EU pressed to address meat reduction, plant-based diet in new food policy
In a letter sent on Tuesday (25 February), twenty NGOs called on Commission Vice-president Frans Timmermans and Commissioners Stella Kyriakides, Janusz Wojciechowski and Virginijus Sinkevičius “to explicitly recognise and address the need to reduce and improve the production and consumption of meat, dairy and eggs in the Farm to Fork Strategy.”
The NGOs advocate for a dedicated Commission action plan oriented to decreased and improved consumption and production of meat, dairy and eggs in the EU, in order to shift away from industrial farming.
The requested measures should also prepare food environments for the uptake of more healthy, plant-rich diets.
The letter was signed by environmental protection and animal welfare NGOs such as the WWF, Greenpeace, ActionAid, Birdlife, Eurogroup for Animals and Compassion in World Farming.
How is it possible that the EU allocated around €71.5 million in the past three years to programmes promoting meat when we know that meat and dairy are emission-intensive producers compared to vegetables and fruits?Francisco Guerreiro MEP (Greens/EFA - Portugal)
