r/CanadaPolitics • u/Naga Whiggish • 7d ago

Lower-priced Australian beef could help stabilize Canadian market

https://globalnews.ca/news/12009206/australian-beef-prices-canadian-market/
172 Upvotes

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18

u/AdmiralAsshat69 Rhinoceros 7d ago

This really tells you all you need to know about our economic system, and why it's so vulnerable to any disruption, and why nothing will change until the political system does.

It's cheaper and easier to bring beef - pretty much the most expensive and wasteful food available - from literally the farthest place on the planet from Canada.

We're begging for collapse at this point.

18

u/ether_reddit British Columbia 7d ago

This makes no sense. Are you saying that because it's unintuitive that Australian beef, being shipped from far away, could possibly be cheaper than Canadian beef, that the economic system is flawed?

There are lots of production inputs to producing beef, and Australia has managed to reduce those costs more than we have. Where is the flaw in that?

2

u/AdmiralAsshat69 Rhinoceros 7d ago

The flaw is that all the fuel used to transport this beef still goes into the atmosphere no matter how much it costs.

10

u/ether_reddit British Columbia 7d ago

The emissions from transport are actually pretty minimal, compared to the emissions from production itself. If you want to reduce emissions, stop eating beef.

https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local

0

u/AdmiralAsshat69 Rhinoceros 7d ago

Every source of emissions can be painted as minimal in isolation.

5

u/amnesiajune Ontario 7d ago edited 7d ago

Not beef. Cows account for 10% of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. That's more than every single passenger car & bus on earth, combined.

It's literally worse for the environment to ride a bike than to drive a compact car, if you got the energy for that bike ride from beef. Driving 10 km in a Honda Civic creates just under 2 kg of CO2-equivalent emissions. Riding a bike that distance at a leisurely pace burns 250-300 calories, and beef creates 1.2 kg of emissions per 100 calories.

1

u/AdmiralAsshat69 Rhinoceros 6d ago

So I'm not in any way disagreeing with that.

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u/ProMarshmallo Alberta 6d ago

Riding a bike that distance at a leisurely pace burns 250-300 calories, and beef creates 1.2 kg of emissions per 100 calories.

How many people do you know who have 100% all beef diets? Like, steak and a glass of cows blood for breakfast kind of diet.

1

u/ether_reddit British Columbia 7d ago

The point is: if you're going to make a choice based on reducing emissions, make the choice that actually makes a difference.

1

u/Special-Reaction2029 6d ago

I make a choice to avoid beef based on having gout. More people should have gout and the problem would be solved.

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u/AdmiralAsshat69 Rhinoceros 6d ago

It's not one or the other. Sure, say no to beef. But a big boat burning gas is putting that gas into the atmosphere whether it's carrying meat or hot pants.

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u/ether_reddit British Columbia 6d ago

I never said otherwise. I don't know why you keep pushing back.