It is a most inconvenient truth that we are eating far too much meat in the European Union. In 2013, more than 77 billion land animals were raised for the production of meat, eggs, and milk across the globe – over 8.3 billion in the EU alone. So, while EU citizens account for approximately seven percent of the world’s population, they are in fact responsible for 16 percent of the world’s meat consumption (...).

The ramifications of such high levels of meat consumption, however, go much further than compromising animal welfare. According to the FAO, the animal agriculture sector is also one of the most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems that our planet faces (...).

If an altruistic concern for the future of our planet or the welfare of animals is not sufficient to consider moderating meat consumption, then perhaps spare a thought for how it could benefit your health (...).

Towards the end of the last Barroso Commission, the higher echelons blocked a Communication on Building a Sustainable European Food System, which had been signed off on by three former Commissioners. The Juncker Commission has since applied the 'principle of political discontinuity' to the document. In other words, it has been kicked so far into the long grass that it will never see the light of day (...).

It is vital for the Commission to produce guidelines on what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet, including the need to reduce consumption of animal products for health, environmental, and animal welfare reasons (...).