Health professionals unite to urge the government to stop promoting meat and dairy for the sake of our health

On 14th January 2025, Plant-Based Health Professionals UK joined forces with 40 other organisations and high-profile individuals, including Chris Packham and Dale Vince, to ask the UK Government to stop promoting meat and dairy and instead support the production and consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. This coalition represents over one million healthcare professionals. An open letter, coordinated by Feedback, The Vegan Society and ourselves was sent to Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

As an organisation, we have been pushing the Government and the NHS to act upon the evidence and urgently support the UK to transition to a plant-based food environment where plant-based meals are considered the norm. In the last year, we have increased our efforts given the continued misinformation from the meat and dairy industry. These efforts have primarily been directed towards the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), and their ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign that promotes the consumption of red meat and dairy. The campaign messaging is counter to the overwhelming scientific evidence that shows the need for the UK and other high incomes countries to dramatically reduce the consumption of meat and dairy in order to meet their nature and climate targets. By adopting more plant-based diets, we could lower the environmental impact of the British diet by as much as 75%. Farming cows and other ruminant animals for food is just not compatible with a sustainable future.

Back in May 2024, Doctors Association UK and Plant-Based Health Professionals UK wrote an open letter to both the AHDB and Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) asking them to reconsider the campaign and instead promote the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Responses from both organisations were wholly unsatisfactory, although we are still in the process of organising a meeting with the AHDB. Instead, we have seen the campaign return in October 2024 and now January 2025. The annual January launch appears to be timed to counter the enormously successful Veganuary campaign, with more and more people adopting a plant-based diet.

In October 2024 we sent a private letter, along with Feedback and the Vegan Society, to Daniel Zeichtner, MP (Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs), and Defra to request a meeting, along with a public statement of disapproval. The request to meet was declined. Defra appears to take no responsibility for the actions of the AHDB, stating that the AHDB represents farmers and is funded by levy payers. This is despite the fact that the AHDB’s website states the ‘Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) acts as AHDB’s ‘sponsor’ Government department. The AHDB Accounting Officer is accountable to Defra Ministers and Devolved Administrations on the appropriate use of levy funds and corporate governance standards applicable to public bodies’. There is clear evidence to show that the Let’s Eat Balanced Campaign in January 2024 and the associated spend of 5 million pounds on adverts was signed off by a Defra minister. The Government’s own Climate Change Committee, in their 2024 report to Parliament stated (p.82), ‘The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, an arm’s length body of the Government, continues to invest in proactive marketing campaigns to encourage meat and dairy consumption, despite the evidence showing that a reduction in meat and dairy consumption supports a shift towards low-carbon, sustainable and healthy diets’.

The open letter’s support of healthcare organisations representing over one million healthcare professionals adds powerful backing to the scientific evidence showing we need to reduce meat and dairy consumption. In the UK, 70% of farming emissions are generated by the production of red meat and dairy. At the same time, farming animals for food is contributing significantly to the pollution of our land, waterways and air, whilst driving the creation and spread of antibiotic-resistant infections. There is widespread recognition from the healthcare profession that the climate crisis is a health crisis since we cannot enjoy good health whilst there is continued destruction of our planet’s health. Fortunately, transitioning to a plant-based diet can support better population and planetary health.

The low consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes is a major contributor to the poor quality of the British diet. Unhealthy diets in turn are causing a rising burden of chronic ill health resulting in a cost of £268 billion annually in the UK, through both direct and indirect health-related impacts. Although the AHDB continues to fall back on the argument that its campaigns align with UK’s dietary guidelines, nowhere do they inform people about the limits set in the Eatwell guide for consumption of red meat, which should not exceed 70g per day due to detrimental health impacts.

It should be noted that the Eatwell Guide, written in 2016, did not formally consider environmental sustainability. In the meantime, we have had a number of new national dietary guidelines from countries in Europe such as Denmark, Germany, Spain and Nordic recommendations, that clearly advise consumers to limit the consumption of meat, especially red meat, and instead prioritise plant sources of protein given its positive impact on health and lower environmental impacts. In addition, dairy is not considered essential in the diet, with Health Canada’s dietary guideline from 2019 removing dairy as a separate food group. The Eat Lancet Planetary Health Diet sets recommended intakes at 0-500mg per day, thus acknowledging that zero is an acceptable level of intake.

Although our recent focus has been the AHDB’s ‘Let’s Eat Balanced campaign’, there are many other examples of campaigns that do not align with the evidence on healthy sustainable diets. This includes the ‘when you know you know’ campaign from Quality Meat Scotland that ‘shines a spotlight on the role of Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb, and Specially Selected Pork’, and again from the AHDB with their Milk Every Moment campaign, promoting consumption of milk in Universities along with their campaign partner British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUSC).

Support for our open letter comes from high profile organisations and individuals that represent the health, climate and animal sectors, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, Chris Packham, Dale Vince and Dr Amir Khan. This demonstrates just how out of touch the Government is with civil society groups that are dedicated to protecting people and the planet.

Take action now to combat AHDB’s misinformation:

1. Write directly to AHDB, Defra, and your MP
2. Read and share our evidence-backed open letter widely (including references)
3. Demand your MP support the promotion of healthy, sustainable plant-based foods
4. Join our growing movement of organisations and individuals calling for evidence-based food policy

Together, we can create the change needed for a healthier, more sustainable food system.