

A considerable amount of land in the UK and Ireland that could support temperate rainforests is instead utilized for grass-fed cows and sheep, as these areas aren’t suitable for arable crops that prefer drier conditions. Nonetheless, even if these rainforest zones were used for other crops instead of livestock grazing, the latter would still pose an indirect threat due to their significant land usage. To obtain 100g of protein from lamb, you would require roughly 35 times more land than you would for peas, beans, and other pulses.

Rainforests and livestock grazing are in direct competition for land usage. The UK and Ireland have the lowest forest coverage in Europe, with only 13% and 11%, respectively, and just a fraction of this is natural forest rather than planted. By reducing meat consumption and consuming more plant-based foods, your diet will have a smaller land footprint, which will free up more space for forests and rainforests to thrive.

Although grasslands with limited grazing in the British Isles can serve as essential ecosystems for wildflowers and insects, most grazing land doesn’t resemble this. Grassland nature reserves that are maintained for nature preservation rather than farming, such as Martin Down in Hampshire, include trees and shrubs, and during spring and summer, they are filled with birdsong, butterflies, and orchids. These reserves differ greatly from the intensively grazed fields and hillsides that resemble billiard tables and constitute a significant portion of the grasslands in the UK and Ireland.

While consuming meat from well-managed nature reserves might be considered acceptable for the environment and climate, such small quantities are produced that meat consumption would have to drop far beyond current reduction targets.

In addition, it’s worth noting that while British grass-fed cows primarily consume grass, they also receive supplementary crops. This results in a larger arable land footprint per 100g than British legumes. Additionally, when you consider the grazing land required, their overall footprint is significantly larger.

Preserving on-farm biodiversity is crucial, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of conserving and restoring unfarmed ecosystems that many species prefer. Unfortunately, the UK and Ireland are among the most nature-depleted countries globally, and the widespread grazing of grass-fed livestock is harming rather than benefiting nature.

Campaigners like Guy Shrubsole and Eoghan Daltun have helped raise awareness about the rainforests in Britain and Ireland. While people are becoming more conscious of the climate impact of meat, there is still less discussion about the large land footprint it requires and how it harms nature and biodiversity. This needs to change if the world is to achieve its recent commitments to protect and restore nature made at the COP15 summit focused on biodiversity.

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Following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 1994, a ban on the use of processed animal proteins (PAPs) in ruminant feed was introduced. Experts believe that BSE is caused by the feeding of cattle feed prepared from the meat and bone meal of infected animals. In an attempt to avoid possible cross-contamination, a ban on the use of PAP was extended to all
farm animals in 2001.

The reason for lifting the ban is twofold. Firstly, the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy encourage the use of by-products in the food industry and the use of organic and local ingredients.

“PAP meets these requirements,” says Karin van Vuure, nutrition and regulatory manager at Darling Ingredients and member of the European Fat Processors and Refiners Association (EFPRA).

Furthermore, the risk of cross-contamination seems to be low. The last case of BSE in cattle in the EU was in 2016 and the last case in the UK was in 2018. A total of 24 of the 27 Member States were classified as having a minor risk status.

The benefits of lifting the ban are numerous, says Van Vuure. Poultry slaughterhouses have more opportunities to use by-products from their slaughter, especially those not used in pet food. Such products include poultry blood meal, feather meal and low-protein food.

In addition to reducing waste and dependence on imported protein, the use of processed animal products in feed can also improve feed quality as the digestibility of this type of protein and phosphorus is high. Depending on the requirements set in the processing chain, poultry and pig feed could also become cheaper, she added. In addition, the carbon footprint of diets would be improved. “Many farmers remember the time before the ban as a time with a more balanced diet because of the use of animal proteins,” said Van Vuure.

The change has been welcomed by farming associations: Copa-Cogeca and the Association of Poultry Processors and Trade (AVEC). The EU proposal recognises that there is no risk to food safety in its authorisation of these products and proposes a legislative framework that ensures a high level of safety for all participants in the supply chain, says Paul-Henri Lava, senior policy advisor to AVEC.

AVEC welcomes the opportunity to diversify the feed supply through the use of processed animal proteins from pigs, says Lava, and expects poultry farms to be a similar source of protein for the pig sector.

Demand for protein-rich feed

The demand for protein-rich feed is currently high in the EU. Driven by globalisation and climate change, Lava believes this trend will continue in the future. “Offering sourcing solutions for protein-rich feed in the EU is a step in the right direction,” explains Lava. “EU authorities should go further in this direction.”

Processed animal proteins are produced from Category III animal by-products derived from healthy animals that are fit for human consumption at the time of slaughter. In the 20 years since the ban was introduced, researchers have developed a PCR test to ensure that papillomaviruses do not contain by-products.

“Because there is a cross-species ban in Europe, accordingly there are also tests on pigs and poultry,” says Van Vuure.

More research is needed for PAP

Much has changed since papillomaviruses were first banned 20 years ago. For example, processing technologies have evolved and improved. There has been some research into the nutritional benefits of porcine papillomaviruses used in poultry feed. In a recently published white paper, Van Vuure outlines some of the results.

Working in collaboration with EFPRA, Wageningen Animal Research conducted a study in 2010 to evaluate the nutritional and digestibility of PAP as well as the overall performance of laying hens that consumed the feed. The 2010 study evaluated 4 types of PAP in feed: 40%, 50%, 58%, and 60% protein in the diet.

Layer performance differed between the treatments. The most favourable of the four was PAP-50% and the least favourable PAP-40%. The differences in performance appear to be partly due to differences in feed intake and corresponding amino acid intake.

While the addition of PAP generally did not reduce feather pecking behaviour, in PAP-40 and PAP-50 diets, chickens showed a delay in the development of feather damage. At the same time, compared to flocks receiving diets with higher levels of PAP, those receiving PAP-40 and PAP-50 diets showed improved bedding, feeding and walking behaviour and floor pecking.

Digestibility and overall performance

A 2018 study evaluated digestibility and overall performance when 2 types of porcine PAP were included in broilers’ diets to replace soybean meal. Researchers assessed intestinal health, litter quality, pad damage and bone quality. The results of the study show that both types of PAP tested can be used as suitable substitutes for soybean meal in broiler diets without affecting performance results. The performance study was followed by a digestibility study.

However, two studies are not really enough to draw definitive conclusions. “As a nutritionist and scientist, I think we need to do more research,” says Van Vuur. The ban is expected to be lifted in October this year.

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“The problem of emerging diseases is a much bigger problem than direct losses to agribusinesses,” said Pan Chenjun, senior analyst at Rabobank, according to farmdoc.daily

According to Reuters, the China Livestock Association urged companies on Tuesday to donate large quantities of disinfectant to a county in central Henan province, where widespread floods have killed thousands of cattle.

“The rotting carcasses of dead animals easily produce pathogens, but there are not enough disinfectants,” the China Livestock Association said on its website after farms in Tanyin County were flooded.

Heavy rains last week caused the worst flooding in the province in centuries, killing at least 71 people. According to Chinese media reports, more than a million animals have died and 1,678 large livestock farms have been affected.