Tax red meat to save the planet, Labour ‘megadonor’ urges
Dale Vince says red meat is 'destructive' to our health and the planet - Simon Marper/PA Wire
One of Labour’s biggest donors has called for the introduction of a red meat tax to help save the planet.
Dale Vince, who previously bankrolled Just Stop Oil and is the owner of all-vegan football club Forest Green Rovers, wants to deter people from buying steaks.
He says red meat is “destructive” to both the planet and human health, and should therefore be levied.
Mr Vince’s call for action comes after Rishi Sunak promised last autumn not to introduce new taxes to discourage meat-eating.
Energy tycoon Mr Vince is a leading donor for Labour, having severed ties with Just Stop Oil last year as part of his commitment to Keir Starmer’s party.
He has given £2.4m to Labour through his green energy firm Ecotricity over the past decade, increasing donations significantly in the last year.
Now, the so-called “megadonor” is calling for a meat tax to “steer people’s behaviour” into making more sustainable choices.
Speaking on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show, he said: “Red meat is the most destructive form of meat that we have available to us in terms of human health and planetary impact.
“And so it makes sense to put a tax on that to steer people’s behaviour – that’s how taxes work, it has worked before.”
Mo Metcalf-Fisher of the Countryside Alliance hit back at the suggestion. He said:“ There can be absolutely no justification for penalising people who choose to consume meat as part of their diet. It is totally natural and healthy.
“Red meat produced in the UK is among the most sustainable in the world and policy makers from across the political spectrum must reject draconian nonsense like this and instead show support for our hard-working farmers and freedom of choice”.
British shoppers have suffered from surging meat prices in recent years, however, figures from the Office for National Statistics show annual price rises have begun to ease as inflation cools.
Official UK advice recommends eating no more than 70g of red or processed meat per day – which is around the size of a deck of cards – but there is no official guidance on white meat (chicken and turkey).
Red meat is one of the best available sources of iron, zinc and B vitamins, however, studies have linked overconsumption with a heightened risk of bowel cancer.
Processed meat can also be high in salt and eating too much can increase the risk of high blood pressure.
A study by comparison site Finder estimates that around 16pc of the UK population has a meat-free diet, with 1.1 million taking up veganism in the past year.
In calling for a meat tax, Mr Vince said red meat consumption is down 30pc in the last 10 years.
Britain’s climate advisers put forward proposals for the Government to cap the cost of vegan food after Mr Sunak ruled out the introduction of a meat tax under Conservative rule.
The Climate Change Committee advocated “financial incentives” such as “reducing the price of plant-based foods” to help cut the amount of meat consumed.
Mr Vince, a long-term vegan who founded the UK’s first green energy company in 1996, is expected to be a key supporter of Labour in the run-up to the 4 July election.
The 62-year-old told the Telegraph in February: “There is a disparity of funding at the election and I will do whatever I can to close that gap.
“It’s the most important election of our lifetime. It’s our last chance to take decisive action.”
In March, Mr Vince was ordered by a High Court judge to inform his wife before he donates any more money to the Labour Party after he kept her “in the dark” about his plan to part with millions.
Electoral Commission figures show that overall Labour accepted around £19m in donations last year, compared to the Tories’ £42 million. This includes cash payments to the central parties from individuals, companies, trade unions and others.
Mr Vince became chairman of Forest Green in 2010 and banned his players from eating meat.
The Gloucestershire club, which became the world’s first all-vegan side, was relegated from League Two this season.
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