During the first days of COP26 both of our two Scenario PhD students James Fallon and Kerry Smith, on the ground in Glasgow, had the opportunity to interview Sarah Moyes, a senior campaigns manager at Compassion in World Farming. Sarah has a background in journalism and was engaged in animal welfare, veganism, and environmental issues before joining Compassion in World Farming, an international charity working for improving farming practices for animals. Compassion in World Farming works for a more healthy and sustainable food system, moving towards more free range and organic farming and away from the industrialized farming that we see in most places today.
As they campaign, Compassion in World Farming talks about the importance of a fair transition to sustainable farming. As many rural areas and local communities have farming as their main income, it is important to work together to find a path where interventions don’t take people’s livelihoods away from them. We need to find other possibilities in these areas to secure the incomes and livelihoods of the people living there whilst supporting a green and just transition.
As Sarah discusses the importance of sustainable farming, she also points out that there is only so much that can be done, and that a reduction in meat and dairy consumption remains vital. But she stresses that, as for many other sectors, change is more urgent in certain areas: in this case, the global north. When it comes to meat and dairy reduction, it is the countries with the highest consumption that need to make most change. Across all sectors, the countries that consume the most need to take responsibility for greater reductions.
Regarding the question of public perception and moving away from (high) consumption of meat and dairy, Sarah notes the difficulties in asking people to change their diet. Amongst the many changes needed, a change in food consumption is a very difficult and sensitive one. It needs to be approached both on an individual and a governmental basis. We all need to think about what we eat, but not everyone may find it practical to access a plant-based diet, locally produced or organic food, as it can be more expensive. In this sense, we need to address inequality issues around food as an initial step to dietary change. People in a privileged position need to remember that people with a lower budget might not be able to make the same choices. More options need to be available for everyone, and they need to be more affordable, before we start talking about the shift towards a more plant-based diet. It is therefore important for our governments to look at different ways to make food sustainable, healthy, and affordable for everyone.
Compassion in World Farming participates in COP to start this discussion, and to raise the awareness of the environmental impact of livestock and the emissions from the livestock industry. Although Sarah is disappointed that there is little discussion about livestock and animal agriculture, she hopes that Compassion in World Farming’s voice will be heard and that these issues will be addressed more widely at the next COP.
Written by Martina Frid, PhD COPCAS student
