"Fake News" from the BBC?

[Rustytypin]

Came across a piece on the BBC website today on how farmers are tackling climate change.
One way the beeb recons they can do that is to keep livestock outside for longer. Fair enough. It then goes on to say (in big bold type): Over 2.5 million tonnes of Soya is imported into the UK each year, mostly for animal feed. (Figures from HMRC).

Figures for 2015/16 I have seen, show this in detail:
UK Government statistics show that in 2015/16 total imports of soy beans, soy meal and soy oil totalled 3.1 million tonnes. Of this approximately:

• 1.1 million tonnes (35%) was fed to livestock,
• 1.42 million tonnes (45%) was used in food products for humans,
• 0.58 million tonnes (18%) was used in non-food products.
• UK soy product imports were:

• Soy meal – 2.26 million tonnes
• Whole soy beans 0.68 million tonnes
• Soy oil – 0.16 million tonnes
• Only 400 hectares of soy beans were grown in the UK

Soy meal – 1.1 million tonnes (35% of total soy imports; 48.7% of soy meal) is fed to livestock (approximately 90% of it to pigs and poultry and farmed fish); 1.16 million tonnes is used as flour improvers, included in pet food and used in a wide range of industrial products including paint, pharmaceuticals and in the production and use of asphalt.
It is very unfortunate that the Beeb seems to be rather economical with the truth (or perhaps can't be bothered with it).
At the bottom of a lot web pages there is a tab for "why you can trust BBC News". Oh really?

 

[lindisfel]

Came across a piece on the BBC website today on how farmers are tackling climate change.
One way the beeb recons they can do that is to keep livestock outside for longer. Fair enough. It then goes on to say (in big bold type): Over 2.5 million tonnes of Soya is imported into the UK each year, mostly for animal feed. (Figures from HMRC).

Figures for 2015/16 I have seen, show this in detail:
UK Government statistics show that in 2015/16 total imports of soy beans, soy meal and soy oil totalled 3.1 million tonnes. Of this approximately:

• 
  
  
  • 1.1 million tonnes (35%) was fed to livestock,
  • 1.42 million tonnes (45%) was used in food products for humans,
  • 0.58 million tonnes (18%) was used in non-food products.
  • UK soy product imports were:

• 
  
  
  • Soy meal – 2.26 million tonnes
  • Whole soy beans 0.68 million tonnes
  • Soy oil – 0.16 million tonnes
  • Only 400 hectares of soy beans were grown in the UK

Soy meal – 1.1 million tonnes (35% of total soy imports; 48.7% of soy meal) is fed to livestock (approximately 90% of it to pigs and poultry and farmed fish); 1.16 million tonnes is used as flour improvers, included in pet food and used in a wide range of industrial products including paint, pharmaceuticals and in the production and use of asphalt.
It is very unfortunate that the Beeb seems to be rather economical with the truth (or perhaps can't be bothered with it).
At the bottom of a lot web pages there is a tab for "why you can trust BBC News". Oh really?

Can't see your point rustypin, you agreed it was right to keep stock outside longer.
That farmers import a lot of soya is on the negative side of the equation, particularly if rain forest is cut down and permanent grasland is destroyed to produce it.
It looks factual to me, do you get more truth from the gutter press barons?

 

[Rustytypin]

Can't see your point rustypin, you agreed it was right to keep stock outside longer.
That farmers import a lot of soya is on the negative side of the equation, particularly if rain forest is cut down and permanent grasland is destroyed to produce it.
It looks factual to me, do you get more truth from the gutter press barons?

On rereading my post, it does not seem to be very clear.

My point is that the BBC claim that most soya imports into the UK are for animal feed. As I said below that claim, in fact for 2015/16 soya imports for use in the animal feed industry amount to 35% of all soy imported. Hardly "most" as the BBC are claiming. Hence my comments re the sloppy reporting in the piece.
The other point to note is that 90% is for pig and chicken feed. I feel that these facts are worth pointing out as beef and milk production are getting a battering from all sides at the moment, being demonised as the big bad climate destroyers. At least a bit of accuracy from the BBC would help.

 

[lindisfel]

I am afraid the Vegan lobby is controlling the arguments.

I find some BBC programs excellent whereas in others the questioning is so superficial as to be pathetic but I don't think their faking it.

In wet western Britain the last thing we should doing is ploughing up carbon trapping cow pasture for veg.
D.