Agriculture
Zuckerberg sparks outrage by raising cattle in Hawaii
Macadamia nuts, home-brewed beer and beef: Mark Zuckerberg has a new project. photo
© Andrej Sokolow/dpa
A crazy and environmentally damaging idea from a billionaire? Meta and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg wants to go among the cattle breeders – and thereby antagonize environmental and animal rights activists.
Cattle breeding on the Hawaiian island of Kauai with macadamia nuts and beer as feed – Facebook founder and Meta boss comes up with his new business idea Mark Zuckerberg, one of the richest men in the world, responds to criticism from animal and environmental activists.
The American posted a picture of himself on Instagram with a huge steak on his plate. “I started raising cattle at Ko’olau Ranch on Kauai,” the 39-year-old wrote. “My goal is to create some of the best quality beef in the world.”
Criticism of the project
The animal protection organization Peta immediately criticized in the same Instagram post, among other things, that this project was killing animals and the planet. Zuckerberg should focus on other things, like creating innovative vegan food. “This protects animals, helps the planet and improves human health.”
Mitch Jones from the non-governmental organization Food & Water Watch also sharply criticized the plan, according to the British newspaper “The Guardian”: “Raising cattle with water-intensive macadamia nuts and beer is just a strange side business for a billionaire. We need real agricultural reform to address the injustices in our food system and to address the reality of global warming.”
Support from daughters
According to the post, Zuckerberg wants to breed Wagyu and Angus cattle, which will be fed nuts from macadamia trees grown on the farm and home-brewed beer. “Each cow eats about 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of feed per year, so that’s many acres of macadamia trees,” he wrote. The project is still in its early stages; his daughters will help him plant the macadamia trees and look after the various animals.
“We want the entire process to be local and vertical,” Zuckerberg wrote – perhaps alluding to what he sees as a sustainable project. “Of all my projects, this is the most delicious to me.”