Clicky

/

The oversized influence of meat and dairy industry undermining climate action

Dr Shireen Kassam is a Consultant Haematologist at King’s College Hospital, Visiting-Professor at University of Winchester, Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician and Founder/Director of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK. She is on X @shireenkassam1

Dr Christelle Blunden is a GP in Southampton and a member of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK.

Dr Matthew Lee is a resident doctor and volunteers as Sustainability Lead for Doctors Association UK. He is on X @Mattylee96

Professor Amir Kassam is Visiting Professor in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, and the Moderator of the Global Conservation Agriculture Community of Practice (CA-CoP) Platform. He is on X @AmirKassam1

The scientific consensus is clear: to achieve our climate and nature goals, we must swiftly transition away from animal agriculture and embrace a plant-based food system supported by sustainable crop production management. The global food system is responsible for more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, with red meat and dairy production contributing to over half of these emissions. Additionally, animal agriculture is a major driver of land degradation, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and  pollution of water and oceans, all while using vast amounts of land and water. This has left the UK as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

to achieve our climate and nature goals, we must swiftly transition away from animal agriculture and embrace a plant-based food system supported by sustainable crop production management

To counter this destructive trend, widespread adoption of whole food plant-based diets supported by sustainable crop production, whilst minimising the consumption of animal products is crucial. This approach is inclusive of all cultural and traditional dietary practices, offers delicious options, and confers human and planetary health benefits.

For years, the UK has inaccurately perpetuated the notion that British farming is among the most sustainable globally. A staggering 85% of UK farmland is dedicated to raising animals for food, yet it only provides 32% of the nation’s calories. Much of this land is used to graze cows and sheep, with 40% of cropped farmland allocated to growing animal feed rather than crops for human consumption. This has led to animal products being amongst the UK’s main export commodities.

Moreover, 70% of the UK’s total food-related emissions come from red meat and dairy production and methane emissions from cows alone threaten our ability to limit global warming to safe levels. Studies clearly show that carbon sequestration in grasslands cannot offset the climate impact caused by grazing animals.

Only 15% of UK farmland is used to grow crops directly for human consumption while the majority of the nation’s fruits and vegetables as well as grain legumes and nuts are imported.

The UK also imports large quantities of soya as animal feed, contributing to global deforestation. Only 15% of UK farmland is used to grow crops directly for human consumption while the majority of the nation’s fruits and vegetables as well as grain legumes and nuts are imported.

From a public health perspective, excessive consumption of red meat and dairy is also linked to 42,000 deaths annually in the UK. Conversely, 70,000 deaths in the UK in 2020 were associated with insufficient intake of nutritious plant-based foods. We therefore have an opportunity to improve public health and reclaim much of our farmland for nature, environmental societal services, and carbon sequestration by drastically reducing animal farming, particularly the production and consumption of red meat and dairy. Adopting sustainable and regenerative crop production systems, in particular no-till Conservation Agriculture, is a valuable approach for this transition.

So why do animal agriculture industry groups continue to promote meat and dairy consumption, often with government backing? In the UK, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), a levy board established by the David Cameron government and sponsored by DEFRA, continues to mislead the public with campaigns like “Let’s Eat Balanced,” which promote red meat and dairy consumption at a cost of millions. An investigation by Open Democracy revealed that the £4.6 million campaign in January 2024 was approved by a serving minister, despite recommendations from the Climate Change Committee to reduce meat consumption. The investigation uncovered the AHDB privately acknowledged the health risks of red meat but publicly claimed their campaign is “proudly built on the foundation of the NHS Eatwell Guide.” This is misleading, as the campaign’s website includes ‘healthy recipes’ like Moroccan-style kebabs with 110g of lamb per person—well above the 70g daily limit recommended by the Eatwell Guide, with no disclaimer that such meals should not be consumed daily.

Medical organisations representing over a million healthcare professionals have urged the AHDB to drop this campaign, but their concerns have gone unanswered. The AHDB also continues to promote and support the inefficient tillage-based crop production which uses excessive amounts of agrochemicals and  degrades the land causing soil erosion, runoff, flooding and environmental pollution. Red meat consumption is still promoted in schools through initiatives like the Meat Voucher Scheme from Quality Meat Scotland, which claims to ‘support the Scottish red meat sector’s efficiency, sustainability, and profitability’. The UK government also supports the provision of milk from cows, goats, and sheep in schools, yet there is a glaring lack of support for plant-based milk alternatives, despite their health benefits, environmental advantages, and suitability for those with lactose intolerance.

The food industry is using tactics that have been successfully employed by the tobacco and fossil fuel industries for decades. This is well-documented in the report “The New Merchants of Doubt: Big Meat and Dairy’s Corporate Playbook to Distract, Delay, and Derail Climate Action” by Changing Markets.

Health professionals remain complicit. Nutrition organisations receive sponsorship money from industry groups such as the AHDB. Doctors and nutrition professionals act as spokespeople for meat and dairy industry groups including the AHDB, School and Nursery Milk Alliance and Devenish. Scientists, with financial ties to the meat and dairy industry, have teamed up to propagate misinformation in The Dublin Declaration which has been exposed as industry propaganda. The UK Government’s own nutrition advisors receive funding from food companies.

Our banks are complicit too, providing billions of pounds in financing to large meat and dairy corporations in the UK and globally. A report by Feedback, titled “Bankrolling the Butchers,” found that the “Big Six” banks—Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds, NatWest, and Standard Chartered—not only provided $77 billion in funding but also held nearly $1.2 billion in shareholdings in 55 meat and dairy companies as of March 2023.

…there is little outcry over the sponsorship and promotion of meat and dairy, despite the evidence-based environmental and public health concerns.

The BMJ has called for an end to tobacco industry sponsorship of continuing medical education and is vocal against healthcare sponsorship by formula milk companies. Health experts call for an end to Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the Olympic games. Yet, there is little outcry over the sponsorship and promotion of meat and dairy, despite the evidence-based environmental and public health concerns.

Despite claims that British farming upholds the highest animal welfare and environmental standards, the number of “mega farms” and industrial animal production units in the UK continues to rise, including the confinement of cows, as revealed by a BBC freedom of information request. Intensifying animal farming may reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to animals that graze freely, but it creates numerous other health and environmental problems. Confining animals in crowded spaces fosters the spread of diseases, increasing the risk of zoonoses and future pandemics.The widespread use of antibiotics in factory farming contributes significantly to antibiotic resistance in animals and humans. Waste from these farms pollutes our land, ground and surface water, air, and waterways, with around a third of particulate matter air pollution in UK cities originating from farming, mainly animal agriculture. The expansion of intensive chicken farming has also led to catastrophic pollution of the River Wye in Wales and manure from UK dairy farms continues to pollute our rivers.

Why does climate activism among healthcare professionals largely focus on fossil fuel emissions? Addressing the destructive impact of food and farming on the environment could have far-reaching health benefits and align with the One Health approach to healthcare. Like fossil fuel emissions, the science is clear: we don’t need more academic research, we need more action to promote the adoption of solutions that we know work. We must stop falling into the traps set by the meat and dairy industry, and farm machinery and agrochemical industry, to derail progress.

Meat is not necessary for protein, and dairy is not required for calcium

Plant-based diets, when composed of healthy whole foods, produced through low input, high output regenerative no-till Conservation Agriculture, offer numerous health benefits as well as a range of productivity, economic and environmental benefits to farmers. Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are healthier and more environmentally sustainable than their animal-based counterparts. Meat is not necessary for protein, and dairy is not required for calcium. No-till Conservation Agriculture, unlike the conventional tillage agriculture, is more sustainable and profitable with lower carbon emission and greater carbon sequestration in the soil.

Farmers are on the front line of the climate crisis, and are already suffering catastrophic crop failures in the UK because of climatic changes. They are essential to climate mitigation and nature restoration, but need to be supported by their representative organisations and Government to transition to more sustainable practices. Healthcare professionals must be leading allies to farmers and push institutions to support this necessary dietary shift, so we can ensure a safe and liveable future for us all. 

How can health professionals take action and show leadership?

  • Promote whole food plant-based diets and animal-free no-till Conservation Agriculture in food systems as central elements of climate action.
  • Move your individual and institutional money away from banks that finance meat and dairy production.
  • Use your voice and trusted status with local and national governments to advocate for action for support to:

(a) align national policies and institutions on land use, environment and food system to meet human nutrition and health needs from plant-based diets and no-till Conservation Agriculture.

(b) help farmers transition away from animal agriculture and tillage agriculture to increase sustainable supplies of domestically produced fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, and environmental services to society.

  • Medical, nutrition, and healthcare organisations should reject sponsorship from animal farming industry groups.
  • Health professionals should avoid working directly for industry groups that are tied to destructive industries.
  • Oppose the promotion of meat and dairy, and of tillage agriculture in schools and Universities, and strengthen education and research for plant-based sustainable food and land use management systems.
  • Sign the Plant Based Treaty
  • Support Plants First Healthcare, an initiative aimed at normalising plant-based meals as the default option in healthcare.

Declaration of interest: Dr Shireen Kassam is founder and director of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK

 Featured photo by Veronica White on Unsplash

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

55 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Annie Mitchell
Annie Mitchell
22 days ago

Important topic; good to see fellow health professionals engaging in reasoned evidence based discussion of public health and climate and environmental concerns with clear implications for action

Didem Varol
22 days ago

An essential read for all health professionals. We need to change the narrative on meat and dairy and implement the actions suggested in this article.

Dr Aryan Tavakkoli
Dr Aryan Tavakkoli
22 days ago

Thank you for putting a spotlight on the ‘elephant in the room.’ It’s time for doctors and other healthcare professionals to stop being complicit in the widely destructive effects of animal agriculture and to instead promote wholefood plant-based nutrition for its diverse benefits for both health and climate.

Carole
Carole
22 days ago

What a brilliant article, the best I have read as provides solutions as well as clearly stating the problems.

Dr Rebecca Jones
22 days ago

It’s brilliant to see this featuring in healthcare publications. This has been ignored by health professionals for far too long. We need to be supported in making the necessary changes to what we advise in General Practice.

Dr Liz Read
Dr Liz Read
22 days ago

Good to see these issue being addressed, with solutions. Health care professionals should become more aware of this and help with solutions rather than ignoring. Thanks for the inspiring article.

Lizzie Sanchez RD
22 days ago

What a brilliant thorough review of the food problems we’re facing in this country and practical ways to solve them. We all need to do what we can to support a plant based eating by default system. Thanks so much for putting this information together so clearly.

Kate
Kate
22 days ago

Such an important topic to highlight, and one that is regularly overlooked.

Hayley Tait
Hayley Tait
22 days ago

Brilliant read with solution focused step by step approach to reduce animal exploitation and heal people and planet. An essential read for all HCPs promoting preventative medicine and healthy lifestyle. Now the government needs to make healthy food affordable and accessible to all.

Rajiv Bajekal
Rajiv Bajekal
22 days ago

A comprehensive analysis of the role of big business and lobbying in our food environment. As health professionals we should have a much bigger say in these issues that ultimately have a huge influence in the health of our country. Kudos to the authors for not just highlighting the problems but giving us solutions.

Daisy Lund
Daisy Lund
22 days ago

I had this as a learning need on my PDP list for my next appraisal so thank you for such a well timed article

Christopher Davenport
Christopher Davenport
22 days ago

The evidence is overwhelming in this article with the urgency to move towards a plant-based food system for animal welfare, human and planetary health.

Rosslyn Watret
Rosslyn Watret
22 days ago

Important topic that all doctors need to incorporate into their practice. Animal agriculture is detrimental to human health on multiple levels. Driving NCD, zoonosis, antibiotic resistance, major climate events, food insecurity, water insecurity, and mental health issues in places of agriculture/slaughterhouses. Keep up the great work PBHP.

Manmit Kaur
Manmit Kaur
22 days ago

As doctors, it is imperative that we think about the bigger picture of planetary health and sustainability of our food choices. This informative review has detailed the current situation in the UK and I hope our primary care colleagues take note. As clinicians we have a responsibility to encourage positive lifestyle choices. I hope this article will help influence clinicians to recommend a whole foods plant based dietary pattern for improved patient and planetary health.

Karen Lee
Karen Lee
22 days ago

A thought provoking article with an important call to action for all who work in health. The list of steps to take are particularly helpful as it can be hard to know where to start

Dr Clare Palmer
Dr Clare Palmer
22 days ago

I hope my colleagues are reading this. So many sensible discussion points yet still so difficult to prioritise plant based milks and foods in the GP workplace. We need these values as GPs to do the best for our patients and the planet!

Honey Smith
Honey Smith
22 days ago

Thanks for raising this really important topic. Working with our hospitals to follow Greener By Default menus would have a massive impact on healthcare related emissions.

Dr Rajesh Krishnamoorthy
Dr Rajesh Krishnamoorthy
22 days ago

Thank you for this well written evidence based article. The industry lobbying is very powerful and highlighting these important points are crucial for transition towards plant based food systems. Anyone with leadership roles in healthcare reading this article would be able to create an impact immensely from the information provided and by supporting the ‘Plant first health care’ initiative mentioned above to implement the changes for the greater good.

Surabhika Lunawat
Surabhika Lunawat
22 days ago

Brilliant article, so glad to see this very important topic being discussed in a healthcare publication, especially primary care. It’s high time for those of us especially in primary care to move away from advocating for meat and dairy. Thank you for your work.

Soili Kasanen
22 days ago

You can only imagine the influence of dairy industry here in Finland where dairy is consumed most in the world because of aggressive marketing from cradel to grave. We lead T1D morbidity, but officials do ignore the strong dose dependent link between dairy consumption and T1 diabetes. Also osteporosis is utterly common here, not to mention the NAFLD epidemic in this cheasy and meaty country, where 3/4 citizens are deficient of fiber.

Katrina Webster
Katrina Webster
22 days ago

An essential and very timely article laying out the glaring truth we need to face up to as a society about how our dietary choices impact the climate. Despite claims that people won’t need to change their individual lifestyles in order to impact carbon emissions this clearly shows how we, as individuals and health professionals, can make a difference by choosing whole food plant based diets to improve both planetary and human health.

Last edited 22 days ago by Katrina Webster
Dr. Loredana Vasicuro
Dr. Loredana Vasicuro
22 days ago

As doctors and healthcare professionals, we have the duty of care and transparency towards our patients. There is overwhelming evidence that a whole foods plant-based diet can prevent and reverse many lifestyle-related illnesses. It seems to go against our ethical duty not to convey this to our patients, whilst we strive to implement the best care possible. There is no doubt that the meat and dairy industry is having a detrimental impact not only on humans’ wellbeing but also on animal welfare and the survival of our planet. This article highlights the urgency to change this attitude of lack of transparency towards our patients, of denial of what is happening to our planet and the consequences that this will have on future generations. Shifting towards a whole foods plant-based diet is the only way forward.

Carmen East
22 days ago

What an interesting article, it would be great if all doctors were made aware of this information

Bill Wilby
Bill Wilby
22 days ago

Such a shame that corporations all put profit over health, ethics and environment, and that our system gives power to industry-funded lobbying groups. The article highlights sensible steps that should be taken to actually make some progress for positive change.

Dr Ishani Rao
Dr Ishani Rao
22 days ago

What a brilliant article. Thank you all for covering this vital topic! We can all make huge positive changes as healthcare professionals but also in our own lives to transitioning to plant-based food systems. A lot of great information here to share with colleagues that may need encouragement. Animal agriculture impacts our patients, the animals, the environment, and marginalised communities, and is a matter of public and global health.

Dr Emma Radcliffe
Dr Emma Radcliffe
22 days ago

Really useful article. Thank you very much. The way forward is clear

Ane Lund Ringen
Ane Lund Ringen
21 days ago

Great article. Thanks for highlighting such an important topic.

Dr Catherine Didsbury
Dr Catherine Didsbury
21 days ago

How refreshing to see a clear argument published in a medical journal for the adoption and promotion of a whole foods plant based diet for the climate (far too often overlooked, or discussions avoided) and for our health. I hope this reaches a wide audience.

Sarah Benn
Sarah Benn
21 days ago

”Health professionals remain complicit” -what a telling phrase. Whether it is through a limited awareness of the damaging effects of meat and dairy consumption on planetary and individual health, or a disinclination to speak out against the status quo for fear of being accused of wokery or telling people what to do, health professionals need to step up and use their trusted voices in this area. This article is a clear and evidence based pointer as to why and how they might achieve this.

Shiva S
Shiva S
21 days ago

Insightful read, never thought of meat that way before.

Nicola Johnson
Nicola Johnson
21 days ago

What a great article on such an important topic, I will be sharing with my colleagues.

Cary Clark
Cary Clark
21 days ago

I am sending this article to family, friends, colleagues and very importantly to my GP and other doctors from whom I and family receive care (including my dentist!). The authors have produced a readable, informative and ‘digestable’ article for lay people and medical community. Thank you. Waiting for more.

Dr Laila Kassam
Dr Laila Kassam
21 days ago

Excellent article explaining and connecting some of the most important issues of our time. Mainstreaming sustainable diets based on sustainable agriculture is essential to individual and planetary health and addressing the multiple interconnected crises we are facing. The influence of the meat and dairy industry in hindering progress on this must be challenged from all sides. Health professionals are excellently placed to show leadership on these issues. I hope they will step up.

Gemma Newman
Gemma Newman
21 days ago

Such a vital topic that doctors need to be aware of. This issue is often ignored, and we do so to the detriment not only of our patients, but also to the detriment of a sustainable world.

Sukhdev singh
Sukhdev singh
21 days ago

This really matters and needs addressing urgently
Thankyou

Jane Thurnell-read
Jane Thurnell-read
21 days ago

The research evidence is really clear – everyone needs to be moving to a plant-based diet for their health and for the environment. Meat and dairy should not be promoted. Instead the government and other agencies should be promoting the benefits of eating more fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds.

Dr. Ulrich Bartels
Dr. Ulrich Bartels
21 days ago

The shift to plant based diet is the Swiss Army knife to solve our co-crises of obesity chronic diseases biodiversity loss climate change zoonotic disease and antibiotic resistance: it is a matter of survival of mankind to spread this message widely

Dr Catherine Gaynor
Dr Catherine Gaynor
21 days ago

The statistic that just 15% of UK farmland is used directly for human consumption says so much about our unhealthy eating habits and the disconnect from our planet. Thank you for this call to action.

Alastair Jackson
Alastair Jackson
21 days ago

This information is fundamental to addressing the epidemic of non communicable disease and the climate crisis. It is both essential reading for health professionals and central to health and food policy

Cathy McIntyre
Cathy McIntyre
21 days ago

All health professionals need to read this article and give the topic serious consideration. We have ample evidence to justify moving towards a plant based diet, this is the way only forward for animal welfare, human health, and for the environment.

Mel Nolan
Mel Nolan
21 days ago

Excellent article. 100% agree! The evidence is overwhelming that plant- based diets are best for heath and the environment. Plus there are benefits for our economy. Public institutions and healthcare professionals should adopt plant-based diets and serve as role models.

Stuart Drysdale
Stuart Drysdale
21 days ago

A well reasoned and referenced indictment of our current stance – as individuals – and a profession. What will it take for the clear action points to be implemented??

John Mclennan
John Mclennan
21 days ago

Very good paper. Lobbying should be limited, controlled, countered, challenged, etc and ways found to facilitate just and fair transitional changes on many topics.

Rohini Bajekal
21 days ago

Thank you for such a fantastic and well-researched article. I love the actionable advice at the end – we all need to be part of the solution.

Kathy Fallon
Kathy Fallon
20 days ago

Great article – good to share with others to promote more conversations and action. Going plant based is so logical for planetary, animal welfare and personal and population health.

Sarah
Sarah
20 days ago

Such an important article. High school food technology lessons are also teaching children how to cook beef and chicken dishes – vegetarian children being expected to bring Quorn replacements meaning no children are learning how to cook legumes- not even the vegetarians.

Claire Lynch
Claire Lynch
19 days ago

Such an informative article. So useful to have all the UK facts and figures for sharing.
It really is time for health professional organisations in particular to become more accountable/responsible when choosing who to partner with and gain sponsorship from.

Dr Jane Kostelnik
Dr Jane Kostelnik
17 days ago

Great article – highlighting the hugely damaging meat and dairy industry to human and planetary health. If the current government and NHS executives are serious about putting preventative healthcare and climate change mitigations at the heart of their decision making they would be wise to implement a strategy that promotes plant based eating as the number one aim for individuals and institutions alike. Patients need this clear guidance – which is strongly evidence based as detailed in this article – and nutritional programs offered by the NHS can and do show patients that a plant-based diet can be tasty as well as healthy. There is nothing to fear and everything to gain from eating more plants.

Dr Mark Craig
16 days ago

Fantastic article stating the facts as they currently are and addressing the huge problem of climate change and ill health promoting diets. The industry, government and bank funded promotion of unhealthy and environmentally damaging meat and dairy production are bright to the fore and a call to arms for us all to look at this issue right in front of our noses every day. As health professionals we can guide patients towards healthier diets and jointly petition industry and government to move toward more environmentally sustainable dietary patterns.

Dr. Maria Aguirregomozcorta
Dr. Maria Aguirregomozcorta
16 days ago

As doctors we can’t ignore anymore the impact that climate change has on health. It’s great to see this topic discussed with a list of action points.

Previous Story

Book review: Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

Next Story

Episode 190: What’s it like working in the Deep End Network in Northern Ireland? It’s challenging, but ultimately rewarding

Latest from BJGP Long Read

55
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
Skip to toolbar