Politics - Plant Based News https://plantbasednews.org/category/culture/politics/ Disrupting The Conventional Narrative Mon, 06 Feb 2023 21:50:20 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2 https://plantbasednews.org/app/uploads/2020/10/cropped-pbnlogo-150x150.png Politics - Plant Based News https://plantbasednews.org/category/culture/politics/ 32 32 183434871 Nearly 100 Mayors Called Out For ‘Collective Lack Of Progress’ On Climate Initiatives https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law-and-politics/c40-mayors-plant-based-diets-climate/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law-and-politics/c40-mayors-plant-based-diets-climate/#respond Fri, 04 Nov 2022 12:22:47 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=276484 Less talking, more action is the request from multiple climate-aware organizations

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A collective of almost 200 organizations and businesses urged local leaders from across the world to shift their communities to climate-friendly plant-based diets amid the latest C40 summit.

Included in the coalition of concerned parties was the Plant Based Treaty, Humane Society International, and Better Food Foundation. Each contributed to a letter, which stated that they were concerned by a “collective lack of progress” on climate initiatives. It asked world mayors to identify extreme weather events in their cities and to make the connection to the climate emergency. From here, they were asked to address the need to reduce meat and dairy intake.

The letter was sent ahead of the C40 World Mayors Summit, which took place in Buenos Aires last month. It brought together almost 100 mayors from influential cities around the world, including London, Hong Kong, and Copenhagen. They met either in person or virtually. Key figures from the business, scientific, and philanthropy sectors also attended to agree on actionable climate initiatives.

In a bid to accelerate environmental progress, each mayor was asked by the collective to consider signing their city up to the Plant Based Treaty and the Good Food Cities Declaration. Alongside, continued alignment with the 19 “best practices” that define the C40 group, including taxing high-emission foods and making plant-based foods the default option on menus, is expected. These were all reiterated in the open letter.

More to be done

The open letter celebrated the climate progress already made by C40 cities. However, it went on to highlight what it considers to be a missed opportunity: food-related greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, those from meat and dairy production.

The C40 has already identified that a mainstream switch to a plant-based diet is the most impactful change that cities can make.

In a report, the C40 said that lowering meat consumption from 58kg to 16kg per capita by 2030 is critical for climate improvement. Moreover, it stated that each C40 city must be active in making plant-based foods more accessible to realize the goal. In short, they need to be the new norm, instead of meat.

New York has already began to do this. Earlier this month, it was revealed that plant-based food will become the default in all of its hospitals. But Laura Lee Cascada, campaigns director at Better Food Foundation, says more needs to be done by other cities.

“Last month, New York City boldly revealed how it’s flipping the script on harmful food norms: serving plant-based foods by default across an entire public institution, its hospitals,” Cascada said in a statement. 

“As global climate leaders, all C40 cities have a responsibility to model a sustainable food system by following New York, Berkeley, Amsterdam, and other trailblazers with their own plant-based commitments.”

Berkeley City Council made history in July when it pledged to remove all animal products from its menus by 2024. Amsterdam is also taking proactive steps. The city is encouraging its citizens to eat a plant-based diet at least 50 percent of the time by 2030.

Prioritizing plant-based solutions

The C40-addressing coalition is not alone in recommending global plant-based diet adoption. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report also highlights a shift away from meat and dairy as a key weapon in the fight against the worsening climate emergency.

Collectively, animal agriculture creates around 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a major cause of Amazonian deforestation. 

Of particular concern is the amount of methane generated by meat and dairy production. This lead to the creation of the Global Methane Pledge, which more than 100 countries have now signed up to.

Despite being a short-lived emission, methane is more than 84-86 times more warming than CO2 in its first 20 years in the atmosphere. This makes the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C untenable, if food systems remain as they are.

“The IPCC consistently shows the vegan diet to be the optimal diet to fight the climate and methane emergencies,” Allie Molinaro, campaigns manager at Compassion in World Farming explained in a statement. 

“C40 cities are considered leaders on local climate action and can accelerate much needed progress by implementing best practices such as serving plant-based food at council events and using every policy tool at their disposal including public information campaigns, procurement, subsidies, investment, divestment, taxation, community gardens, and fruit and vegetable prescription programs.”

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Why The UK Government Is Being Taken To Court Over Its Farmed Chickens https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law-and-politics/uk-government-court-size-farmed-chickens/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law-and-politics/uk-government-court-size-farmed-chickens/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2022 08:37:49 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=274643 The Humane League and Advocates For Animals have teamed up to fight for better chicken welfare in the UK

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The UK government is facing a court challenge over farmed broiler chickens in the country. 

The Humane League, alongside the UK’s first animal law firm Advocates For Animals, launched the case on the grounds that farmed chickens have been selectively bred to grow unnaturally fast. 

This, they argue, goes against existing UK legislation that states farmed animals must be kept “without any detrimental effect on their health or welfare.” 

“Through changes in law, or in this case, challenging the lawfulness of government policy, there is potential to improve the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of animals in one go,” Claire Williams, Campaigns Manager at The Humane League UK, told Plant Based News (PBN). 

She said that there is “no question” that these selectively bred chickens meet the criteria of the above welfare legislations, adding: “And if they don’t, the question we’re asking is – who does this law apply to if not to them?”

More than one billion chickens are killed for meat each year in the UK. Modern broiler chickens (those used for meat) grow 400 percent faster than they did in the 1950s. If a human baby grew at the rate they did, the baby would be the size of an adult tiger at eight weeks old. 

These birds – who have been dubbed “Frankenchickens” – will often suffer from broken bones, lameness, and muscle disease due to their unnatural size. 

Industrial agriculture has bred them this way to maximize profit, as they are ready to be killed sooner. Factory-farmed chickens in the UK (which make up around 95 percent of them) are generally slaughtered when they are around six weeks old. Free-range chickens will be killed when they are between eight and 12 weeks. 

‘Nobody ever voted for this’

A spokesperson for Advocates for Animals told PBN that there has been a “clear recognition” that it is “within the public interest” to conduct legal scrutiny of these chickens. 

They added: “Breeding and keeping these animals, and failing to respond to the severe welfare issues they experience, is not what the public expects to happen in a country that so often boasts about its high welfare for farmed animals.”

While The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has argued that it has no policy that condones or permits fast-growing chickens, The Humane League has pointed out that they are industry standard. 

“We have got into this situation partly because few people know about it,” Williams told PBN.

“Nobody ever voted for this.”

A hidden industry

UK factory farming is hidden behind closed doors, and often, much of the public simply does not realize the suffering that these chickens go through. 

Earlier this summer, it was reported that there has been a sharp rise in the number of US-style “mega-farms” in the UK. There are thought to be over 1,000 of these farms dotted around the country, and some of them house over one million chickens at a time. 

Factory-farmed chickens will often be afforded an area no bigger than an A4 sheet of paper. Due to their size and injuries, they will often be unable to regularly access food and water. 

Vegan chicken brand VFC recently conducted an investigation into a chicken farm supplying KFC in the UK. It found that there were dead birds on the floors, a number of injured animals, and plastic-wrapped perches that the birds couldn’t access.  ​​

“Animal agriculture has done its best to keep these animals, and the appalling way they live, in the dark,” WIlliams told PBN. “Sure, people know that chickens are farmed for their meat, but going by your average supermarket packaging you’d think they lived in lush green meadows with the sun on their backs.”

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New UK Cabinet Scraps Plans To Ban Foie Gras And Fur Imports https://plantbasednews.org/culture/foie-gras-fur-bans-uk-scrapped/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/foie-gras-fur-bans-uk-scrapped/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:13:20 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=274562 Could other animal welfare-related bans be at risk too?

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A bill that would have put an end to foie gras and fur imports in the UK has been scrapped.

Opposition from a minority of Conservative MPs put pause on the Animals Abroad Bill in May. But following her appointment as the new PM, Liz Truss has ditched the plans completely. 

The animal welfare about-turn places other proposed bans in jeopardy as well. 

Politico reported that the bans on live animal exports for slaughter and the import of hunting trophies now both hang in the balance. The current cabinet has identified both as post-Brexit revenue “opportunities.”

The downturn in animal fortunes comes after Truss fired environment minister Zac Goldsmith amid an administrative reshuffle. Goldsmith had been pressing for increased animal rights, in line with public opinion on items such as foie gras and fur.

New PM taking a soft line on animal cruelty

Had the fur and foie gras import bans been upheld and mentioned in the Queen’s Speech in May, the UK would have been a world leader in animal rights and welfare reforms. However, self-proclaimed cat-lover Truss has chosen to renege on the promises of Johnson.

A growing body of research demonstrates irrefutable evidence of the sentience of animals. Such data led to octopuses, lobsters, and crabs being legally declared sentient. (However, this still does not protect them from live boiling.)

Truss’ anti-animal welfare stance is well documented. 

She actively opposed the UK ban on fox hunting and in 2016, attempted to scrap statutory farm welfare codes, unsuccessfully. Most recently, she promoted MP Mark Spencer to a position within the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. It followed his role in facilitating continued elephant torture overseas.

Cruel consumer products

Foie gras and fur both cause untold suffering to animals.

To make foie gras, producers routinely force-feed ducks and geese using metal tubes. The birds are fattened up as quickly as possible, then killed for their engorged livers, which often swell to ten times their normal size. 

According to estimates, around one million birds die in the foie gras industry every year.

Animals farmed for fur fare no better. Bred into captivity or captured, animals are kept in squalid conditions that are ripe for zoonotic disease transmission. As a result, many animals resort to self-mutilation.

Many of the 100 million animals farmed for fur each year are gassed and electrocuted, to keep pelts intact. Some facilities still practice live skinning.

The UK government is expected to propose that the import of fur products and foie gras is allowed, with “appropriate” labeling. Such markers would highlight processes used to make the items. 

“Banning things seems very socialist. Informing people is the way to go,” an unnamed senior Conservative told Politico.

A ban still remains on the production of both fur and foie gras in the UK.

“Importing fur and foie gras is contradictory to our domestic laws. The UK banned fur and foie gras farms in 2000 and 2006 respectively, on the grounds of the clear and unacceptable cruelty involved in production,” Lorraine Platt, co-founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation told Plant Based News

“If the UK believes that fur and foie gras is too cruel to be farmed here, by extension it is too cruel to sell here. We hope the new government ends this senseless contradiction, which will send a clear message that such imports are unacceptable.”

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Oxford Council Criticized For Promoting Climate Action And Plant-Based Diets https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/oxford-council-climate-action-plant-based-diets/ https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/oxford-council-climate-action-plant-based-diets/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2022 09:55:05 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=272967 Oxfordshire County Council is facing opposition to its recommendation that residents follow a plant-based diet

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Oxfordshire County Council has launched a new campaign to encourage its residents to move towards a climate-friendly plant-based diet.

The Climate Action Oxfordshire (CAO) campaign website spotlights several actions people can take for the planet, including second-hand clothes shopping, choosing locally grown produce, and adopting a plant-based diet. It suggests that the latter could help people to reduce their dietary footprint by up to 73 percent.

The council has included advice from the Vegan Society, alongside a link to its app that helps new vegans make the right food choices.

CAO refers to plant-based diets as good for personal health and beneficial to the environment. It also links to a carbon footprint calculator.

Oxford’s steady acceptance of plant-based food

It was reported last year that an Oxford Green Party councilor called for all party events to be free from meat and dairy. The motion passed and led to an expansion of the practice, with Oxford County Council also choosing to remove meat and dairy from its catering options.

The move sparked backlash: Conservative Party MP David Bartholomew said: “Veganism should not be forced down people’s throats. It should be a matter of choice and education.”

Joining Batholomew in his disdain for the move were local farmers, including former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson.

Clarkson also personally faced off against the council. The confrontation came after he was denied planning permission to build a restaurant at his Diddly Squat farm. He overcame the obstacle through a technical loophole and opened a beef-only eatery.

Farmers fight back

The council now faces renewed opposition to its growing plant-based focus.

Rural life campaign group Countryside Alliance has written to each of Oxfordshire’s five district leaders. In its letters, it demands that they remove their support for the CAO website. The organization considers the promotion of plant-based living as a direct assault on local livestock farmers. It claims the farmers are producing meat and dairy using world-leading sustainable systems.

“No council, especially one that allegedly supports our farmers, should have anything to do with a website that seeks to undermine their hard work,” Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said in a statement.

“Challenging assumptions about the benefits of some plant-based products and the casual denigration of livestock farming matters, because if they are allowed to go unchallenged, they threaten the sustainability of both the planet and the countryside.”

The council responded, stating that its ambitions are in line with the UK government’s National Food Strategy, which recommends reduced meat consumption.

“A recent survey conducted by the Oxfordshire councils and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership showed that local residents share the council’s concerns about climate change and feel the need to contribute to tackling it,” a council spokesperson said.

“We simply want to help people who want to make changes to help tackle climate change by making suggestions as to how they can do so. Helping tackle climate change is a key priority for Oxfordshire County Council.”

The best choice for the planet

Despite the farming sector’s claims, climate experts agree that animal agriculture contributes around 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. This means that cutting meat and dairy offers a potentially faster route to climate crisis alleviation. 

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) board member states that climate targets will not be met without removing meat from plates. He is calling for a 30 percent drop in consumption. Though others have recommended significantly more drastic reductions.

West Sussex town Haywards Heath recently revealed its own climate commitments, by signing up for the Plant-Based Treaty. It was the first town in Europe to do so. Cambridge City and Lewisham councils have also committed to only serving plant-based food at events. And earlier this month, Lancaster council revealed it would consider a similar move.

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World Leaders Served Predominantly Plant-Based Food At G7 Summit https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law-and-politics/world-leaders-predominantly-plant-based-g7-summit/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law-and-politics/world-leaders-predominantly-plant-based-g7-summit/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2022 14:23:04 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=269999 This year's G7 summit in Germany served meat and fish as an "add-on" only

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This year, world leaders at the G7 Summit have been enjoying a predominantly plant-based menu.

The G7 (an organization of the world’s seven biggest “advanced” economies) meets every year at an annual summit to discuss the world’s largest challenges.

Hosted in Germany, this year’s summit saw leaders discuss matters like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the climate crisis and food security.

In the interest of sustainability, most meals served during the summit were plant-based. A spokesperson for the German government said ahead of the event: “The focus will be on seasonal and creative vegan and vegetarian foods.” They added that meat and fish are “add-ons” only.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz is backed by a coalition of parties across the political spectrum. One of those parties is the Green Party, which is dedicated to reducing Germany’s meat consumption.

In 2013, the Greens put forward a pledge for a mandatory meat-free day across the country. And in 2019, it pitched a meat tax.

While the Greens cited animal welfare on both occasions, sustainability is a key factor. The meat industry is responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, it wastes natural resources (like land and water) and drives deforestation.

Rich countries need to reduce meat

Germany is known for its traditionally meaty cuisine. But according to Reuters, it has reduced animal products at all of its international meetings this year.

Earlier this year, one of the country’s leading universities, the University of Bonn, published a report stating that rich countries need to cut meat consumption by at least 75 percent for the planet.

In the EU, the average citizen consumes around 80 kilograms of meat every year. Dr. Matin Qaim, a lead author of the study, maintains this is simply too much.

He said: “If all humans consumed as much meat as Europeans or North Americans, we would certainly miss the international climate targets and many ecosystems would collapse.”

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McDonald’s Promised To End Agonizing Treatment Of Pigs 10 Years Ago https://plantbasednews.org/culture/ethics/mcdonalds-pigs-welfare/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/ethics/mcdonalds-pigs-welfare/#respond Tue, 01 Mar 2022 15:54:17 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=263121 Now, Carl Icahn, a feared investor, is using his influence to call on the fast-food giant to step up and deliver on its animal welfare promises

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Carl Icahn, a feared investor known for hostile corporate takeovers, is calling on McDonald’s to stop using suppliers that confine pregnant pigs in small crates, a practice that has been heavily criticized by animal welfare campaigners across the board.  

Ichan owns just 200 shares in McDonald’s, valued at approximately $50,000, but he is using his holding – and his reputation – to push for Leslie Samuelrich, a sustainability-focused investor and president of Green Century Capital Management, and Maisie Ganzler, an executive at Bon Appétit, to be put on McDonald’s board.

Icahn became involved in the issue at the behest of his daughter, Michelle Icahn Nevin. He says he had expected the use of the crates to be banned altogether, not merely have sows moved from crates only after they are confirmed pregnant four to six weeks into their 16-week term.

Impossible target

McDonald’s said it would be “impossible” to meet Icahn’s request to end the practice immediately as it would go against “veterinary science” and “harm the company’s shared pursuit of providing customers with quality product at accessible prices.”

Icahn told Bloomberg TV last week that he was committed to taking action, despite McDonald’s explanation that outbreaks of swine disease and the Covid-19 pandemic delayed producers’ ability to meet its original timeline by two years.

“We’re not going to fool around with them anymore,” he said.

Cruelty

According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), gestation crates are “so restrictive that the pigs cannot turn around.” 

Pigs relegated to the stalls “suffer a number of significant welfare problems, including an elevated risk of urinary tract infections, weakened bones, overgrown hooves” and other issues, said a report published by HSUS.

“These crates cause lesions, cramps, muscle atrophy, pain and distress to the sows who cannot nurse their piglets and often suffer from bleeding gums caused by biting the bars in frustration and stress.”

a mother pig confined to a farrowing crate in a pig farm
Image credit: Adobe Stock

Gestation crates are banned in at least 10 states, including California, Colorado, and Florida.

The fast-food giant promised 10 years ago to end its suppliers’ crate practice and said Sunday that it expects to source 85 percent to 90 percent of its US pork from pigs not housed in “gestation stalls” during pregnancy by the end of this year.

Explorative animals

A 2005 study commissioned by the American Society of Swine Veterinarians asserted that “pigs are explorative by nature, and exploratory behavior is considered an important component of pig welfare”.

The conflict also highlights the limited and often slow progress that food producers have made in altering their supply chains.

McDonald’s says it sources only approximately one percent of US pork production and does not own any sows, or produce or package pork in the US.

“More than ever, our customers want to know how their food is produced and where it comes from,” the company posted on its Animal Health & Welfare page, adding that it is using its size and global reach “to improve animal health and welfare” and “source chicken, eggs, beef and pork from producers who share our commitments”.

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The Term ‘Vegan Leather’ Has Been Banned In Portugal https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/fashion/vegan-leather-ban/ https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/fashion/vegan-leather-ban/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2022 17:49:57 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=262528 The post The Term ‘Vegan Leather’ Has Been Banned In Portugal appeared first on Plant Based News.

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The Portuguese government has banned the term ‘vegan leather’. Now, any company that uses plant-based prefixes such as ‘vegan,’ ‘synthetic,’ or ‘pineapple’ on their products could face fines and prosecution. 

Consumer clarity has been touted as the main reason for the legislation. But with the vegan leather market projected to hit almost $90 billion by 2025, the enormous growth provides a problem for the Portuguese government, which is under pressure to protect the country’s leather industry. 

War of the words 

Portugal is not the first country to ban so-called ‘misleading’ terms. Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain have all made moves to initiate similar laws, with consumer clarity always cited as the primary motivation.

However, last year a new study busted the myth that consumers are confused by labels such as “meat’” and “milk’” on plant-based products.

Attempts to suppress the vegan market have not always been successful. In 2020, European farmers lost in their attempt to ban terms such as “veggie burger,” and last year an Australian senator failed to enforce a ban on meat-like terms used on vegan product packaging.

Traditional leather is bad for the environment

Conventional leather has come under heavy criticism in recent years for its detrimental environmental impact, not to mention the obvious animal welfare connotations. 

The Livestock sector is the world’s biggest user of agricultural land, primarily through grazing and the use of feed crops. As a result, real leather plays a significant role in climate change.

Many of the plant-based alternatives hitting the market are significantly more sustainable.

For example, a peer-reviewed life cycle assessment of Modern Meadow’s Bioleather1 material family found that Bioleather1 produces 80 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than bovine leather and 20 percent fewer than PU-based synthetic leather alternatives. 

Furthermore, The Environmental Profit & Loss tool developed in 2018 by Kering states that the impact of producing vegan-leather can be up to a third lower than traditional leather.

Recent years have seen a boom in manufacturers releasing more and more types of vegan leather as global demand surges. From utilizing floral waste in India to the fique plant in Colombia, the industry is not slowing down any time soon.

Vegan leather drawbacks? 

Despite vegan alternatives having a lower impact on the environment than the real thing, they also have some drawbacks, mainly when they include plastic. Leather-like materials often rely on fossil-fuel-derived synthetics that mimic the desired effects of animal leather. 

Plant-based materials are sometimes mixed with PU plastic which can end up in water or landfill. It takes many years to degrade and releases toxic chemicals into the environment. 

However, over the past few years, innovators have pioneered ways to make vegan leather without plastic, making it the most environmentally sound choice. 

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Beef Linked To Deforestation Considered For Trade Deal Between Australia And UK https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/beef-deforestation-uk-australia-trade-deal/ https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/beef-deforestation-uk-australia-trade-deal/#respond Tue, 21 Dec 2021 11:26:14 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=260019 The post Beef Linked To Deforestation Considered For Trade Deal Between Australia And UK appeared first on Plant Based News.

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Beef linked to deforestation could be on the cards in a new trade deal between Australia and the UK, according to an investigation.

As part of Brexit, beef products from Queensland, Australia’s largest beef producing state, could soon find their way overseas.

The area has been branded the nation’s “deforestation front” by WWF, with Australia being the only developed country to feature on the environmental organization’s global deforestation hotspots list.

Deforestation beef

This was revealed in satellite analysis over the past three years, according to Unearthed, the journalism network of Greenpeace.

The investigation highlighted an area of more than 13,500 hectares of deforestation among farms in the region. Here, the land is inhabited by a host of threatened species including koalas, flying foxes, and quolls.

One of the key beef producers in Queensland is the global meat giant JBS. Itself and other animal agriculture organizations have been dubbed to be involved in “substantial” forest clearing.

Shadow attorney-general Emily Thornberry branded Unearthed‘s findings “the most shocking and disgraceful discovery to date about the environmental impact of the proposed deal with Australia.”

It’s “a deal which will allow Australia’s agricultural mega-corporations to increase their beef exports to the UK by more than 6,000 percent in the first year before any tariffs kick in,” she added.

And, the potential trade deal will only allow such corporations to “increase their threat” to koalas and other endangered species, she fears.

UK-Australia Brexit trade deal

While no firm agreements have been made on a UK-Australia trade deal post Brexit, it is currently under negotiation.

The first stage was signed in June, which will allow Australia to send a certain amount of agricultural goods without tariffs.

But it’s already faced backlash from British farmers. For example, the president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), Minnette Batters, said it could cause a “slow, withering death of family farmers” in the UK, the BBC reports.

However, the UK government assured it is “committed” to clamping down on illegal deforestation.

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Israel Commits $4.8 Million To Educate Children About The Climate Crisis https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/israel-educate-children-climate-crisis/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/israel-educate-children-climate-crisis/#respond Thu, 09 Dec 2021 13:56:37 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=259429 The Middle Eastern country is reaching for carbon neutrality by 2050

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Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry has announced a sizable budget for a youth-focused climate crisis program.

According to The Times of Israel, the ministry is pumping NIS 15 million (US$4.8 million) into the program, which will “teach kids about the climate crisis” as well as “the need to fight against it.”

The ministry developed the initiative alongside the council of youth movements and the Education Ministry. 

The program will include training courses and activities, and will also see the appointment of a sustainability coordinator. Additionally, the project will help establish climate coalitions and encourage younger generations to make eco-friendly lifestyle changes. 

The initiative will kick off during the current school year.

Tackling climate breakdown 

Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection is Tamar Zandberg. She said the climate emergency is now one of the government’s top priorities “for the first time.”

She made the comments during the 2021 Climate Innovation Summit, which was held online in November. 

“The climate crisis has become a reality, and we must be realistic and speedy in dealing with it. The truth is, that in the post-COVID world, most countries will be focused on restarting their economies,” Zandberg said

“The question then is how to accelerate economic growth, international trade, and infrastructure development, while at the same time, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees and adapting to a world reshaped by climate change?”

As part of the climate drive, the Middle Eastern country has implemented new policies relating to waste, transportation, and energy. It’s also developing a carbon pricing system, whereby the financial cost of pollution will fall into the laps of the polluter, rather than the public. 

Zandberg assured that “… we can leverage our unique experience and expertise, and work together to accelerate sustainable economic growth, improve the health of our planet, and build a more peaceful and prosperous future.”

Last month, at COP26, the minister expressed confidence that Israel will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

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Finland’s Capital Moves Away From Meat At Its Events In Plant-Based Drive https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/helsinki-finland-meat-vegetarian/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/helsinki-finland-meat-vegetarian/#respond Tue, 09 Nov 2021 09:25:44 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257969 Helsinki City Council is working to make its menu more sustainable

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Finland’s capital, Helsinki, has announced it’s updating its catering menu to be more sustainable. 

From January 1, 2022, no meat, besides fish, will be served at Helsinki’s meetings, seminars, workshops, and public events.

Instead, attendees will be offered seasonal vegetarian food and/or “responsibly caught local fish,” the City of Helsinki’s website reads.

Further, cow’s milk will be replaced by oat milk for coffees, and Fair Trade products will be the focus. 

Expanding on this, the city will not use single-use water bottles, cutlery, or other disposable tableware at its events. It will also encourage attendees to avoid food waste. 

“This is one way, among others, to reduce the climate impact of food and reduce the amount of natural resources used by the city,” Johanna af Hällström, team manager of the city’s climate team, told Yle.

However, the new policy is open to deviation, according to Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen. 

“For example, should the king of Sweden arrive for a visit, then domestic game can be offered. Or some group for whom it would be natural to offer meat, then there must be discretion and common sense,” Vartiainen said to Finnish newspaper Iltalehti.

Aims to lower emissions

The updates align with a commitment made by the Helsinki City Council in 2019. Then, the council promised to halve meat and dairy consumption by 2025.

The announcement was part of the capital’s desire to cut emission output. 

Animal agriculture is a chief driver of climate breakdown, with livestock to blame for vast amounts of emissions, pollution, and land and water use. 

Finns’ consumption of animal products was once among the highest in the EU, according to councillor Atte Harjanne of the Green party. But the tide appears to be turning. According to the Finnish Natural Resources Institute, meat consumption in Finland has fallen for two consecutive years.

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COP26: 105 Countries Commit To Ending Deforestation By 2030 https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/global-leaders-deforestation-pledge/ https://plantbasednews.org/news/environment/global-leaders-deforestation-pledge/#respond Fri, 05 Nov 2021 11:28:28 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257852 The post COP26: 105 Countries Commit To Ending Deforestation By 2030 appeared first on Plant Based News.

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One hundred and five world leaders have signed a landmark global pledge to end deforestation by 2030. The momentous plan involves setting aside billions of dollars to stop slashing trees and reverse human-caused forest destruction.

This week, at the UN Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26), leaders signed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use.

Within it, they accept they must work ‘collectively’ to reverse land degradation and promote restoration.

And within the plans, agricultural companies are being pressed to limit their role in driving forest clearing. 

Ending deforestation

Among the countries committing to the plan include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Russia, Spain, the US, and the UK.

And, a staggering almost £9 billion of public money has been set aside in the package to support it.

Additionally, 10 companies with market shares in beef, soy, cocoa, and palm oil production have agreed they will help halt forest loss. However, the UN has not revealed exactly which companies this involves.

Upon announcing the news, the UK government revealed that 30 CEOs of companies connected to agricultural practices had agreed to eliminate investment in deforestation.

They will make their “best efforts to eliminate forest-risk agricultural commodity-driven deforestation activities” over the next five years.

COP26 pledge

In a statement, the UN said: “We intend to build on our shared efforts.

“Working with governments, farmers, and other key stakeholders in our supply chains, to accelerate sector-wide action and to identify opportunities for public-private collaboration to catalyze further progress on eliminating commodity-driven deforestation.”

The hope is that the commitment will help reach targets set in the Paris Agreement to keep the world from warming more than 1.5 degrees.

There has never been such a vital time to protect forests, but campaigners remain cautious.

With around 80 percent of global deforestation caused by agricultural production – largely as a source of animal feed – questions remain over what global leaders are doing to discourage meat and dairy consumption.

And despite it being made clear by the UN in 2019 that we can protect and restore our forests through dietary change, global policymakers have remained hushed on recommending plant-based diets.

Greenpeace USA stresses that many companies have made deforestation commitments in the past without ‘fruition’.

“Due to the lack of fulfillment of the Cattle Agreement and other factors, cattle remains a major threat to the forests and natural ecosystems”, the organization adds.

Meat industry

Speaking on the pledge, Dr. Justine Butler of vegan charity Viva! says we can’t meet the targets without changing what we eat.

In a statement sent to PBN, she added: “Animal agriculture contributes around one-fifth of all global-warming greenhouse gases.

“And, livestock farming lies at the heart of all the environmental problems we are facing; from the destruction of rainforests and the vandalizing of oceans to the pollution of the air we breathe. We are currently undergoing a sixth mass extinction, with no idea what the consequences will be.  

“Most people recognize the severity of the problem and the links with animal agriculture.

“However, the government’s continued refusal to name and shame animal agriculture as a major driver of climate change is jeopardizing our chances of meeting climate targets. We can achieve net-zero emissions but not without changing the way we eat.”

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BREAKING: New York City Welcomes 1st Ever Vegan Mayor Eric Adams https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/new-york-city-vegan-mayor-eric-adams/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/new-york-city-vegan-mayor-eric-adams/#comments Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:30:58 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257740 The post BREAKING: New York City Welcomes 1st Ever Vegan Mayor Eric Adams appeared first on Plant Based News.

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For the first time ever, New York City has welcomed a vegan mayor. Today, former police officer Eric Adams won the race and in doing so also became the city’s second Black mayor.

Eric Adams

Adams defeated Democrat Curtis Sliwa with a 66 percent lead in the election which took place on Tuesday.

From January, the 61-year-old will take over the position with the key message of ensuring public safety following the fallout of COVID-19.

The plant-based politician announced his candidacy last year, where he deplored the ‘dysfunctional government’ for mishandling COVID-19 and causing swathes of New Yorkers to get sick as a result.

At the time, he proclaimed: “We need action and we need it now. The promise of New York has always been that any New Yorker can be who they were meant to be. 

“When we unleash the potential of New Yorkers by allowing them to thrive, there is no pandemic, no recession, no division that we cannot overcome.”

One of his pledges is to halt government inefficiency, and in his acceptance speech, he made it clear he was on the side of the people: “Tonight, New Yorkers have chosen one of their own. I am you.”

Vegan mayor

Adams was long dubbed to beat Sliwa in voting predictions. And, his victory follows promises to ‘reverse inequality’ – that he made on the launch of his campaign.

The former police captain was previously the Borough President of Brooklyn, a position he used to ban processed meat from schools in 2019. And he’s been an advocate for nutrition since veganism helped him improve his health. 

The lifestyle change even helped restore his sight after he woke up with severe vision loss five years ago. Moreover, he overcame Type 2 diabetes after ditching meat and dairy and discovered that ‘food can be medicine’.

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Israeli Government Backs Cell-Cultured Meat To Fight Climate Crisis https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/israeli-government-cell-cultured-meat-climate-crisis/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/israeli-government-cell-cultured-meat-climate-crisis/#respond Fri, 29 Oct 2021 12:09:30 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257527 The post Israeli Government Backs Cell-Cultured Meat To Fight Climate Crisis appeared first on Plant Based News.

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Israeli president Isaaz Herzog and government ministers in his cabinet are championing cell-cultured meat. Namely, its power in the fight against the climate crisis, and the importance of better funding the industry.

Israeli government celebrates alt protein

President Hertzog announced the government ‘officially’ embraces alternative protein as part of its National Climate Strategy.

This comes ahead of COP26, the UN summit which gathers global leaders in Glasgow to agree a fighting plan against climate breakdown.

Hertzog tasted Future Meat‘s cultivated meat products at a reception in Jerusalem this week.

Here, environmental and energy ministers Tamar Zandberg and Karine Elharrar joined him – alongside plant-based companies including Zero Egg and InnovoPro.

In a statement, Hertzog announced: “It is imperative that we take advantage of the international stage in Glasgow to present the extensive Israeli climate tech and solutions we can offer globally in climate innovation and development of alternatives to animal protein. 

“We certainly have much to be proud of.”

President Hertzog commended the alternative protein (Credit:  Amos Ben Gershom)

He claimed that he’s ‘the first’ president to try the delicacy – dubbed by many to be the answer to ending factory farming. ‘It was amazingly delicious’, he said on Facebook.

Is cell-cultured meat the solution?

Minister of environmental protection, Tamar Zandberg stressed the importance of ‘finding solutions’ especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zandberg added: “I ate chicken for the first time in seven years, it was cultivated chicken. This technology will not only change Israel but will contribute to the whole world.”

The Good Food Institute welcomed the politicians’ comments. 

Managing director Nir Goldstein told PBN: “It is not a coincidence that food tech and alternative protein are at the forefront of the Israeli delegation to Glasgow… This Israeli technology is a strategic asset to our country in this era of climate crisis.”

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Animal Rebellion Swarm Up Government Building In COP26 Protest https://plantbasednews.org/culture/ethics/animal-rebellion-government-cop26-protest/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/ethics/animal-rebellion-government-cop26-protest/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:58:36 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257327 The post Animal Rebellion Swarm Up Government Building In COP26 Protest appeared first on Plant Based News.

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Campaigners with the animal justice group, Anima Rebellion, have scaled a government building ahead of COP26

They call for a ‘plant-based future’ – and demand the UK government stop subsidizing meat and dairy.

Animal Rebellion protest UK government

Four protestors climbed the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) building in Westminster, London, this morning. 

Here, they unveiled a sign reading: “COP26: Invest In A Plant-Based Future.”

A police cordon, fire engines, and an ambulance are on the scene.

Animal Rebellion, which is a sister organization of Extinction Rebellion, says it intends to remain on the building until its demands are met.

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, must cut all taxpayer support for animal agriculture – and encourage other world leaders to do the same, they order.

‘Defunding meat’ before COP26

In just five days, leaders and policymakers will gather at the UN Climate Change Conference 2021, aka COP26, to make decisions on how best to tackle the climate emergency.

This offers a mammoth opportunity for the UK, who are playing host this year, to instill monumental change.

Despite this, Animal Rebellion spokesperson Nathan McGovern accuses the government of being hypocritical.

In a statement sent to PBN, McGovern said: “The UK Government is simultaneously saying that it is a world leader in climate change whilst propping up the unsustainable and unprofitable meat and dairy industry, one that emits disproportionate amounts of greenhouse gases.

“…We need to defund meat and subsidize plant-based alternatives instead.”

UK government’s meat consumption targets

The calls also follow the rollout of the National Food Strategy. This report is created to improve health and protect the environment. 

And this year, it set out recommendations for meat intake to be reduced by 30 percent. ‘Our current appetite for meat is unsustainable’, it reads.

Welcomed by many, Animal Rebellion included, the report marked a positive step in highlighting the benefits of plant-based diets. 

However, Britain’s meat industry remains heavily reliant on the pockets of the public. Under EU Agricultural Policy, UK farmers received around £3.5 billion in payments every year.

While this is set to change following Brexit, in 2020 alone, £3 billion was set aside to fund the farming community.

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Boris Johnson Pressed On ‘Glaring Omission’ Over Meat Consumption In Net-Zero Plans https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/boris-johnson-plant-based-net-zero/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/boris-johnson-plant-based-net-zero/#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2021 16:07:40 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257235 The post Boris Johnson Pressed On ‘Glaring Omission’ Over Meat Consumption In Net-Zero Plans appeared first on Plant Based News.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being pressed for ‘deliberately’ not mentioning animal agriculture and meat consumption in a vital environmental policy.

Despite urgent calls for the PM to encourage slashing meat intake by half, there’s a ‘glaring omission’ in the Net-Zero Strategy: and The Vegetarian Society is not happy about it.

Boris Johnson slammed for Net-Zero Strategy

Boris Johnson set out the long-awaited Net-Zero Strategy earlier this week. In essence, it’s a caucus of plans to help the country reach net-zero carbon emissions.

And the 368-page report will place the UK as the world leader in the ‘race’ to hitting the target, according to Johnson.

But the politician was called out for leaving out any recommendations to reduce meat intake, in order to help reduce the emissions.

And as a result, The Vegetarian Society reacted. The organization penned a letter to the PM ‘seeking to understand why the issue of diet and animal agriculture appears to have been deliberately omitted’.

Why was meat reduction not mentioned?

Chief executive Richard McIlwain told PBN: “Given that 15 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions come from animal agriculture

“And, that the government’s own National Food Strategy suggests a 30 percent reduction in meat consumption by 2030 in order to hit climate targets, it is difficult to understand why this issue has not been made a central plank of the strategy.”

In such a ‘critical’ decade in the fight to mitigate the climate emergency, reducing meat intake must be a part of the strategy, McIlwain warns.

He added: “Choosing more plant-based meals over meat is one of the quickest and easiest ways anyone can reduce their carbon footprint. And, collectively as a nation that would create a huge impact.”

You can read the full strategy here

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EU Welcomes Sustainable Food System Strategy Despite Meat Industry Kickback https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/eu-sustainable-food-strategy-meat-industry/ https://plantbasednews.org/culture/politics/eu-sustainable-food-strategy-meat-industry/#comments Thu, 21 Oct 2021 12:34:46 +0000 https://plantbasednews.org/?p=257169 The post EU Welcomes Sustainable Food System Strategy Despite Meat Industry Kickback appeared first on Plant Based News.

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MEPs within the European Parliament have voted in favor of a green deal aimed at creating a more sustainable and eco-friendly food system. The Farm to Fork Strategy was adopted this week, despite receiving kickback from the meat industry.

MEPs endorse sustainable food plans

The food strategy encourages healthy eating ‘at every step of the supply chain’ – with particular nods to shifts to plant-based.

Orders inside it include new nutrition labels and setting recommended consumption restrictions for foods containing high salt, sugar, and fat contents. This is to address the ‘overconsumption’ of meat, the European Parliament said in a statement. 

Moreover, animal welfare standards are set to be reviewed, following the banning of cages in the farming system already in motion.

Other resolutions in the plan include protecting biodiversity and reducing pesticides among ‘ambitious’ emission targets. Votes in favor totaled 452, with 170 against and 70 abstentions.

Following the vote, Netherlands MEP Anja Hazekamp said: “Current EU policies are driving environmentally harmful farming models and paving the way for imports of unsustainable products. 

“We propose concrete measures to bring our food system back within planetary boundaries by stimulating local food production and by moving away from intensive livestock farming and crop monocultures with high pesticide use.

“A sustainable food system is also crucial for the future of farmers.”

Farm to Fork Strategy

Jasmijn De Boo, of ProVeg International, also sang the policy’s praises. And, said the policy stresses the importance of producing healthy food as a way to realizing climate and public health goals.

In particular, ‘moving away from intensive livestock farming and towards more plant-based foods’.

She added: “A sustainable food system is crucial for Europe, its farmers, and its citizens.”

Now, legislative proposals will be set with a view to delivering the plan by 2030.

Meat industry fights back

Ahead of the adoption, meat lobbiers Copa-Cogeca tried to push the vote back.

This was revealed in leaked documents that revealed a staggering €1.7 million on influencing politicians.

But the meat industry group maintained it ‘fully supports’ the Farm to Fork food strategy. This is despite it urging more reports be included to create a ‘richer debate’.

It was later accused of ‘waging a campaign’ against the strategy.

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