Dutch town becomes world's first to ban public meat ads

A Dutch city will become the first in the world to ban meat advertisements in public spaces to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Haarlem, which is west of Amsterdam and has a population of around 160,000, will enact the ban from 2024 after meat was added to a list of products deemed to help the climate crisis.

Ads will not be allowed on Haarlem buses, shelters and screens in public spaces, prompting the meat industry to complain that the municipality "goes too far in telling people what is best for them".

< p class="dcr-xry7m2">Recent studies suggest that global food production is responsible for a third of all global warming emissions, the use of animals for meat is twice the pollution of the pro duction of plant-based foods.

Forests that absorb carbon dioxide are cut down for animal grazing while the fertilizers used to grow their foods are high in nitrogen, which can contribute to air and water pollution, climate change and ozone depletion. Livestock also produce large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Ziggy Klazes, a GroenLinks party councilor who drafted the motion banning advertising on meat, said she didn't know the city would be the first in the world to enact such a policy when she proposed it.

She told the radio channel Haarlem105: "We don't care what people cook and roast in their own kitchens; if people wanted to continue eating meat, so much the better… People cannot be told that there is a climate crisis and encourage them to buy products that are part of it.

"Of course, there are many people who find the decision outrageous and condescending, but there also has a lot of people who think it's good.

"It's a signal - if picked up nationally it would only be very b fine. Many GroenLinks groups think it's a good idea and want to try it. ”

The ban also covers holiday flights, fossil fuels and cars running on fossil fuels. . The ban is delayed to 2024 due to existing contracts with the companies selling the products.

There is some opposition in Haarlem council to the move, with critics saying it restricts free speech.

Sander van den Raadt, the leader of the Trots Haarlem group, said: “It is remarkable that the municipality of Haarlem is organizing a large poster campaign so that you can be yourself. even in Haarlem and love whoever you want, but if you like sweet grass meat instead, the "partronizing brigade" will come and tell you that you are completely wrong. , meat consumption must be reduced to 24 kg per person per year, compared to a current average of 82 kg, or 75.8 kg in the Netherlands Ireland, which is the largest meat exporter in the EU. /p>