Meat production is an inefficient use of our precious
resources and a leading cause of air and water pollution, land degradation, and
species extinction. So it comes as no surprise that the Swedish government is
making moves to tax meat.
According to The
Local, Minister for Strategy and Future Issues Kristina Persson asserts:
Animals actually provide a very inefficient way of producing nutrition. Plants need just a tenth of the same amount of land to produce the same amount of nutrition. Today, grasslands and embankments are cultivated to feed cattle throughout Sweden, but these areas could also be used for creating biogas and fertilizers.
Striving for more sustainable food production, Persson
believes that taxing meat could increase opportunities to produce bioenergy utilizing
grasslands that are currently used to feed cattle.
Additionally, the author explains:
Sweden also has an exploding market for alternative vegetarian products that could potentially replace meat and milk. Venturing into this future market could be an important part of future-proofing Swedish farming industry and help strengthen its competitiveness. A meat tax itself would stimulate the growth of vegetable-based options, making them relatively cheaper.
With nearly 10 percent of the country now identifying as
vegetarian or vegan, there’s never been a better time for the Swedish
government to move away from meat.
Such a move has the potential not only to greatly reduce environmental
degradation in Sweden, but also to spare countless animals from a lifetime of
suffering and neglect on modern farms.
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