‘Highly probable’ that meat will be taxed internationally
Experts in farm investment predict that it is ‘highly probable’ that meat will go the same way as tobacco, carbon and sugar. The Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) Initiative believe that it won’t be long until governments across the world will decide to put a levy on meat.
Currently over 180 countries tax tobacco, 60 tax carbon and 25 have a sugar tax. Meat taxes are already being considered in Denmark, Sweden, China and Germany although no proposals have advanced into legislation.
In a paper entitled ‘The Livestock Levy: Are regulators considering meat taxes’ the FAIRR initiative writes:
“The pathway to taxation typically starts when there is global consensus that an activity or product harms society. This leads to an assessment of their financial costs to the public, which in turn results in support for some form of additional taxation. Taxes on tobacco, carbon and sugar have followed this playbook.”
In 2015 the World Health Organization cancer research agency IARC classified meat as a carcinogen. Belgium has rearranged its healthy eating plate with meat being classed in the same category as chocolate and sweets. The UK’s Eatwell Guide prioritises eating proteins from pulses and beans over meat.
The FAIRR Initiative was established to provide knowledge to investors about the risks of poor animal welfare in intensive livestock farming.
Published 16 Dec 2017
Ethical Eats: Ethical Eats ran a network of London restaurants and catering businesses that care about sustainability.
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