COP26: ‘Tax junk food, leave farmers alone’ urges television’s Gareth Wyn Jones

Gareth Wyn Jones shared his thoughts while feeding his cattle this week.

The Welsh sheep and beef producer lives in the Carneddau Mountains in north Wales, where his family have farmed for over 350 years.

Feeding cattle on a wet morning, he shared his thoughts on COP26 and what he believes is the way forward when it comes to tackling climate change.

“We’re looking at COP26, 25,000 people flying into Glasgow from all over the world with their motorcades and big gas-guzzling jets,” he began.

He referred to the role livestock plays in maintaining the upkeep of land.

“It’s a little bit scary that these people will be the people that will be determining our future and future laws.”

Gareth said it has been “frustrating” to hear what has been said about livestock, agriculture and farming, as he introduced his followers to a new-born calf.

“That animal will be kept on the farm for about 30 months and then she will be eaten,” he continued.

“It just really annoys me that these creatures are getting blamed for - they don’t call it global warming now - they’ve changed it to climate change, which I find, again, something to fit the bill because the climate is changing but I don’t think we have got global warming here.”

The media personality said people need to get back to eating healthy, nutritious food.

The uplands farmer said there were one or two things that he wanted to pick up on, the first being the “tax on meat”.

“Now, this is one of the best forms of protein we could ever have,” Gareth stated.

“These animals eat this green stuff, grass, and they turn it into top quality protein – beef and lamb on marginal land that we can’t use for hardly anything else.

“There’s a lot of ground that is, I wouldn’t call poor, but marginal, and it’s full of biodiversity, full of wildlife, very rare flora and fauna as well, and these creatures help in maintaining the upkeep of this land.

“If we were going to tax something, why don’t we tax junk food?

“We have an epidemic in this country that’s going to get even worse. A diabetes and obesity epidemic.

“Imagine if we have more youngsters eating more processed food, which is absolutely scary, then we are going to have more illnesses, the NHS is going to struggle more.

“Meat is part of a balanced diet. Seasonal vegetables, local food is definitely the way forward.”

He then referred to some statistics which found a person would have to become vegan for two years, in order to “save on one flight to go over to the United States”.

Gareth continued: “Another really good statistic - if the whole country went vegan, we would be saving from two to 2.5 per cent of greenhouse gases, which doesn’t really sound a lot but it probably would help, and that’s the whole country.

“But, if we look at it in the bright light of day, 80 per cent of what we are producing comes from fossil fuel.

“This government is still letting people dig coal out of the ground and this government is still letting people dig fossil fuels.

“So, before they blame the cow, the farmer and agriculture, I think they really need to look at themselves and move forward in a positive light, and not blame our cows for the problems that have been caused over a generation of pumping [rubbish] into the air.

“Ruminants have walked this earth for thousands of years.

“Let’s bring it back and get people eating healthy, nutritious food and a balanced diet and stop this propaganda about junk food.

“If you want to put a tax on something, tax the junk food, leave me alone,” he ended.