Thanksgiving is coming soon, and everyone here in the United States will be enjoying a massive repast to mark the holiday. Turkey and all the trimmings are traditional, although my folks always had a huge pork roast - the Old Man was fond of stumping the kid at the meat counter in the local grocery store by asking for a "green ham," meaning an uncured ham for roasting.
And in the meantime, well, who doesn't like a good steak or a cheeseburger now and then? Our favorite Susitna Valley, Alaska eating place, which we visit every Saturday, makes a great burger - a hand-shaped patty that I always get with bacon, pepper jack cheese, and candied jalapenos. In so doing I observe a great American tradition - I eat what suits me.
But in the once-Great Britain, scolds are urging Brits to cut meat consumption by half - because of climate change.
Britain must cut its meat and dairy consumption by up to 50pc to meet the latest net zero targets, the Government’s climate watchdog has said.
The Climate Change Committee said in an ideal scenario, meat and dairy consumption should halve by 2050 and products be substituted with plant-based options.
The proposals are part of new net zero targets that have been recommended to Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary.
In a letter to Mr Miliband, the committee said the Government must cut CO2 emissions by 81pc by 2035 when compared to the benchmark year of 1990. This would amount to a reduction of 200m tonnes from the current level of 384m tonnes.
In an ideal scenario, of course, the British people should be able to eat what they please. Isn't the United Kingdom still a quasi-free country? These are the people who saw off the Romans, who stood alone against Hitler, and now are we to believe that they will allow climate scolds to, as the British saying goes, put them off their feed?
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Perhaps not. The British people might have something to say about that; at least one company selling expensive meat substitutes has fallen on hard times due to low sales.
Marlow Foods sank deeper into the red during the last financial year, as sales fell by 6.9pc to hit £205m, which led to almost 100 jobs being shed as part of a restructuring programme.
It comes amid a broader slump in the popularity of veganism across the UK, as costly plant-based products fall increasingly out of favour among hard-up shoppers. According to Marlow Foods’ latest accounts, Quorn’s sales across retailers fell by 8.6pc in the 12 months to December 2023.
Here's the problem: This isn't a climate-change "solution" that's liable to go over easily. The Brits I have known, and in my time I've known a few, are too fond of their roast beef and steak and kidney pie to just give it up to save a degree or two in climate change over the next century.
So, what if it's not voluntary? The CCC is willing to coerce:
Mr Forster did not specify how the UK could reduce meat eating but options could include reducing subsidies for livestock, taxing meat products and a clampdown by regulators on advertising.
Someone is channeling Shakespeare's Henry V here - "...for if requiring fail, he will compel." That threat was issued to the King of France - but this one is issued to the British people. And make no mistake, some political figures and bureaucrats would like to see the same thing happen here.
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Now, I might be sold on reducing subsidies; I'm not a big fan of subsidies for anything at any time. It's not the business of government to pick marketplace winners and losers. But in most of the Western world, the various governments have so many fingers in so many pies that one can't just shut off one or two subsidies without making things an even bigger mess; either the whole mess has to go or none of it does. Look at the other alternatives: Taxing meat products and a clampdown by regulators on advertising. That's a punitive taxation scheme - and a complete abrogation of free speech by producers. That's unthinkable in the United States - at least, we hope it is - but evidently, some British regulators are thinking it's not at all a bad idea.
I've said it before and I'll go on saying it: It's not about climate. It's not about CO2 or methane. It's about control. It's always about control. Once you realize that, the rest all begins to make sense. And once more, next Tuesday is Election Day; one side, the Democrats, would have someone like Camila Thorndike - see the link just above - making these kinds of decisions for the United States of America. Remember that.
