Charity calls Government-backed ‘eat more red meat’ campaign ‘reckless self-sabotage on Labour’s national health and climate policy ambitions’

As the second round of a Government-backed multi-million pound ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign launches today, explicitly aimed at encouraging the public to eat more red meat and dairy, charity Humane Society International/UK says promoting climate-costly diets directly contradicts Labour’s manifesto health and nature goals and calls on farming Minister Daniel Zeichner to commission an urgent review. The campaign has been launched by the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, a non-departmental public body, accountable to the UK Parliament through Defra Ministers, with board members appointed by the Secretary of State for Defra.  

HSI/UK says a review is needed into the AHDB’s goals and spending priorities. HSI/UK’s analysis of Defra’s departmental spending figures shows that between January and June 2024, the AHDB spent over £2.5million on pro-meat propaganda, equating to at least 42% of AHDB total expenditure (£6.1million) (for line items over £25,000).  

Animal agriculture accounts for an estimated 16.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, similar to the emissions from all global transportation. The Climate Change Committee says reducing meat and dairy consumption is essential to reach the UK’s legally binding climate targets and specifically recommended that Defra “Take low-cost, low-regret actions to encourage a 20% shift away from all meat by 2030, rising to 35% by 2050, and a 20% shift from dairy products by 2030, demonstrating leadership in the public sector whilst improving health.” This goal was reported as ‘overdue’ in the Committee’s 2023 annual report.  

In its July 2024 report to Parliament the Climate Change Committee explicitly criticized the AHDB for “continuing to invest in proactive marketing campaigns to encourage meat and dairy consumption, despite the evidence showing that a reduction in meat and dairy consumption supports a shift towards low-carbon, sustainable and healthy diets.”  

Claire Bass, Humane Society International/UK's senior director of campaigns and public affairs, said “This AHDB campaign is reckless self-sabotage on Labour’s health and climate policy ambitions. As Ministers get to grips with how to deliver on manifesto pledges to reduce preventable diseases like heart attacks and cancers, and to cut greenhouse gas emissions, it makes zero sense for Defra to be quietly processing invoices for a lavish public marketing campaign that completely undermines both policy goals. 

By law, the AHDB exists to help ‘improve the ways in which the industry contributes to sustainable development’ yet this year almost half of its spend has been on a resolutely head-in-the-sand campaign trying to cling on to unhealthy and unsustainable over-consumption of meat and dairy. We urge the new Labour Government to recalibrate the AHDB to allow it to prioritise playing a positive role in marketing the UK’s horticultural produce, including vegetables, legumes and grains, and stop fixating on flogging dead cows, sheep and pigs.” 

In addition to drawing criticism from the CCC, the AHDB’s campaign was criticized by health professionals in May for its “inaccurate and misleading public health messaging”, noting that the campaign is “at odds with established scientific evidence on healthy and sustainable diets” and makes “suggestive ‘health benefits’ whilst ignoring the guidance to limit meat intake, particularly red and processed meat”. 

The AHDB’s expenditure, including that for the Let’s Eat Balanced campaign, is funded by an industry levy. However, information revealed under Freedom of Information requests this year revealed that the £4.6million campaign was approved by former farming Minister, former dairy farmer Mark Spencer. 

Against a backdrop of European governments including Denmark, Germany and Norway actively promoting more plant-based eating, and introducing higher taxes on meat production, HSI/UK condemns the ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign as a regressive initiative that makes the UK look out of sync with European momentum towards people- and planet-friendly food and farming policies. 

Notes 

• Labour’s 2024 election manifesto includes a commitment to “take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives.” It also states “Labour will ensure the institutional framework for policy making reflects our commitments to reach net zero and meet our carbon budgets.” and Labour “will deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, and will work in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world.” 
• About the AHDB: https://ahdb.org.uk/what-we-do  
• Section 3(2) of The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board Order (2008) states its priorities to be:  

(a) increasing efficiency or productivity in the industry; 

(b) improving marketing in the industry; 

(c) improving or developing services that the industry provides or could provide to the community; and 

(d) improving the ways in which the industry contributes to sustainable development. 

• Defra reporting on AHDB spends over £25,000, January – June 2024. Line items for ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign include advertising agency costs, creative Gen Z partnership agency fees, and online banner placement with Sainsbury’s.  

Based on a conservative interpretation of Defra’s spend reporting, 42% of the AHDB’s expenditure for Jan-June 2024 was on the ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ and ‘Love Pork’ campaigns designed to convince the public to eat more red meat and dairy. 

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