Beef farmers are expressing outrage as the Federal Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has declared that the upcoming 2026 update of its official dietary recommendations will include an assessment of the environmental impact of specific foods on climate change.
Federal Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, said the NHMRC should focus on providing Australians with expert health and nutrition advice, not incorporating woke ideological agendas into dietary guidelines.
“The NHMRC are health experts, not environmental experts. Their announcement that Australians should consume less steak and lamb in favour for chicken is driven purely by ideology rather than common sense. The reality is that dietary guidelines should be about food, not an agenda.
“Our farmers are already doing the hard work to reduce emissions, yet they continue to be targeted by Labor’s ideologies.
“Eliminating meat, a crucial and fundamental food source, would significantly affect people’s health. Meat is rich in micronutrients not found in other foods. This perspective reflects a failure to consider the facts and overlooks the real scientific evidence. With 1 in 5 Australian women iron deficient, now is not the time to be pushing a reduction in red meat consumption,” Ms Landry said.
Local cattle grazier and Chair of Australian Beef Sustainability Framework, Mark Davie said there are concerns around the negative connotations that are being applied to the consumption of red meat.
“There is a risk that the National Health and Medical Research Council are pushing an agenda, rather than nutritional and medical advice.
“It must be questioned how the NHMRC can assess one food source against the other without taking into consideration the additional benefits to factors such as soil health or biodiversity,” Mr Davie said.
