Australia is the 5th highest red meat-consuming nation globally, and our consumption habits emit billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year. Red meat production is one of the top contributors to climate change. It will continue to impact us all through global warming, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. High red meat consumption is also a significant risk factor for all types of cardiovascular disease, which is responsible for 1 in 4 of all deaths in Australia. You may be asking, what can we do about this? We need to work together to reduce our red meat consumption as a nation and become more climate-conscious consumers. We can do this by choosing alternatives such as fish, chicken, eggs and tofu and cutting down on the amount of red meat we eat. As we undergo this change, we must support our farmers to transition from cattle farming to more sustainable practices.

The Rancher Advocacy Program in the U.S has successfully helped many cattle farmers transition their farms and properties into growing plant-based products. So, our petition calls on the Australian government to follow suit and provide assistance and support for our farmers interested in transitioning out of animal farming. The government could fund the CSIRO and other agricultural organisations to research alternative plant-based uses of current animal farmland to form this program. We propose training Farm Liaison Officers to provide complimentary financial counselling to make the current Rural Financial Counselling Service more accessible to interested farmers. In synergy with this, to modify the current Farm Household Allowance to support farmers through any initial financial hardships with transitioning out of animal farming.

A decrease in red meat consumption can also significantly lower the current burden of disease related to cardiovascular health, reducing the costs for the government. With this healthcare cost reduction, the government can redirect the savings to fund transitional programs for animal farmers. Research has found that the farm cash income produced by plant-based farms was approximately twice as high compared to cattle farms. This is an excellent incentive for cattle farmers to switch to plant farming, but this can be a very stressful path to undertake alone.

The current rates of red meat consumption aren’t sustainable, but there is still a chance to make amends. The first step starts with you. Your signature in our petition to call the government for help will drive much-needed change in our meat industry. We genuinely appreciate your support!

- The Earthies