The ‘sustainability charge’ called for a new pricing model to be included in the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy. The ‘sustainability charge’ set out in the new report will apply to member states from 2022 if approved.
The report was written by TAPP Coalition, which is made up of farming, health and environmental organisations.
The report states that revenues from the ‘sustainability charge’ could help farmers to invest in more sustainable agricultural practices. By 2030, across the EU member states, the ‘sustainability charge’ could yield €32.2 billion per year.
Philip Mansbridge, executive director (UK) for ProVeg International, one of the TAPP Coalition members, said: “The time has come for us to act decisively with policy on the environmental consequences of animal protein, the price of which has been kept artificially low for far too long.
“Here we have a solution that is fair for farmers and supports the transition to a more plant-based food system that we so urgently need if we are serious about mitigating climate change.”
Fair meat prices in Europe could lead to a reduction of C02 emissions of up to 120 million tonnes per year (nearly 3% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions).
Jeroom Remmers, director at TAPP Coalition, added: “If EU meat consumption reduces and plant-based protein consumption rises, healthcare costs will reduce too, as Europeans eat roughly 50% more meat than is recommended in dietary health guidelines. We could also save billions of Euros every year in lower healthcare costs.”