A just transition in the meat sector: why, who and how?

The report argues that transitioning away from industrial meat production is essential for climate and health goals but requires a 'just transition' framework to protect vulnerable stakeholders. It identifies five key stakeholder groups—consumers, farmers, workers, communities, and companies—and outlines five guiding principles for policy-makers: phasing down industrial meat support, increasing support for sustainable alternatives, ensuring inclusive planning, providing offset support for adverse impacts, and addressing root causes of injustice.

• Industrial meat production is a major driver of environmental degradation, with animal-based food production contributing an estimated 16.5% or more of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• High-income countries in the Global North should lead the dietary transition due to their higher consumption levels and greater capacity to implement change, aligning with the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities'.
• Low-income consumers in developed nations may be disproportionately affected by rising meat prices, particularly those living in 'food deserts' where fresh produce is scarce.
• Farmers face significant risks during the transition, including the potential for 'stranded assets' such as specialized climate-controlled barns and high levels of debt to suppliers.
• Workers in the meat supply chain, particularly in the US and Europe, are often from marginalized or migrant groups and face precarious conditions and high health risks.
• Rural communities dependent on meat production may suffer economic decline and loss of social cohesion, although they could benefit from reduced air and water pollution.
• A few large conglomerates dominate the global meat market and possess the power to either drive the transition or block it through lobbying.
• The report proposes five guiding principles for a just transition: phasing down industrial meat support, supporting sustainable alternatives, inclusive planning, providing offset support, and addressing root causes of injustice.
• Cultivated meat offers a potential analogue for consumers resistant to plant-based diets, but its industrialization risks reinforcing centralized food system monopolies.
• The Dutch nitrogen crisis serves as a cautionary example of how delaying transition steps and lacking inclusivity can lead to severe social resistance and protests.

APA

Verkuijl, C., Strambo, C., Hocquet, R., Butterfield, R., Achakulwisut, P., Boyland, M., Araújo, J. A. V., Bakhtaoui, I., Smit, J., Lima, M. B., & Green, J. (2022). A just transition in the meat sector: why, who and how? Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/just-transition-meat-sector.pdf

Chicago

Verkuijl, Cleo, Claudia Strambo, Robin Hocquet, Ruth Butterfield, Ploy Achakulwisut, Michael Boyland, José Antonio Vega Araújo, et al. A just transition in the meat sector: why, who and how? Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/just-transition-meat-sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{verkuijl2022just, author = {Verkuijl, Cleo and Strambo, Claudia and Hocquet, Robin and Butterfield, Ruth and Achakulwisut, Ploy and Boyland, Michael and Araújo, José Antonio Vega and Bakhtaoui, Inès and Smit, Jessie and Lima, Mairon Bastos and Green, Jonathan}, title = {{A just transition in the meat sector: why, who and how?}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/just-transition-meat-sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }