A new report is urging New Zealand to reduce its reliance on animal agriculture in favor of plant-based farming.
The Green Protein Reportpublished by The Vegan Society of Aotearoaencourages New Zealands government to support plant-based farming for environmental, health, and ethical reasons.
We have one of the highest methane emissions per capita, our soils are being eroded, our native wildlife has been decimated and we are losing our clean and green image even further in the eyes of the world, the Vegan Society stated in a press release.
The report also explored the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.
As a result of our excessive consumption of meat and dairy, it continued. Kiwis have become obese and at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, we suffer heart attacks and get cancers, all of which can be reversed by a fully plant-based diet, using mostly wholefoods.
International nonprofit animal welfare organization World Animal Protection ranks 50 countries around the world based on their animal welfare standards. It recently ranked New Zealand in 30th place. In 2014, New Zealand was ranked in first place.
In spite of claiming that animals are sentient beings, we do not treat them as such. It is no longer acceptable to treat animals as commodities, the Vegan Society added.
New Zealanders are already shifting away from meat to plant-based foods.
A study from 2019commissioned by non-profit think tank Food Frontier and plant-based food brand Life Health Foodsrevealed that approximately one-third of New Zealanders limit their meat intake.
The report found one in three New Zealanders consciously limited the amount of meat they consumed. They primarily did so for health reasons, but also for animal welfare, cost, and the environment.
Studies show the environmental impacts of factory farming are much higher than the farming of whole, plant-based foods. New Zealanders shift in eating habits could help to reduce the countrys food-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
Recent research by the University of Otago found a population-wide shift to a plant-based diet could reduce the countrys GHGs by as much as 42 percent.
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Article Name
New Zealand Pushed to Replace Animal Agriculture With Plant-Based Crops
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A report is urging New Zealand's government to reduce its reliance on animal agriculture in favor of plant-based farming for the sake of the environment.
Author
Audrey Enjoli
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LIVEKINDLY
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New Zealand Pushed to Replace Animal Agriculture With Plant-Based Crops - LIVEKINDLY
