Social media tycoon Mark Zuckerberg's latest business venture to raise “world-class” cattle at his sprawling, luxurious Hawaii retreat has been derided as sacrosanct and environmentally damaging.
The meta-billionaire posted a picture on Wednesday of himself eating a steak – medium rare, no trimmings – from his Ko'olau Ranch, a 1,400-acre property on Kauai, Hawaii's oldest island.
“Started raising livestock [the] Ko'olau Ranch on Kauai, and my goal is to produce some of the highest quality beef in the world,” Zuckerberg wrote on Instagram.
So only the best for the sixth richest man in the world, who raises Wagyu and Angus cattle, which produce the most expensive meat in the world.
“Each cow eats 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of feed each year, so that’s many acres of macadamia trees. My daughters help plant the Mac trees and look after our various animals. We're still at the beginning of the journey and it's fun to improve every season. “Of all my projects, this is the most delicious,” added Zuckerberg, whose current net worth is $129 billion, according to Bloomberg.
The livestock will be raised on macadamia nuts and beer produced at the $100 million site — which will also house an underground bunker and energy projects, according to a recent Wired investigation.
“Raising livestock with water-intensive macadamia nuts and beer is just a billionaire’s strange side hustle. We need real agricultural reform to address the inequities in our food system and the reality of a warming climate,” said Mitch Jones, policy director at Food & Water Watch, a national legal and policy nonprofit.
“We must promote the viability of small and medium-sized farms that are committed to feeding everyone, not just wealthy celebrities.”
Beef is a major contributor to deforestation, water pollution and global warming. Climate researchers warn that consumption must fall, particularly in industrialized countries, in order to limit the most damaging effects of the climate crisis.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, an adult cow can release up to 500 liters of methane per day, accounting for about 3.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane – the greenhouse gas that cattle emit when they burp – is highly potent, causing about 85 times more warming than CO2 over 20 years.
On X, rival Elon Musk's social media platform, the reaction to Zuckerberg's new career as a beef farmer has been mostly derisive.
“Proud of you, man. “They've really fulfilled the dream of putting food in their mouths in a way that causes the most climate change possible for humans,” said Andrew Greenberg, an author and journalist.
Shalin Gala of the animal rights group Peta condemned Zuckerberg for being stuck in the “dark ages.” Another critic, Coloradotravis, tweeted: “The absolute stones to take in a time of rising populism are: 'I'm growing a macadamia orchard to feed my artisanal Wagyu'.”