Climate change group criticises EPA Ireland for deleting tweet on eating less meat

A CLIMATE change awareness group has criticised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for deleting a social media post encouraging people to eat less red meat. 

Stop Climate Chaos released a statement in response to news the EPA had deleted a tweet posted on X (formerly Twitter) following a complaint from the Irish Farmers' Association. 

Before being deleted, the tweet stated: "Ready to be healthier, wealthier and more fabulous? Cut down your red meat intake. 1. Reduce food waste: We throw out about 10% of the meat we buy. 2. Reduce your red meat consumption slowly: veggie lunches, Meat Free Mondays, etc. 3. Be more adventurous - try veggie recipes." 

Coordinator of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, Sadhbh O'Neill, said, "The scientific basis for advising the public to reduce meat consumption could not be more clear. If the EPA wants to be taken seriously as an impartial scientific body, then it must continue to tell the truth, even if the message is inconvenient or unwelcome. 

"Eating less meat is more effective as a way of reducing individual emissions than eating even locally produced food. In terms of land use, farm level emissions, feed, transport and other supply chain emissions, beef is by far the most greenhouse intensive source of food at 60kgCO2 per kg and is twice as carbon intensive as the next food on the list - lamb.

"It is particularly worrying that the EPA has ignored its own research, which shows a strong level of public understanding of the link between meat consumption and climate change." 

O'Neill cited an EAT-Lancet Commission Report published in 2019 which endeavoured to summarise the best available science on what constitutes a healthy diet within environmental targets. 

It reportedly recommended reducing highly processed foods and red and processed meat by over 50%, and increasing fruit, vegetable and legume consumption by over 100%. 

O'Neill continued: "It appears as though the EPA has caved into pressure from the agricultural sector to dumb down its messaging on food waste and meat consumption. At the very least, the EPA needs to urgently restore this advice on social media platforms and resist any pressure to downplay the environmental and health impacts of meat consumption. 

"If the EPA is prevented from giving dietary sustainability recommendations, by the same rule, nor should they give advice to shift away from cars to cycling and walking for the health and environmental benefits, which would clearly be ridiculous.

As a member of the EPA’s advisory committee, I will be raising this issue at our next meeting in September."