Petition: Promote plant-based foods for a healthier Britain
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The science is clear: factory farming of livestock is a major contributor to the climate crisis. It’s also damaging nature through deforestation and runoffs, as well as public health, with red and processed meat classified by the World Health Organisation as Group 1 and 2 carcinogens.
Despite the science, the UK Government effectively supports meat and dairy marketing through the AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) – a publicly‑mandated body funded by statutory levies on farmers and growers – which runs campaigns that contradict its own health and climate advice.
That’s why we’re calling on the government to stop backing the promotion of climate-damaging meat and dairy.
We need your voice. Add your name to this official parliamentary petition and help trigger a national debate.
The petition was launched by a coalition of 40 organisations including Plant Based Health Professionals, The Vegan Society, Foodrise (previously Feedback) and our founder, Dale Vince.
At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament. The faster we get to that milestone, the more impact we can make.
Climate and nature
The Climate Change Committee recently called for a 20 per cent reduction in dairy consumption in the UK by 2035 and a 35% reduction in meat consumption by 2050.
Dale Vince says: “Eating less meat and dairy is the biggest thing we can all do – for the climate, for wildlife and for our own health.
A plant-based diet can slash your food carbon footprint by over 70%. If we all went plant based tomorrow, we could give 50% of our entire land area back to nature and diet-related disease is the biggest single cause of preventable death in the UK.
We have the facts and the science. But we need a government that is pointing us in the right direction.
Help us reach 100,000 signatures and force a Parliamentary debate.”
Improving everyone’s health
The petition received a reply from the UK government when it reached 10,000 signatures. The reply starts with: “The government’s guidelines for a healthy diet recommend that the majority of food we eat should be plant-based. However, a healthy balanced diet can include meat and dairy.”
The problem is that only a tiny fraction of the UK populations eats in accordance with the government’s own Eatwell Guide, and yet public money is still being spent promoting meat and dairy in campaigns that are often timed to undermine Veganuary. These campaigns are completely out of step with the government’s own health and climate advice.
Diet-related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the UK. Dr Shireen Kassam, NHS consultant Haematologist and founder of Plant Based Health Professionals, says: “The biggest opportunity the government has to improve the nation's health, reduce the burden of chronic disease on the NHS, and to tackle rising levels of obesity is to promote plant-based foods with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes.
“The population is failing to meet even the current national food guidelines and clearly need more information, guidance and support to adopt a plant-rich diet.”
Share the message!
Once you’ve signed the petition, please share it across email and social media to friends, family and colleagues, using our social media pack
The more people who sign, the more seriously the government will take it. Let’s show them that the appetite for change is already here.
Sign the petition here
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