Members of the European Parliament are invited this week to debate on the subject of “true pricing’ of meat”, an initiative launched by True Animal Protein Price Coalition (TAPP Coalition). According to some of the members of the coalition, the current zootechnical system in the EU is unsustainable and needs to be adjusted for the EU to achieve its goal of becoming the first continent to be climate neutral.
Supported by several MEPs from the Green and S&D parties, te debate may open the door to a sort of meat taxation in the EU, starting 2022. According to the report that is to be presented, EU Member States are recommended to set a sustainability charge of €0.47 per 100 grams for veal/beef, €0.36 per 100 grams of pork and €0.17 per 100 grams of poultry. This would lead to a reduction in chicken, pork, and beef consumption by 30 percent, 57 percent and 67 percent respectively by 2030.
Revenues collected yearly are estimated to reach €32 billion and the money can be used to help farmers invest in more sustainable agricultural practices. The report says that fair meat prices in Europe could lead to a reduction in CO2. emissions of up to 120 million tons of CO2 per year. This equals all CO2 emissions from four EU member states: Ireland, Denmark, Slovakia, and Estonia, and nearly 3 percent of all EU greenhouse gas emissions.
In the last couple of years, the idea of meat taxation was discussed in some of the Member States Parliament but without any clear conclusion.