Haggis Could Vanish Due to Climate Change

Yes, haggis—minced sheep organs mixed with onions, oatmeal, and spices, and then boiled inside the sheep’s stomach—could be the latest victim of global warming.

A vital ingredient to make the traditional Scottish dish is becoming increasingly hard to find: sheep lung. Many sheep have been infected with Lung Worm, which does not affect the rest of the sheep’s body, does render the lungs inedible.

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“Lung worm has been at a very low level and did not cause serious problems in sheep but with the changing climate and availability of the parasite it is becoming a problem,” said Sandy Clark, a veterinarian at the Scottish Agricultural College in Thurso.

But haggis fans need-not worry. Scottish butchers are sourcing their sheep lungs from Irish farms instead, where Lung Worm has not been a problem. However, acquiring the lungs from farther away certainly will not help stop climate change, the root of the spread, according to Clark.

Actually, a bigger source of the problem is the meat itself. For those who want to eat haggis and have their planet too, vegetarian versions are easy to prepare and even available canned and ready to serve.

Photo Credit: Tessa Watson on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

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