24 EU Members Sign Letter that Suggests Reducing Animal Product Consumption

24 EU members recently signed a letter to the European Commission President, written by the Humane Society International/Europe, suggesting that the EU shifts over to the plant-based lifestyle.

The letter addressed the concerns associated with animal agriculture and the consumption of animal products, specifying the different ways that these factors are harming the environment and putting people’s health at risk.

“The science is clear that reductions in meat and dairy consumption are required to achieve meaningful reductions in GHG emissions. Animal agriculture accounts for 14.5 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions globally, and even greater percentages of some of the most potent greenhouse gases such as Methane (35-40 percent) and Nitrous Oxide (65 percent). A 2014 study further predicts that reducing consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs across the EU by 50 percent would decrease the EU’s GHG emissions by 19-42 percent,” the letter stated.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the letter also specified how the plant-based diet reduces risk of certain diseases. The letter states: “Individuals who eat a plant-based diet are likely to have a lower body weight and a decreased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, even as chronic diseases account for 80 percent of deaths in the EU. Plant foods may even have protective properties against many chronic illnesses.”

In turn, they addressed these issues by coming up with alternatives to solving them through the plant-based lifestyle.

They mentioned “general” things that would help address the problem, including recommending that the EU “target for a 30 percent reduction in consumption of animal-based foods by 2030.”

They also recommended linking food policies to sustainability goals and conducting more research, as well as educating people about the effects of overconsuming animal products through campaigns and even considering a ban on processed meat advertisements, considering the World Health Organization’s re-classification of processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen.

“According to a 2015 Eurobarometer poll, 95 percent of European citizens feel that protecting the environment is personally important to them; over half of European citizens think the EU is not doing enough to protect the environment; and almost one quarter are particularly concerned by our consumption habits,” the letter stated.

Clearly EU citizens want these environmental and health issues to be addressed, and the solutions proposed in this letter are definitely great ways to address these problems. This letter definitely proposed a great step forward for the EU.

#govegan #health