Minister mincing words on meat tax

Climate change and health zealotry have merged in a call to ban meat:

A report by The Lancet Commission on Obesity, released on Monday, said a tax on red meat was an example of the urgent action needed to address the greatest threats “to human and planetary health” – obesity, under-nutrition and climate change.  . . 

The idea that a tax on red meat will reduce obesity is ludicrous.

Lean protein, of which red meat is a good source, plays a very important role in a healthy diet. It has a low glycemic index so satisfies for longer and therefore helps in helping people eat less over all.

A meat tax will increase the price, forcing people to look for cheaper alternatives which will have less nutritional value, more calories per gram and be less satisfying.

It will do the opposite of what the Commission wants – contribute to both obesity and under nutrition.

Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter​ said the Government did not plan to tax red meat “at this stage”, but an increase in awareness about climate change was affecting people’s behaviour. 

No plan to tax ‘at this stage’? That’s mincing words when she needs to put a steak stake in the ground for the sake of people’s health and our trade in red meat which not only helps finance first-world necessities, it helps feed the world.

This point is well made by National’s Agriculture spokesman, Nathan Guy:

“The red meat sector is worth around $9 billion of exports. Over 25,000 New Zealanders are employed and will be horrified the Government is not ruling out taxing the red meat industry.  . . “

Our red meat production has one of the lowest environmental footprints in the world.

Even the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs admitted in a report which found Kiwi lamb is reared at such a low intensity that, even after shipping, it uses less energy.

Genter should be championing our chops, not casting the shadow of yet another virtue signaling tax over our food and farms.