OPEN LETTER: 50 Presidents urged to introduce or raise taxes on meat and dairy in their countries ahead of climate event

Lower levels of animal protein consumption will not only improve national public health, thus reduce health costs, but will simultaneously reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity.

VEGAN MAGAZINE: ProVeg International is one of more than 80 organizations who have co-signed an open letter urging the 50 countries that eat the most meat to raise prices for meat and dairy and reduce prices for fruit and vegetables.

The open letter has been co-signed by organizations representing over 5,000 companies, investors, banks, farmers, and youth and food organizations in 100 countries, as well as by NGOs working on issues around animal welfare, climate, environment, nature, and public health.

The letter will be presented to world leaders at the United Nations Food Systems Summit in New York on 23 September, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26) in Glasgow in November. The letter follows in the wake of the IPCC’s recent report describing the climate crisis as a “code red” alert.

The campaign, launched by the True Animal Protein Price Coalition (TAPP), calls upon country leaders to introduce or raise taxes on meat and dairy in order to reduce consumption, thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). SOURCE…

Here is the Open Letter from the Carbon Pricing Food Coalition:

To: 50 Presidents and their Ministers of Finance, Climate, Agriculture of 50 UN Member States with highest meat consumption per capita

Mr / Mrs President NAME,

We are the Carbon Pricing for Food Coalition, a group of (number) companies, non-profit organisations and UN nations, working across geographies (number of countries). We are writing to you about your ambitious support to the Paris Climate Agreement and how you can improve your national determined contributions, by applying carbon pricing on food. We suggest to start with meat and dairy and reduce taxes on healthy food. Lower levels of animal protein consumption will not only improve national public health, thus reduce health costs, but will simultaneously reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity. If global meat and dairy consumption were to expand to higher levels per capita (business as usual) it will become impossible to keep global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. Meat and dairy production accounts for at least 14.5% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is projected to account for up to 81% of the 1.5°C emissions budget by 2050 if consumption continues unabated.

We call on 50 Member States (35 OECD and 15 other countries) engaged in the UN Food Systems Summit, CBD Biodiversity Conference and Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021, to

1) publicly announce carbon pricing of meat and dairy or starting feasibility studies. In this way, a healthy and sustainable food system can be realised, delivering nutritious food for all within Paris Climate targets, planetary boundaries and dietary guidelines.

2) use revenues of higher meat/dairy prices (taxes) to compensate low income groups: e.g. by reducing taxes for low carbon food (vegetables, fruits, vegan meals) and by compensating farmers: subsidies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, other emissions or livestock.

In your country, meat consumption levels are above (inter)national dietary health guidelines and exceeding the guidelines for food consumption that takes into account planetary boundaries: the EAT Lancet Commission advised a maximum consumption of 300 gram per week, summing up to 16 kg meat/capita/year[1]. Meat consumption per capita in your country is … kg per year. Countries with a meat consumption level above health guidelines should take the lead in reducing meat consumption. Reducing consumption of meat and dairy per capita in the 50 countries that have the highest meat consumption levels per capita, has become imperative for human and planetary health. We have already informed your Ministers of Climate, Agriculture and Finance. Please accept our proposal to consider or announce carbon pricing of meat/dairy, and reduce prices for healthy food. We propose to make your announcement before the UN Summit for Food, Biodiversity or Climate.

Thank you very much for your reply to us, Mr/Mrs. President,

With kind regards, on behalf of signatories (see attachment 2 with names and logo’s organisations),

Prof. Pier Vellinga                                                ir. Jeroom Remmers

Chair True Animal Protein Price Coalition    Director True Animal Protein Price Coalition

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