Trying to find a happy medium in the meat debate? Choose Assured.

Food is constantly making headlines. In an ever-polarised political climate, whether it is the impact on the environment, animal health and welfare, or concern around post-Brexit trade deals, no item is off the table.  

The big issues that umbrella the topic are well documented, and no less complicated. Climate change, how to feed a world population that is set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050*, fairer food distribution, all while protecting nature, safeguarding animal health and welfare, and using land and sea sustainably.

Now in its seventh year, Veganuary has gained a significant reach since its beginnings in 2014 with partakers - often those that care deeply for animals or who want to lower their impact on the planet - wanting to try out a vegan lifestyle for the month of January. The rise of veganism in the western world is often met with concern, push back and a call for balance from the farming community, who also care deeply for the health and welfare of their animals and the landscape they tend to. This is highlighted by AHDB’s ‘Eat Balanced’ where consumers are instead actively encouraged to eat meat and dairy to achieve sustainability goals. Others say that the complicated matter of what makes food sustainable is becoming too reductive.

So which way is the right way? To a regular consumer who, for example, might be at the start of a journey to reduce their impact on the planet, competing messaging and product marketing can quickly become confusing.

At the centre of the debate is the UN backed call for those who can, to consider eating ‘less and better’. This approach can be considered ‘flexitarian’ and sees consumers eating less animal produce but when they do, directing their spend to higher quality goods that come with assurances around animal health and welfare standards, responsible use of antibiotics, and environmental impacts.

By choosing UK Farm Assured products such as those with RSPCA Assured, Soil Association, Farm Assured Welsh Livestock, Lion Eggs, Quality Meat Scotland, Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured, or Red Tractor labels, those who eat meat, fish or dairy can make an informed choice around what they are buying. It is even achievable for the city dweller who might not have the luxury of a local farm shop.

Did the animal live to a high standard for the duration of its life, during transport and at slaughter (in other words, a ‘lifetime assurance’)? Have vets been involved all the way along this process? Did the farmer take extra measures to protect and manage the environment? Were antibiotics used responsibly? It’s easy to compare and scrutinise some of the UK’s major Farm Assurance schemes, just by using BVA’s UK Farm Assurance Scheme infographic.

In a recent Vet Record debate piece (9/16 January 2021 Vol 188 No.1), Jude Capper, a livestock sustainability consultant, argued that ‘a sustainable future isn’t vegan, it’s flexitarian’ and cited the less and better approach. BVA’s UK Sustainable Animal Agriculture policy also recommends this.

Whatever your views, demand informs supply, and by promoting UK Farm Assured goods, you are empowering shoppers to make sustainable and ethically informed choices about the food they buy, including the impact of food production on animal health and welfare.

Find out more about BVA’s #ChooseAssured campaign online.

*The World Population Prospects 2019