Should we stop eating meat?

Faced with pictures of burning cattle in the countryside, many people in Britain are considering giving up meat altogether. Following BSE, meat consumption all over Europe has gone down considerably.

In many other parts of the world, meat consumption is rising. Most of the growth in grain use in China has been for feed to fuel the growth in its livestock industry. Beef imports are rising in most Asian countries.

Recent reports suggest that if everybody adopted a vegetarian diet, our current food production could feed the whole world. But with rising affluence in some countries, more people are adding meat to their diet.

Is it time we changed our eating habits? Is meat consumption in your country a luxury or a necessity?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

What people should be concerned about is how much they consume

K, Farooq, Lahore, Pakistan

Although a vegetarian diet is highly recommended by dieticians, it's only time and research that will prove the importance of meat. Meat contains certain nutrients that are not present in vegetables and since one in five are suffering from either type- 2 diabetes or long-term stomach disorders, meat is the only way out. However, what people should be concerned about is how much they consume.
K, Farooq, Lahore, Pakistan

I am not a vegetarian, however I now rarely eat meat. There has been one food scare too many for my liking, and I have had enough. Chick peas and beans taste better than mince anyway! I agree with Mark from Oxford - farmers should get insurance for disease outbreaks, the taxpayer should not have to bail them out of self-inflicted problems caused by sheep movements designed to increase EU subsidies. I think that the Government should send a clear message to farmers that in the future, they will be on their own, and they should get insurance to cover disease. This will also force farmers to keep their animals in better conditions, and feed them better food - they won't want their insurance premiums to rise!
Graham, Ipswich, UK

My, my the single issuers are venting their spleen again. We are a diverse planet of people with diverse tastes, which includes meat, get over it.
Gerry, Scotland

It amazes me that a subject such as this prompts such a massive response, yet when we consider the suffering of millions of living people in this world the response seems to be less enthusiastic. Sort out your priorities before worrying about what happens to animals that are bred to be eaten and have been for a long time. Is it really that important?
G Talbot, Bournemouth, UK

Anyone who thinks that a vegetarian diet saves animal lives has obviously never been near an arable farm. Thousands of animals die horribly on every acre of arable land, killed by the numerous machines that work the soil in order to produce food that the veggies eat with a clear conscience. At least meat eaters eat the animal that has died; far more ethically acceptable. I suppose that, to vegetarians, mice, worms, rats and beetles aren't as cuddly as little fluffy lambs, so they aren't worth protesting for! We country folk have a saying: "To cure a veggie, take 'em ploughing!"
Charlie, Hampshire, England

I enjoy meat far too much to stop eating it. However, the recent foot and mouth crisis has encouraged me to support British farmers, and specifically those that go to lengths to ensure their animals are reared naturally and healthily. Our local butcher sells meat reared in this manner, and it is far better than anything from the supermarket. It costs a bit more, but it's worth paying for the quality. Rather than stop eating meat, perhaps we should stop the rather daft practise of exporting our meat and then importing someone else's.
John B, UK

In the United States, meat consumption is merely one option, since the agricultural diversity of my country is so great. American citizens have access to all kinds of domestically-grown veggies, fruit, fowl, legumes, grains, etc. Unfortunately, many countries are not as fortunate. Smaller countries lack the size to raise large numbers of cattle, while more northern countries don't have the climate to grow abundant fruit.
Kyle M. Tate, West Point, New York (USA)

. My whole family is vegetarian and we are healthy

Aleta Armstrong, Ezulwini Swaziland

It is not necessary to eat meat. My whole family is vegetarian and we are healthy. I've never understood the arguments saying that vegetarians don't get enough protein etc....there are a lot of us around and we are a lot healthier than meat eaters! It's cruel in my opinion to kill animals for food but each person on this planet must realise this for themselves.
Aleta Armstrong, Ezulwini Swaziland

While a meat-free diet may be healthier there are some people (i.e. diabetics, some women, some children) who need to eat meat. Granted, humans in the developed world eat more protein than they need on an average day. Everything in moderation, I say.
Allison , USA

I gave up meat when I was a student and I haven't looked back since. I respect other people wishes to eat meat but I can't help thinking that less meat and more vegetable in our diets would increase the nation's health as a whole. After all, it did post-war Britain no harm.
Penny, London, UK

I have yet to hear the food-scare story that doesn't make me even happier to be a vegetarian

Neil, Edinburgh, UK

I have been a vegetarian for over 15 years. Being one is easy in the UK because of the choice. It was a bit harder when I stayed in Belarus but still possible. I have yet to hear the food-scare story that doesn't make me even happier to be one. Becoming vegetarian was a great day in my life, which I have never and will never regret.
Neil, Edinburgh, UK

I haven't eaten meat since the 70's and as a recent migrant to the US from England and living in the 'meat loving' West I am having a really hard time eating out here. I have lived in Montana and Wyoming and apart from the salad bar and in some eating places 'grilled cheese sandwich' there are only meat meals on the menus. I don't think they even 'know' vegetarian in this part of the world!
jeannie cocchi, Glendive USA

Make the price of meat reflect its true cost and demand for it will go down

Mark , Oxford, U.K.

The prices of foodstuff do not reflect the true cost of their consumption. The foot and mouth epidemic is an example. The cost of compensation will be borne by taxpayers. If farmers had to get Foot and mouth insurance and pass that cost onto the consumer as higher meat prices then the price would better reflect that particular hidden cost. Make the price of meat reflect its true cost and demand for it will go down.
Mark , Oxford, U.K.

Of course we shouldn't change our eating habits because of the current outbreak. Freedom of choice of what we eat is paramount. However, one thing hasn't been explained as far as I know. If healthy sheep are being killed, why can't they be use as food in the usual way instead of being burned or buried?
John Collins, Kent UK

If slaughter houses had glass walls, people would be vegetarian

J.E. Dunn, New Haven, USA

I find it quite ironic how people are so upset over this mass slaughter of animals yet do not consider the daily slaughter of thousands of animals for meat consumption. I believe it was Linda & Paul McCartney who said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, people would be vegetarian." Yes, a vegetarian diet is more healthy and better for the planet as a whole.
J.E. Dunn, New Haven, USA