Buy British - scientists fall in line with farmers

Dreaming no doubt of self service at the silage clamp, but they can dream on for a while yet.

There is still lots of grass in the fields for them to go at. So until the grass has stopped growing completely, and the cows have eaten up and need an excessive amount of supplementary hay, it is Cold Comfort Farm for them.

And despite all the horror stories of cows producing excessive amounts of methane gas and being the destroyers of the world, ice cap, atmosphere etc etc...

Science, bless its little heart, has started to find a silver lining to that particular cloud of greenhouse gas in the ozone layer.

Never mind the flatulence, and statistics about methane emissions. There is good news. Especially for cows like ours that are grass fed.

The bonus is that, not only are dairy products from cows that are grass fed, but also their meat as well, can actually be beneficial. Hooray.

I knew it was a good thing to guzzle milk and slather butter on my crumpets. No double entendre intended.

Apparently scientists from top universities, both here and abroad, cannot find any convincing evidence linking eating saturated fats to a greater risk of heart disease.

Even better, there are higher levels of a particular saturated fat that you get in cheese, milk and butter and any other diary product; margaric acid.

A fat associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Bring it on for the dairy industry.

And even better than that, these lovely boffins could find no clear link coronary disease from eating beef or red meat reared on grass.

Love ‘em.

But, and there is always a but, meat from cattle that are mainly corn fed, as in North and South America, do demonstrate a higher rate of heart disease association. Probably emit more gas too.

So that is another good reason to only Buy British. Our grass fed cows are little stars and significantly good health providers.

Pass the full fat cheese dear.

Even better, and you wonder can it get better, these luminaries of the scientific world, have been able to demonstrate through many studies, that because you feel fuller, or extremely satiated from a diet based around butter, high fat milk and cream, you are not replacing your calories on a low fat diet, with refined carbs.

Such as pasta, bread or rice.

Coincidently the Mediterranean diet, which is relatively high fat with its reliance on olive oil, full fat yoghurt and cheese (and pasta I can hear the muttering), washed down with wine, is much better than a Spartan, no fun and frills diet low in fat.

Generically, folks round the Med, have fewer strokes and a 30% lower risk of a heart attack.

So to me, and mine, all those calculations about methane and dangerous dairy production from the trumps, burps and diets of our lovely herd of cows, are just that.

Hot air. Smelly though I will admit.