Defend our health, fight Big Meat
To the European Parliament, European Commission and Council of the European Union
Petition
We call on the EU to:
- Put a healthy and sustainable food system back on the agenda, one that puts citizens and small farmers at the centre of reform,
- Protect the health of European communities by setting reduction targets and action plans for pollutants, like methane, and move away from industrial agriculture,
- Ensure taxpayer money is funding the right actions in the food system, such as emissions reduction and a shift to healthier diets, through the reform of the CAP,
- People’s needs and health must be prioritised over company profits. Polluter pays and pollution prevention principles must be implemented.
Why is this important?
Big Meat & Dairy companies keep pushing us to overconsume processed meat and cheese, putting at risk not only our health but also damaging our environment, through outsized methane emissions and pollution. [1]
A new report from the Changing Markets Foundation shows how the powerful meat and dairy industry derailed food and farming legislation intended to protect your local environment, health and mitigate climate change. The report, The New Merchants of Doubt, reveals the dirty tricks Big Meat and Dairy use: from direct lobbying of Commissioners, fearmongering and intimidation, and hiding behind other crises like the war in Ukraine to stop any climate action.
They’re using the same tactics as Big Oil to get us hooked on unhealthy diets and keep making gigantic profits. [2]
With a new Parliament in Brussels, we know that food and farming will be issues high on the EU agenda. Political parties will try to position themselves as the party of farmers, good food and defenders of rural communities. As the new Commission assumes office, we must call on MEPs and Commissioners to uphold and prioritise policies that protect your health and the health of the planet.
The recent Strategic Dialogue between green NGOs, farmers’ unions, consumer groups, and industry actors, agreed “business as usual is not an option”.
This is where we come in. MEPs are our elected representatives, they represent us. While preparing themselves to talk about our food, they listen to interest groups like Big Meat & Dairy, but they also need to listen to people from this community like you.
Together, let’s counter the pressure MEPs are facing from Big Meat & Dairy with a massive show of people power. Sign the petition now!
References:
[1] Europeans eat much more meat and dairy than the recommended healthy levels, which increases our risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and premature death. And the livestock sector is responsible for 20 percent of all global greenhouse emissions and about a third of all methane emissions. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Truth-lies-and-culture-wars-final.pdf
In partnership with:
