All About Beef
About cows & bulls
Cattle can live for 18-22 years on average, with the Guinness World Record being Big Bertha, who was 48 [1]! As it is not economically viable to keep them around for this long, the industry typically kills them at just 18-months-old for beef and any age under 10-months for veal [2].
Cattle are incredibly social animals, with best friends, and complex herd social structures. A study in the UK demonstrated that cows and bulls are reliant on social support from each other. When isolated from the herd with a friend, their heart rates accelerated, and then reduced. When they were isolated with a different individual, however, their heart rate remained accelerated and they displayed signs of stress. They also exhibited signs of stress when they could not see their best friend or were separated for long periods of time – this changed once they were reunited [3 PDF].
The industry
Every year around the world, more than 300,000,000 cows and bulls are slaughtered for human consumption [4]. In Australia, we kill approximately 9,000,000 per year [5, 6]. Australia is the 8th biggest producer [7] with our beef industry accounting for roughly 55% of Australian agricultural farms [8].
Australia claims to have some of the highest standards of animal welfare, however, our laws allow for some horrendous routine procedures including dehorning without anaesthetic or a veterinarian present [9 PDF], de-sexing involving the castration of males by damaging (crushing) the spermatic cord with a rubber ring or pincers [10] or spaying females by cutting the ovaries away (through the vagina or a cut through the skin and tissue on the cow’s flank) [11], semen collection where bulls are stimulated and made to ejaculate often via the use of an electric rod inserted into their anus [12], and artificial insemination involving a worker forcing their arm inside a cow’s anus to hold her cervix in place, and then inserting a semen straw or sperm rod inside of her [13].
The environment
Globally, animal agriculture is the leading cause of environmental destruction, species extinction, water pollution, and ocean dead zones. In Australia, most land is cleared to make room for more farmed animals – cattle, in particular [14]. Farmed animals graze on both native and modified pastures on almost 56% of the continent [15], and 79% of this land is used for beef farming [16]. Clearing land for farmed animals is undoubtedly not just an Australian issue. Of Earth’s inhabitable land, 50% is used for agriculture, and just 1% is used for infrastructure. Of agriculture’s 50%, 77% is used for meat and dairy production (the animals and their food) and only creates 18% of the world’s calorie supply [17].
All animals bred into the agricultural industry require food. As the demand for animal flesh rises with population growth, the demand for crops to feed the animals also increases, resulting in more land being cleared [18]. As an example, around 80% of the world’s soybean crops are fed to farmed animals, predominantly cattle (for beef and dairy), pigs, and chickens [19].
In terms of water use, studies found that to produce just 1kg of beef, around 15,000L of water was needed [20]! These figures are a global estimate and vary depending on what housing system the cows and bulls are kept in, the age they are killed, and what they are fed.
Our health
Doctors around the world are encouraging people to reduce their meat and dairy intakes, replacing them with whole-foods, like legumes, grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables [21]. Studies have found a link between TMAO (a chemical derived in part from nutrients abundant in red meat) and the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes [22, 23]. Other research has found that the heme-iron content in red meat could be accountable for the increased risk of diabetes [24].
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), based on limited evidence that consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect. It was mainly observed for colorectal cancer, but also found associations with pancreatic and prostate cancer [25 PDF].
Vegan “Beef” Recipes
Many people find it difficult to cook plant-based/vegan because they focus on what they can’t have, not what they can! There are thousands of plants (legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts) we can eat, but we tend to just stick with what we know because it’s what we were taught. Being in isolation and/or working from home has given us more time to get back in the kitchen and experiment with some new recipes.
We know that beef is a pretty common ingredient for some people. So, to help you on your journey, we’ve veganised some favourite beef dishes using either legumes, grains, or mock meat! If you want some help “veganising” a recipe, drop it in the comments below and we will help you out.
Pasta
Pasta is a quick, delicious, and wholesome dinner! A simple way to introduce more plant-based foods into your diet is to just replace the meat in a recipe, with beans or textured vegetable protein (TVP). Lentils and TVP go great in bolognese. If you would rather try a new recipe, here are some delicious ones:
You can even grab some protein pasta (for example, Barilla or Keep It Cleaner) and just add some pesto or arrabbiata sauce!
Tacos, Fajitas, Burritos, & Nachos
Instead of mince, use your original recipe, but replace the beef with kidney, black, and pinto beans. If you’re looking for a new recipe, this one is one of our personal favourites, by Loving It Vegan. You can even use quinoa – here’s a great recipe by the Minimalist Baker.
If you’d rather a more “meaty” texture, try textured vegetable protein (TVP), or use mock meat, any of these are great:
Alternative Meat Co mince
Herb and Sons mince
Organic Village Mince
Naturli 100% Plant-Based Minced
Vegie Delights Vegie Mince
Made With Plants Meat
Beyond Meat mince
Burgers
Who doesn’t love burger night? Giving up beef doesn’t mean you have to miss out – there are so many vegan burger patties available in your local supermarket.
There are ranges that taste similar to meat:
Beyond Meat Burgers (Coles)
Herb and Sons: Beef-Free Burger (Coles)
Alternative Meat Co (Coles)
Unreal: Italian Beefy Burger (Woolworths)
Gardein: Beefless Burger (Coles and Woolworths)
Quorn: Vegan Gourmet Burger (Coles and Woolworths)
Next Gen2 Plant-Based Burgers (Woolworths)
Or some that don’t taste like meat but are delicious:
Vegie Delight: Not Burger (Coles and Woolworths)
Syndian: Lentil Burgers (Coles and Woolworths)
Nature’s Kitchen: Sweet Potato and Black Bean (Coles)
Bean Supreme: Beetroot burgers (Coles and Woolworths)
Fry’s: Quinoa and Brown Rice Protein Burger (Woolworths)
If you have a little more time on your hands, The Minimalist Baker has created a mouthwatering smokey black bean and beetroot burger.
You can even make burger night more epic with one of these recipes from Beyond Meat.
Meat Lovers Pizza
If you’re wanting a cheat night and feel like a meat-lovers pizza, head over to Dominos and dig into the plant-based beef and onion pizza, or plant-based godfather!
If you would like to make your own, you can replace the mince with:
Alternative Meat Co mince
Beyond Meat mince
Herb and Sons mince
Naturli 100% Plant-Based Minced
Vegie Delights Vegie Mince
Made With Plants Meat
And the bacon with:
Pie
Make your own using lentils, kidney beans, or mock meat mince:
Alternative Meat Co mince
Beyond Meat mince
Herb and Sons mince
Naturli 100% Plant-Based Minced
Vegie Delights Vegie Mince
Made With Plants Meat
You can also head over to Pie Face for their Vegan Mexi Pie, 7/ELEVEN for their No Beef Pie and No Sausage Roll, or buy Four ‘N’ Twenty vegan pies from your local supermarket, Caltex, and Coles Express!
Braised Beef & Steak
Vegan alternatives are popping up everywhere. You can now even have slow-cooked braised “beef” – created by Fable!
Steak is one of the “harder” meats to replace, but it isn’t impossible.
One product that is available in Australia is Viana Cowgirl Veggie Steaks – they are available from the Cruelty Free Shop in Sydney, and Melbourne, or online.
If you’re game and have a little more time on your hand, you can make your own, with this great recipe from The Cheeky Chickpea, or by Yuzu Bakes.
Remember, it won’t always be like this, there are plenty of companies that are working on 3D printed steak and plant-based alternatives, so this will only get easier with time.
Meet Ray
Ray, like all other black angus calves, was destined to become someones’ meal, but thankfully, his fate was changed.
When Ray started his new life at Moo to Ewe, he was a timid and nervous little fella. Ray needed a little extra attention due to early stomach issues. His friend, Hope, also a black angus calf, was thriving and healthy. Ray fortunately soon ‘found his feet’, started eating well, and began to thrive.
Through the past year and a half, Ray has been generally selfless and chivalrous, especially where Hope is concerned. They can often be seen wandering together. Ray also likes to strut around in a knowing and carefree manner. He has been welcoming toward the subsequent rescue calves and his confidence has grown greatly amongst his friends. Perhaps Ray knows just how much he is loved by his human friends, as with his bovine friends.
As the carer of so many lucky animals, the M2E family are able to appreciate the differing personalities of all farmed animals. They, like many vegans, believe that if all people were able to meet and connect with the animals, they would surely put down the carving knife forever.
Moo to Ewe Farmed Animal Sanctuary welcome visitors to come and meet Ray, Hope, and their gorgeous friends!
RAY
To the food buckets,
Ray, you are often last,
perhaps selfless,
or just not fast.
Your personality,
you make us smile,
a wink or a strut,
you have so much style.
We love you very much,
so many visitors,
their hearts you touch.