Burger King’s lemongrass fed beef given thumbs down by cattle producers
Posted Jul 18, 2020 7:00 am.
Last Updated Jul 17, 2020 7:45 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Canadian cattle producers are not pleased with Burger King’s announcement that they will be using beef from cattle who are fed lemongrass in an effort to reduce methane emissions.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) says there’s one problem: lemongrass doesn’t grow well in Canada.
Burger King announced earlier this week it plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with its Whopper with Reduced Methane Emissions Beef and is currently testing its new beef at five markets in the U.S.
Reaction to Burger King’s announcement was quick and furious from farmers on Twitter, with many cattle producers calling on the restaurant chain to do better.
The CCA’s Stakeholder Engagement Manager Amie Peck says if they were to add lemongrass to the diets of cattle, it wouldn’t make a difference in the long run.
“Any potential reduction in methane emission, since the science has not yet been proven, I believe would be off-set by the emissions used to get it to Canadian cattle since it is just not feasible to grow in this country,” Peck said.
Peck is also quick to point out methane is a natural part of the carbon cycle as cattle consume carbohydrates in the plants they eat, and that is converted to carbon dioxide and methane.
“Despite what Burger King would have you believe about it being flatulence, it is mostly belched,” she said.
“It lives in the atmosphere for about 10-years, and it is converted to carbon dioxide and absorbed by plants, and the cycle repeats itself.”
Peck says the total carbon footprint of the cattle industry in Canada is only 2.4 per cent of the country’s total emissions.
She says while they do applaud the restaurant chain for trying to find ways to reduce emissions, it should be done on proven science and what is feasible.
Peck adds the cattle industry is always looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
The CCA says the total carbon footprint of the industry is 2.4 per cent of the country’s total emissions.
