Animal advocacy organisation PETA is urging the government to implement a tax on meat and dairy farming to help combat the fallout after COVID-19.
Writing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. PETA has suggested that the money made from these taxes could be used to ease the burden on the NHS. Plus, it also helps farmers transition away from meat into crop farming.
The letter says, “This would lighten the burden on the already overstretched NHS: modelling predicts that a UK tax on red and processed meats could result in 22 per cent fewer deaths and save the health service £700 million a year.”
The letter also notes that several of the world’s worst outbreaks such as swine flu, SARS, foot and mouth, and the current pandemic have stemmed from farming animals for food.
Director of PETA Vegan Corporate Projects added, “We must heed the Committee on Climate Change’s call for meat and dairy consumption to be cut down and act on the United Nations’ recommendation that national governments introduce a tax on meat.
“The resulting tax revenue could be used to help meat, and dairy farmers make the transition into healthier, more sustainable crop farming at a time when the plant-based food market is booming.”
Increase in local demand
Although plant-based diets have seen an increase in the past year as individuals consider their impact on the environment. There has been an increase in people looking to buy locally since the pandemic started.
Purchasing habits have changed somewhat during the epidemic, and that has certainly true for one Norfolk farmer who is currently struggling to meet the demand of her produce. Nicole Chapman is usually delivering her farm boxes further afield via courier. However, since COVID-19 took hold, the local market has rocketed.
The farmer hopes this will be the start of a long-term change in food buying habits after the virus ends and wants more people to support local suppliers.
“If it means the whole food network becomes more local, that would be wonderful,” she said.
“When this initially hit us, we thought we were going to lose the markets and the food festivals for selling, and there was also an issue getting animals into the abattoir to start with. But then above and beyond that, there has been such a big push from people wanting to buy locally.
“I am hopeful. Even if just 10 per cent of those people decide to stick with us and change their shopping habits beyond all this, it would be fantastic for local food producers.”
National Farmers Union President Minette Batters also said that it was ‘indefensible’ that supermarkets would have exported beef in favour of UK suppliers during this time.
She said: “The sudden closure of restaurants due to coronavirus and the broader impact on the food service sector has meant prime cuts of British beef are being held in storage with nowhere to go. As these cuts are the highest quality and most valuable, farmers depend on these being sold.
“At a time when retailers should be supporting British farmers more than ever and promoting these quality cuts of British beef, it is indefensible that customers who want to support British farmers by buying British food are only finding Irish cuts on shelves in some stores.”
It is not yet clear whether PETA wants the UK government to consider taxes on all meat and dairy farming or imported products in isolation.
