Major political parties are being urged to include veganism at the centre of food and farming policies after declaring a national climate emergency.
The Vegan Society is imploring politicians to “translate this announcement into action” by adopting policies that encourage plant-based diets, offer vegan food in public sector canteens and support farmers in moving away from farming animals.
Formal letters signed by the charity’s chief executive have been sent to the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, UK Parliament, the Scottish National Party and the Welsh Government.
They state that increased knowledge and uptake of plant-based foods are required not only for climate change mitigation but for public health too as it can relieve pressure on the NHS.
The charity also highlights that achieving net zero emissions is only possible via a shift towards plant-based diets as the production of meat, dairy and eggs generates much higher levels of emissions.
UN scientists recently reported how a million species are at risk of extinction and one of the most important changes humans can make to protect their own fate too is to avoid meat.
George Gill, chief executive at The Vegan Society, said: “It is widely recognised that eating animal products has a huge environmental impact, yet this is not at all incorporated into policy.
“Animal agriculture has not taken its share of emissions and it’s becoming increasingly clear that we will not be able to meet the Paris Agreement unless we make a national shift towards plant-based diets.
“We are calling on political parties to act upon their promise and take a bold step to overcome the climate emergency by implementing policies encouraging truly sustainable, plant-based diets.”
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