An Australian museum has asked its visitors to eat more plants and less beef as it claims the cattle industry is warming the planet.
Australian families deserve to know the real facts about farming, agricultural leaders have warned as misinformation on emissions produced by livestock continues to circulate.
NSW Farmers’ Board member Oscar Pearse said the latest Future Now exhibit at the Australian Museum was just one example of these mistruths, with one of the featured displays falsely claiming the cattle industry is “warming the planet” and encouraging visitors to “eat more plants and less [beef]”.
“This is a museum that welcomes a million visitors through its doors each year and yet its curators have totally failed to pay attention to getting their facts straight,” Mr Pearse said.
“If they’d done their research, they would have found that Australian red meat is not only extremely healthy and high protein, but also a sustainable choice that they should be encouraging consumers to put in their grocery cart.
“The Australian red meat industry is one of the least emissions-intensive livestock sectors in the world, and it is constantly developing new technology, tools and projects to drive further gains in sustainability and carbon capture for the future.”
Investment in educational programs and initiatives to share the true story of Australian agriculture was long overdue, Mr Pearse said, with governments having a responsibility to educate school students about where their food comes from.
“School students and their families deserve to know the good story about how their healthy, fresh food and fibre is grown right here in Australia, and right now, there is a scary number of people who don’t know that story at all,” Mr Pearse said.
“In a time where the cost of living and global food insecurity is surging, it’s critical we continue to engage the next generation and show them farmers grow the sustainable food and fibre that feeds and clothes the world.
“Without our farmers, we have no future.”