The author of a UN report on food production and the environment says governments should tax meat production to slow the global rise in consumption and the accompanying environmental damage, says the Guardian. “If we are all to copy-cat the way in which we feed ourselves in North America or Europe, the planet would be in deep trouble,” said Maarten Hajer, a member of the International Resource Panel.
“We think it’s best to price meats earlier in the (food) chain, it’s easier” and more effective than levies at the consumer level, said Hajer. The IRP report foresees a 20 percent rise in chicken and dairy consumption and a 14 percent rise in pork and beef consumption over the next decade. “The authors called on governments to push their citizens to eat less meat to avoid the accompanying ‘disproportionate environmental cost,’ although the report itself does not advocate any policy options,” said the Guardian.
Agriculture is responsible for 24 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 60 percent of loss of species worldwide, says the report. The Guardian quoted former EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik as saying, “Dealing with consumer choices is an extremely touchy issue, but you have to deal with it, because there will consequences.”