December 1, 2023

US beef producers challenge UN's call to reduce meat consumption

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, an association of major beef producers in the United States, is pushing back against the United Nations' guidance that urges Americans to cut down on their meat consumption, WPDE-TV reported.

Expected to be announced at the upcoming COP28 summit in December, the guidance from the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will target wealthier nations like the US and Australia, urging them to reduce their "overconsumption" of meat. In contrast, developing nations will be advised to increase meat production to address nutritional deficiencies.

Hunter Ihrman, a spokesperson for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, warned that such a recommendation might negatively impact consumers by driving up the prices of alternative food options that compete with meat.

Ihrman said that solutions aiming to reduce meat consumption are misguided and may limit consumer choice while raising food prices.

He argued that a reduction of high-quality animal protein would disproportionately impact consumers who can ill-afford to pay more and are ultimately at the highest risk of malnutrition.

He highlighted that beef cattle are responsible for only 2% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, and US beef cattle emissions account for less than 0.5% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

In August, a study revealed that almost half of US emissions come from the wealthiest 10% of households. Researchers proposed a "carbon tax" on these households as a potential measure to address the issue.

-      WPDE-TV