NatWest Bank Dilutes its Advice on Reducing Animal Product Consumption After Lobbying From Farmers
UK bank NatWest has amended the greenhouse gas tracker in its mobile app following lobbying from the National Farmer’s Union (NFU). The app previously recommended that consumers swap out beef and switch to plant-based milk to reduce their carbon footprint, but these suggestions have now been removed after complaints from the NFU. While the union did not dispute the greenhouse gas emissions associated with meat and dairy consumption, it claimed that other factors such as biodiversity and nutrition should also be considered. However, considerable research indicates that switching away from animal products is beneficial for biodiversity; for example, a report from 2021 found that if everyone in the world switched to a plant-based diet, 75% of cropland could be freed up and potentially returned to …