MEAT: A Benign Extravagance Written by British activist and former livestock farmer, Simon Fairlie, MEAT was published last year in the UK, and has recently made it over the pond to us, thanks to Chelsea Green Publishing. Fairlie’s book is exhaustively researched, and one of the most intelligent and thorough arguments for sensible, sustainable meat production and consumption that I’ve seen. While Meat is not light reading by any means, I feel it is an essential addition to the library for any of you who are closely following the meat-as-sustainable food debate. Fairlie leaves no stone un-turned in his research, uncovering the politics behind the computation of conversion ratios, government livestock eradication policies, whether or not we should be permitted to recycle food waste through omnivores, the role of livestock in addressing famine, the all-consuming carbon footprint debate, and much more. It is a serious read, particularly important for anyone who must serve as a spokesperson for sustainable, humane, earth-honoring livestock production. I encourage you to explore it further at Chelsea Green’s website.