EU countries will have to reduce livestock numbers to meet methane reduction by 2030

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Study argues that member states need to adopt healthier diets with less meat and dairy to meet climate change targets

The European Union (EU) will find it difficult to reduce the methane by 30% by 2030 if the number of heads of cattle does not decrease, according to a new report published this Tuesday.

The study, produced by consultancy CE Delft for the Changing Markets Foundation, reveals that, using the EU reference scenario in 2020 and if nothing changes, methane emissions from the Twenty-Seven will decline by just 13.4% by 2030.

However, much larger reductions could be achieved with measures to encourage Europeans to adopt healthier diets with less meat and dairy.

Methane emissions in the Twenty-seven could be reduced by up to 34% if 10% of European consumers transitioned to healthier diets with reduced consumption of meat and dairy products and accelerating plans to address emissions produced by manure, food waste and energy production, according to the report.

If half of Europeans reduced their consumption of meat and dairy and if additional measures were introduced such as actions to reduce food loss and waste, obtain reductions of 38 to 47%, adds the study.

The report indicates that it would be necessary halve the pork and beef consumption of the average European consumer, as well as reduce your dairy consumption by a quarter to adapt your diet to healthy eating guidelines.

food waste

On the other hand, it indicates that the elimination of waste and food loss could cut emissions by a quarter (between 20 and 24% by 2030) and the separation and reuse of organic waste in about a third (between 21 and 31%).

The Livestock is “the Achilles’ heel of Europe’s methane strategy” as the emissions produced by EU livestock farms are equivalent to those of 50 coal-fired power plants in total, Changing Markets’ Nusa Urbancic said in a statement.

He also lamented that “the policies that could generate significant cuts, encouraging a shift to healthier diets with less meat and dairy, are completely absent from the EU plans”.

For his part, the person in charge of the Agriculture Campaign at Greenpeace Spain, Luís Ferreirim, said that in that country the agricultural sector is responsible for 63% of total methane emissions and livestock 98% of these.

The general director of the European Organization of Consumers, Monique Goyens, considered “unbelievable that EU money is still being spent on promoting red and processed meat, while experts say we should cut back on it to minimize cancer risks.”

“Healthier, plant-based diets, with fewer and better animal products, can benefit the health of the consumer and the planet. The EU should focus on making healthy and sustainable diets widely available, attractive and affordable for all consumers,” Goyens said.

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