Ashley Fruno, associate director, PETA Australia.
Good news! The price of red meat will soar over the next two years, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA). The number of cattle in Australia has hit a 20-year low, so there are less animals to slaughter
This is good news for a lot of reasons. First of all, eating vegetarian food is much cheaper. A recent study in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition showed that a plant based diet can supply the same amount of calories at a far lower cost than one based around meat.
Secondly, cutting back on meat and moving to a plant-based diet will make us all healthier. Unlike meat, milk, and eggs, plant-based foods are cholesterol-free, generally low in saturated fat, and high in fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Plant-based foods have been shown to fight obesity, heart disease, diabetes, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
Thirdly, according to the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, it takes up to 10 kg of grain to produce just 1 kg of meat, while the Worldwatch Institute reports that a staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture.
Best of all, giving up meat will help save not just your pocket, your health and the environment, but will also save millions of animals from torment and slaughter. Now that is good news.
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