Australian philosopher and mathematician Geoff Russell has uncovered a bombshell in his just-released book, CSIRO Perfidy.

Perfidy means a betrayal of trust, a title chosen in honour of CSIRO’s book ‘the Total Wellness Diet’.

According to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, scientists at CSIRO informed their directors of the clear association between red meat, dairy and bowel cancer.

Just months later the institution released Total Wellness Diet, which states “Studies have shown that fresh red meat (beef and lamb) is not a significant risk factor for colorectal cancer.” The book recommends an increased level of meat consumption than normal.

Russell’s book also reports on the environmentally damaging aspect of meat and diary production, a factor that is also relates to health - causing hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide through increases in violent weather and the spread of disease, which very likely to increase dramatically if climate change is not checked.

CSIRO Perfidy is thus one of just a few titles that bring together a larger picture of the modern age, one in which the consumption of animal foods is seen from a less than favourable angle.

The chairman of the International Governmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri has also brought this bigger picture to the attention of the world. “Please eat less meat; meat is a very carbon intensive commodity”

BothRussell and Pachauri’s positions on meat eating and the environment are substantiated by the 2006 United Nations report Livestock’s Long Shadow that documents the industry’s global effects on climate, land and water. Analysing the entire commodity chain, the report finds livestock responsible for 18% of human-caused emissions – more than transport.

Russell has qualifications in mathematics and philosophy and a background in ethics in relation to animals. His articles have appeared in Australasian Science, The Age and The Advertiser.