Hi John,

 

The UK government recently released their Food Strategy. Something crucial was missing - meat and dairy reduction - which their own expert advisors are calling for. [1] 

 

Excessive meat and dairy production is the leading driver of deforestation and a major contributor to the climate crisis. [2] [3] 

 

It’s also extremely wasteful and inefficient. With better, more efficient land management we can increase food security, provide healthier diets, tackle the climate crisis, and free up vast amounts of land to restore nature. At a time when global food shortages are being described as “apocalyptic”, this has never been more important. [4]

 

Please will you call on the government to reduce meat and dairy in the UK?

Brits eat twice as much meat and almost three times as much dairy as the global average. Enormous amounts of land and crops - like wheat and soy - are needed to feed livestock. Growing the amount of soy fed to UK farm animals, like chicken and pigs, each year requires an area nearly the size of two million football pitches. [5]

 

Soy is imported from countries like Brazil, where forests critical to our climate are being destroyed to grow animal feed. It’s not only destructive but shockingly wasteful. Globally, feeding perfectly good crops to farmed animals wastes enough food to feed an extra 4 billion people – that’s half of humanity alive today. [6]

 

But right now the government isn’t taking any responsibility. They’re pitting people against each other and are ignoring the science. Recent history has shown that enough public pressure can make the government U-turn. By adding your name you can join thousands of people pushing the government to act.

 

The government must make sure meat and dairy production and consumption is reduced by 70% by 2030, end imports of animal feed that drive deforestation, and help farmers transition towards producing food more sustainably.

 

Can you add your name, it’s really quick to do?

This petition is just the start and we’ll use it to show the government that there's an appetite from the public for meat and dairy reduction (apologies for the pun).

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Jack Bullett

Greenpeace UK

 

 

P.S. Whether you’re a regular meat eater, vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian, it’s not all down to us. To transform our food system at the scale that’s required, we need government intervention.

 

 

[1] Food plan for England condemned by its own lead adviser 

[2] Drivers of Deforestation 

[3] We must change what we eat to solve the climate crisis, shows research

[4] Bank of England warns of 'apocalyptic' global food shortage

[5] Winging it: How the UK’s chicken habit is fuelling the climate and nature emergency 

[6] Ukraine War: 'Apocalyptic' global food crisis is being exacerbated by factory farming of grain-fed animals

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