To the editor: Re: "Meaty issue prompts Vancouver's decree," May 14. Vancouver was the first city to proclaim June 10 "Meatless Monday," encouraging people to abstain from meat products one day per week. Program advocates cite meat production as contributing to climate change, water pollution, deforestation, increased greenhouse gas and avian and
other animal flus. I'm not surprised Vancouver is the first and only Canadian city to officially endorse this program. Even Toronto recognizes this idea isn't all it's "cracked" up to be.
The B.C. cattle industry is a large part of the economic engine for the province. Most are family operations sincerely caring about the animals as well as the land and environment under their stewardship.
Blaming the cattle industry as a cause of deforestation is a fabrication. The last land-clearing project in B.C. for agricultural purposes probably occurred 50 years ago. Most cattle grazing occurs on Crown land jointly shared by agriculture, forestry, mining, recreation and tourism.
All animals, including man, produce gas contributing to global warming. The greater metropolitan area of Vancouver, with more than 2.3 million residents, is the most populous in western Canada.
A recent study reveals a person will pass gas 14 times per day. The average "gas passing" is composed of 59 per cent nitrogen, 21 per cent hydrogen, nine per cent carbon dioxide, seven per cent methane and three per cent oxygen.
In 2011, there were 520,000 head of beef cattle in B.C. The greenhouse gasses produced by the people in Vancouver, through gas passing, probably exceeds that produced by all the cattle in B.C. I submit the hot air produced by
the Vision Vancouver politicians is a far more significant contributor to global warming than the entire cattle industry. I won't be surprised to learn they've also endorsed, milkless Tuesday, butterless Wednesday, cheeseless Thursday and eggless Friday.
Keith Lanphear, Abbotsford, B.C.
