The Sir John Hammond Memorial Lecture Current and Future Problems

Extract

The accomplishments of United Kingdom agriculture and the changing government policies which have accompanied them are briefly discussed, leading to expectations of future change. The constraints on animal production are outlined, particularly those which affect consumption of animal products. It is concluded that the scientific validity of many official recommendations and expressed views are highly questionable. One specific example, among others discussed, is the COMA recommendations of 1984 to reduce consumption of fat and saturated fatty acids by the whole population so to reduce coronary heart disease and mortality. Recent work, which is briefly reviewed, shows the contention cannot be sustained on scientific grounds while direct, controlled experimentation with many thousands of subjects shows that intervention has not reduced mortality. This recommendation should be withdrawn.