UK must cut meat consumption, says Climate Change Committee

To reach Net Zero targets will require “a reduction in meat and dairy consumption,” the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) has told the government.

In its latest set of recommendations to the government, the UK’s independent adviser on climate issues urged the introduction of “measures to encourage people to switch to alternatives to meat more quickly”.

This advice was part of ‘The Seventh Carbon Budget’, a statutory report that advises the UK Government on emissions projections for 2038 to 2042.

Urgent need to reduce meat and dairy consumption

Throughout the report, the CCC discusses ways to prompt “shifts towards lower-carbon choices”. Repeatedly, the CCC highlights that “action is needed to reduce meat and dairy consumption in the UK”.

The report makes clear that “reaching Net Zero across the agriculture and land use sectors requires a reduction in livestock numbers”.

The government can help farmers transition from animal agriculture. Credit: Connor Danylenko

To achieve this transformation will mean “supporting farmers to diversify their income streams and by a reduction in average UK meat and dairy consumption,” the CCC notes.

Crucially, demand needs to shift towards plant-based foods rather than to meat and dairy from other countries “to avoid offshoring emissions associated with livestock”.

Public awareness lacking on meat’s environmental impact

As well as crunching the numbers on emissions, the CCC offers practical recommendations for implementing the shift in habits and behaviours.

Notably, the report issues a stark warning that “people’s awareness of the emissions impact of eating meat and dairy […] is limited.” Misinformation is holding back efforts to move the UK’s food system into a more sustainable future.

Likewise, the CCC observes “unease and limited trust around novel alternative proteins”, a risk factor that is holding back the shift to more sustainable diets.

To overcome these barriers, the CCC suggests “reducing the costs of plant-based alternatives to meat that are comparable in taste, texture, and preparation method. Doing so could “enable more people to choose these options for some of their meals,” it notes.

Government intervention essential

Rduce meat and dairy consumption, says the UK’s Climate Change Committee. Media credit: Enrique

Such unequivocal statements on the need to transition away from meat and dairy by the independent adviser to the government on climate change must not go unheeded.

Depressingly, the Prime Minister told reporters that he would rather not tell people to cut their meat consumption when asked about the report. “I’m not in the business of telling people how they should run their lives,” he said.

Even if the government chooses not to intervene directly in promoting a plant-based food system, as a minimum it should stop funding meat and dairy advertising via the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a pro-meat body that receives funding from Defra.

It must also invest more in the sustainable solutions promoted by the CCC, which would benefit the environment and public health. Last year, the government announced that it was investing £15 million in an “innovation hub” that will explore how to speed up the commercialisation of plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-made foods.

If the playing field were levelled, then consumers could make a fair choice. At present, the chips are stacked in meat and dairy’s favour – and everyone is losing as a result. ★

Featured image credit: Markus Spiske

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