Sustainability / Environment

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 nature. Additionally, despite the NFU’s claims that red meat and dairy are “recognised as an essential part of a healthy diet”, an increasing body of evidence disputes this. The latest edition of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, published last year, recommends a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, with minimal meat and limited dairy consumption.

The NFU has also successfully lobbied for the suggestion to “Buy local, British and seasonal produce” to be added to the tracker (though it is worth noting that plant-based diets may have more environmental benefits than diets featuring locally produced meat and dairy). But despite pressure, NatWest has not removed recommendations to choose vegetarian or mostly plant-based diets from the app, a decision the NFU has described as a “disappointment”.

herd of cows eating hay in cowshed on dairy farm
© Syda Productions-stock.adobe.com

“Powerful vested interests”

The changes made to the NatWest app demonstrate the power of animal agriculture lobbyists, who have been accused of using fossil fuel industry tactics to stall climate policies in the EU and the US. A Stanford University study published last year found that meat and dairy industry lobbying is stifling the alternative protein sector, with most subsidies and public funding going to animal products rather than alternatives. The industry has also attempted to restrict the way plant-based products can be marketed in several countries.

“It’s clear that powerful vested interests have exerted political influence to maintain the animal-farming system status quo,” said Eric Lambin, George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor at Stanford and senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

“A significant policy shift is required to reduce the food system impact on climate, land use, and biodiversity.”

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