Grade A Choice?

The report argues that global meat consumption, particularly beef, is a primary driver of tropical deforestation due to extreme land-use inefficiency. It highlights that beef uses about three-fifths of global agricultural land while providing less than 5% of global protein. The authors propose solutions including increasing livestock productivity on existing lands, shifting diets from beef to more land-efficient proteins like poultry or pork, and eliminating government subsidies that encourage forest clearing. The document also examines the role of corporate moratoriums and the environmental costs of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

• Beef production is exceptionally land-inefficient, utilizing approximately 60% of the world's agricultural land while contributing less than 5% of global protein and less than 2% of calories.
• Tropical deforestation is heavily driven by the meat industry, with over 75% of deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon converted to pasture by 2007. Additionally, soybeans used for livestock feed were responsible for nearly 25% of deforestation at their peak.
• Non-ruminant livestock, such as chickens and pigs, are significantly more efficient at converting feed to meat than cattle. For example, chickens require 2kg of grain for 1kg of meat, pigs require 4kg, and beef cattle require 10kg.
• Livestock production contributes to global warming through deforestation and the emission of methane, a gas that traps 23 times more heat than carbon dioxide.
• Silvopasture systems, which combine trees and livestock, offer a sustainable alternative by improving livestock nutrition, sequestering carbon, and providing additional income through timber or fruit.
• Government policies, such as direct subsidies, price supports, and commodity promotion programs (e.g., "Beef: It’s what’s for dinner"), artificially lower meat prices and encourage higher production levels, which increases pressure on tropical forests.
• Corporate initiatives, such as the 2006 soy moratorium and the 2009 cattle moratorium in Brazil, demonstrate that industry-led bans on purchasing products from deforested areas can reduce forest loss.

APA

Boucher, D., Elias, P., Goodman, L., May-Tobin, C., Mulik, K., & Roquemore, S. (2012). Grade A Choice? Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Solutions-for-Deforestation-Free-Meat.pdf

Chicago

Boucher, Doug, Pipa Elias, Lael Goodman, Calen May-Tobin, Kranti Mulik, and Sarah Roquemore. Grade A Choice? Union of Concerned Scientists, 2012. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Solutions-for-Deforestation-Free-Meat.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{boucher2012grade, author = {Boucher, Doug and Elias, Pipa and Goodman, Lael and May-Tobin, Calen and Mulik, Kranti and Roquemore, Sarah}, title = {{Grade A Choice?}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2012}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Solutions-for-Deforestation-Free-Meat.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }