US farmers breeding mini-cows to reduce footprint

- Published: 27 July, 2010

The solution to the meat industry’s environmental challenges lies in miniature cows, according to The Guardian.

A report on the newspaper’s website claims a growing trend in the US for farming “mini-cows” could point the way to the future for environmentally friendly beef.

It said there are now more than 20,000 miniature cattle in America, which allow farmers to produce 10 animals on five acres, as opposed to just two standard cattle on the same amount of land.

The paper claimed that, by using the animals, the same amount of land could yield up to three times as much beef, with the cows only needing one-third of the feed.

And when it comes to methane production, it takes 10 mini-cows to produce as much gas as one full-sized variety.

As far as taste is concerned, the report added, mini-cows have a big advantage: “The bigger the cow, the longer the cells in the muscle are. A shorter cell means more tender beef, so smaller breeds have naturally better flavour.”

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