8 Reasons You Should Reduce Your Meat Consumption

While World Animal Protection is not a vegan or vegetarian organisation, we do understand the huge effect that eating less meat can have. Not sure why? Keep reading.

1. It helps fight climate change

Factory farming is one of the leading causes of climate change and deforestation. The truth is, the factory farms emit more greenhouse gases than all the transportation in the world combined. We can do our part to combat climate change by simply cutting back on the amount of meat we consume. Without doing so, it’ll be nearly impossible to reach the goals set by the Paris Agreement.

2. You’ll save water

Factory farms are highly water intensive, with animal agriculture using a staggering 43 percent of water in Australia. CSIRO reports that it  takes 50,000 litres of water to produce  one kilo of beef, and one kilogram of pork takes  5,988 litres of water.

3. It helps your health

Countless studies show the benefits of eating plants over animal-based proteins. From reducing cancer rates and heart disease, to showing an increased overall lifespan, by consuming more plant-based foods you’ll be helping to improve your own health and will set a good example for the health of others around you.

4. It helps farmed animals

Of the more than 70 billion animals farmed annually, 50 billion of them spend their lives on factory farms. They are treated more like machines, than living, breathing, feeling animals. They endure short, miserable lives and are often confined together in cages, crates or pens which prevents them from engaging in natural behaviour. Reducing your meat consumption will make a huge difference to the lives of these animals and free-up resources to help move to higher welfare production.

5. It helps workers

From slave labour to sexual abuse, workers on factory farms are in many cases treated just as cruelly as the animals. These workers are often subjected to countless workplace hazards, including life-threatening injuries, respiratory illnesses, PTSD, and exposure to dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Much of the processed meat we consume in Australia comes from overseas farms not subject to Australian Labour law standards. You can help stand up for these exploited workers by reducing your meat consumption and withdrawing financial support to the companies profiting from poor labour practices.

6. It protects wildlife

Grazing land and feed crops now use more than one-third of Earth’s landmass. With this rapid loss of habitat, it’s no wonder we’re losing critical species at alarming rates and experts warn a mass extinction is on its way. By eating less meat you’ll be helping protect wildlife from going the way of the dodo and dinosaurs.

7. It helps fight hunger

There are nearly a billion starving people on the planet, while it takes 14.52 kilograms of grain to produce approximately one kilogram of beef. It’s clear as day, by reducing your meat consumption you can help alleviate the waste associated with factory farming.

8. It’s easy and delicious

Plant-based foods are already here and more delicious and accessible than ever. If you’re on the go, try the Impossible Whopper at Hungry Jack’s or the Beyond Burger at Grill’d!

Change starts with you. If we want to protect the planet, our health, workers and animals, we need to dramatically reduce our meat consumption. That means switching to plant-based alternatives and to other protein sources such as ‘clean meat’.

If we want to protect the planet, our health, workers and animals, we need to dramatically reduce our meat consumption.