Plans to tell families to eat less meat could be death-knell for the Sunday roast

Daily Mail​

23-05-2025

Scots families face being told to eat less meat and farmers to cut the number of sheep and cattle under the SNP 's push for Net Zero.
The Scottish Government's climate advisers have demanded a 30 per drop in meat consumption and a 36 per cent cut in sheep and cattle numbers to hit the 2045 target.
Farmers said the 'deeply concerning' plans would 'devastate' hard-pressed businesses and issued a warning over the threat to the traditional Sunday roast.
With more than 90 per cent of Scottish beef and 80 per cent of Scots lamb sold in the UK, the Scottish Conservatives warned ministers not to treat farmers as 'easy targets' in the scramble for Net Zero.
Scottish Tory rural affairs spokesman Tim Eagle, who runs a sheep farm near Buckie, Moray, said: 'These overarching recommendations could spell the death knell for the ever-popular Sunday roast.
'Everyone needs to do their bit to tackle climate change, but it looks as though the committee have earmarked farmers to be an easy target once again.
'Killing off millions of livestock and asking people to drop their red meat consumption isn't just unrealistic, it threatens a way of life.
'The way to achieving net zero ambitions is by bringing key sectors such as agriculture along with the rest of us but instead they will feel vilified by these proposals.'
The independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) this week set out a 'balanced pathway' to end Scotland's net carbon emissions.
Relying on 'immediate action at pace and scale', the plan would cost £750million a year over 25 years and requires huge changes in vehicle use, home heating and energy generation.
But the fine print also contained stark proposals for agriculture.
As well as restoring peatland and tree planting to absorb carbon, the CCC called for 'a reduction in meat (especially beef and lamb) and dairy consumption within overall healthier diets' so farmers can 'diversify income streams' and produce 'lower carbon foods'.
Cattle and sheep numbers should drop 26 per cent by 2035 and by 36 per cent by 2045, with average meat consumption down 20 per cent by 2035 and 30 per cent by 2045.
The report said: 'Households consuming on average 30 per cent less meat and 20 per cent less dairy by 2045 reduces emissions directly from livestock and frees up land to enable peatland restoration, tree planting, and energy crops.'
The Tories said it implied culling millions of animals.
The CCC says the 'exact pathway and policies' are for ministers and MSPs to decide.
According to the annual agricultural census, there were 6.5 million sheep and lambs in Scotland last June and 1.7million cattle and calves, including 650,000 beef and 266,000 dairy cows.
There were also 12 million poultry, 315,000 pigs and 16,000 farmed deer.
Sales of Scottish beef and lamb across the UK were worth £750 million in 2023. With 63 per cent of Scottish beef and 58 per cent sheep meat sold to the rest of the UK, a livestock slump would hit eating habits nationwide.
The National Farmers Union Scotland said the proposed cuts to sheep and cattle numbers were 'deeply concerning' and would 'devastate' low-profit hill farms in particular.
Scotland President Andrew Connon said: 'We must be crystal clear: slashing livestock numbers is not the solution.
'Scottish agriculture is already among the most climate-efficient in the world with many farmers already adopting new technologies, renewable energy and nature-friendly practices.
'With the right backing, we can go further but that journey must be fair, practical and properly supported.'
Holyrood's Climate Change Act of 2009 set a target for reducing 'greenhouse gas emissions' by 80 per cent by 2050, but this was changed in 2019 to eliminating them by 2045, with interim targets for 2020, 2030 and 2040.
SNP ministers were forced to ditch the interim targets but they kept the overarching goal of Net Zero by 2045.
Tory analysis of emissions figures suggests it will take until 2080 to reach Net Zero at the current pace. Net Zero spokesman Douglas Lumsden said: 'If the SNP remain wedded to hitting 2045, this report makes it clear households will suffer eye-watering costs being imposed, or there will have to be drastic changes in lifestyles.'