Meat tax
{{Short description|Tax on animal products}}
{{Taxation}}
A meat tax is a tax levied on meat and/or other animal products to help cover the health and environmental costs that result from using animals for food.{{Cite journal |last1=Wirsenius |first1=Stefan |last2=Hedenus |first2=Fredrik |last3=Mohlin |first3=Kristina |date=2011-09-01 |title=Greenhouse gas taxes on animal food products: rationale, tax scheme and climate mitigation effects |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-010-9971-x |journal=Climatic Change |language=en |volume=108 |issue=1 |pages=159–184 |doi=10.1007/s10584-010-9971-x |bibcode=2011ClCh..108..159W |s2cid=154360497 |issn=1573-1480}}{{cite journal|title=Toward Optimal Meat Pricing: Is It Time to Tax Meat Consumption?
|author=Franziska Funke
|author2=Linus Mattauch
|author3=Inge van den Bijgaart
|author4=H. Charles J. Godfray
|author5=Cameron Hepburn
|author6=David Klenert
|author7=Marco Springmann
|author8=Nicolas Treich
|date=19 July 2022
|journal=Review of Environmental Economics and Policy
|volume=16
|issue=2
|pages=219–240
|doi=10.1086/721078
|s2cid=250721559
|quote=animal-based agriculture and feed crop production account for approximately 83 percent of agricultural land globally and are responsible for approximately 67 percent of deforestation (Poore and Nemecek 2018). This makes livestock farming the single largest driver of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, nutrient pollution, and ecosystem loss in the agricultural sector. A failure to mitigate GHG emissions from the food system, especially animal-based agriculture, could prevent the world from meeting the climate objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement, and complicate the path to limiting climate change to well below 2°C of warming (Clark et al. 2020).|doi-access=free
}} Livestock is known to significantly contribute to global warming,{{Cite journal |last1=Hedenus |first1=Fredrik |last2=Wirsenius |first2=Stefan |last3=Johansson |first3=Daniel J. A. |date=2014-05-01 |title=The importance of reduced meat and dairy consumption for meeting stringent climate change targets |journal=Climatic Change |language=en |volume=124 |issue=1 |pages=79–91 |doi=10.1007/s10584-014-1104-5 |issn=1573-1480|doi-access=free |bibcode=2014ClCh..124...79H }} and to negatively impact global nitrogen cycles and biodiversity.{{Cite web |author=Funke, F. |author2=Mattauch, L. |author3=van den Bijgaart, I. |author4=Godfray, C. |author5=Hepburn, C. |author6=Klenert, D. |author7=Springmann, M. |author8=Treich, N.|date=2022-01-10|title=Is Meat Too Cheap? Towards Optimal Meat Taxation|url=https://www.inet.ox.ac.uk/publications/no-2022-01-is-meat-too-cheap-towards-optimal-meat-taxation/|access-date=2022-01-26|website=INET Oxford|language=en}}
Nomenclature
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
The term meat tax can be used interchangeably with slaughter tax or carcass tax. The latter also highlights how the tax might be administered - including on the import of frozen carcasses. 'Slaughter tax' and 'carcass tax' are terms that are considered to make such a change in food taxation more popular with the general public.
Critics
= Support =
Chatham House and Glasgow University, in a 2015 report titled "Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption" called for a tax on red meat.{{cite web|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-carbon-tax-on-meat/|title=A Carbon Tax on Meat?|first=Niina|last=Heikkinen|website=Scientificamerican.com|access-date=5 January 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/news/2015-11-18-reducing-meat-consumption-critical-achieving-global-climate-goal|title=Reducing meat consumption critical to achieving global climate goal|website=Chathamhouse.org|access-date=5 January 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/it-s-time-put-meat-climate-negotiating-table|title=It's Time to Put Meat on the Climate Negotiating Table|website=Chathamhouse.org|date=24 November 2015|access-date=5 January 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/changing-climate-changing-diets|title=Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption|website=Chathamhouse.org|date=24 November 2015|access-date=5 January 2018}}
Adam Briggs from the University of Oxford conducted a study that concluded that putting a carbon tax on "high emission" foods (i.e. foods which have a high carbon footprint) such as meat could be a positive for both the planet and the health of U.K. consumers.{{cite journal |doi=10.1186/s12889-016-2723-8 |title=Simulating the impact on health of internalising the cost of carbon in food prices combined with a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages |journal=BMC Public Health |volume=16 |year=2016 |last1=Briggs |first1=Adam D. M |last2=Kehlbacher |first2=Ariane |last3=Tiffin |first3=Richard |last4=Scarborough |first4=Peter |page=107 |pmid=26837190 |pmc=4738773 |doi-access=free }}
Scientists William J Ripple et al. have suggested the pushing up of the price of meat through a tax or emissions trading scheme.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/20/tax-meat-cut-methane-emissions-scientists|title=Tax meat to cut methane emissions, say scientists|first=Adam|last=Vaughan|date=20 December 2013|access-date=5 January 2018|website=Theguardian.com}}{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/nclimate2081 |title=Ruminants, climate change and climate policy |journal=Nature Climate Change |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=2–5 |year=2014 |last1=Ripple |first1=William J |last2=Smith |first2=Pete |last3=Haberl |first3=Helmut |last4=Montzka |first4=Stephen A |last5=McAlpine |first5=Clive |last6=Boucher |first6=Douglas H |bibcode=2014NatCC...4....2R }}
Marco Springmann, from the Oxford University's Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food also proposed a tax on meat and dairy.{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/nclimate3155 |title=Mitigation potential and global health impacts from emissions pricing of food commodities |journal=Nature Climate Change |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=69–74 |year=2016 |last1=Springmann |first1=Marco |last2=Mason-d'Croz |first2=Daniel |last3=Robinson |first3=Sherman |last4=Wiebe |first4=Keith |last5=Godfray |first5=H. Charles J |last6=Rayner |first6=Mike |last7=Scarborough |first7=Peter |bibcode=2017NatCC...7...69S |s2cid=88921469 |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6797ca43-0d25-4e8a-bb81-3cdeb845efd6}}
- {{cite news |author=Damian Carrington |date=November 7, 2016 |title=Tax meat and dairy to cut emissions and save lives, study urges |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/07/tax-meat-and-dairy-to-cut-emissions-and-save-lives-study-urges}}
Besides environmental concerns, health{{cite book|title=Vegetarian and Plant-Based Diets in Health and Disease Prevention|last1=Boutron-Ruault|first1=Marie-Christine|last2=Mesrine|first2=Sylvie|last3=Pierre|first3=Fabrice|year=2017|isbn=978-0-12-803968-7|editor1-last=Mariotti|editor1-first=François|pages=197–214|chapter=Meat Consumption and Health Outcomes|doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-803968-7.00012-5}} and humanitarian concerns{{cite journal|last1=Cordts|first1=Anette|last2=Nitzko|first2=Sina|last3=Spiller|first3=Achim|year=2014|title=Consumer Response to Negative Information on Meat Consumption in Germany|url=https://www.ifama.org/resources/Documents/v17ia/Cordts-Spiller-Nitzko.pdf|journal=International Food and Agribusiness Management Review|volume=17|issue=A|pages=83–106}} have also acted as impetus for some proponents of meat tax. PETA has been calling for a tax on meat citing the negative effects of meat consumption on human health, the contribution of meat industry to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, and the stressful and inhumane conditions under which animals are reared and slaughtered in factory farms.{{cite web|url=https://www.peta.org/features/tax-meat/|title=Tax Meat|website=Peta.org|date=16 April 2009|access-date=5 January 2018}}
The Danish Council on Ethics{{cite web|url=http://www.etiskraad.dk/english|title=The Danish Council on Ethics|website=Etiskraad.dk|access-date=5 January 2018}} has called for a tax on meat in Denmark.{{cite web|url=https://cleantechnica.com/2017/03/01/danish-proposal-calls-tax-meat-fight-climate-change/|title=Danish Proposal Calls For Tax On Meat To Fight Climate Change - CleanTechnica|website=Cleantechnica.com|date=March 2017|access-date=5 January 2018}}
In 2017, the meat industry's Farm Animal Investment & Return (FAIRR) Initiative reported that meat tax was becoming "increasingly probable".{{cite web|url=http://www.fairr.org/news-item/climate-tax-meat-becoming-increasingly-probable/|title=CLIMATE TAX ON MEAT BECOMING 'INCREASINGLY PROBABLE' - FAIRR|website=Fairr.org|access-date=5 January 2018}}
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency mentions a meat tax as an instrument to achieve a reduction in meat consumption {{Cite web |url=https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publikationer6400/978-91-620-6795-3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-03-06 |archive-date=2019-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918155825/https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publikationer6400/978-91-620-6795-3.pdf |url-status=dead }}
= Opposition =
{{Expand section|date=January 2024}}
Some opponents{{who|date=December 2020}} to meat taxation consider it regressive and authoritarian, or doubt some of the health and economic claims, or do not feel it is properly inclusive of total costs over the long term.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cato.org/blog/against-highly-regressive-meat-tax|title=Against A Highly Regressive "Meat Tax"|last=Bourne|first=Ryan|date=2018-11-12|website=Cato Institute|language=en|access-date=2019-02-12}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/a-meat-tax-is-a-rotten-regressive-idea|title=A meat tax is a rotten, regressive idea|date=2018-12-19|website=Washington Examiner|language=en|access-date=2019-02-12}}
Implementation
In June 2024 Denmark, a major pork and dairy exporter, announced that it will introduce a tax on livestock carbon dioxide emissions from 2030, making it the first country to do so and hoping to inspire other countries to follow.{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/denmark-will-be-first-impose-co2-tax-farms-government-says-2024-06-25/|title=Denmark will be first to impose CO2 tax on farms, government says|last=Carlsson|first=Isabelle Yr|date=2024-06-25|website=Reuters|language=en|access-date=2024-12-28}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Global warming}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meat Tax}}