DUTCH MUNICIPALITIES TO BAN MEAT AND DAIRY ADS IN PUBLIC SPACES
The promotion of meat and dairy products in public places has been outlawed in two Dutch municipalities: Bloemendaal in North Holland and Utrecht, the nation’s fourth-largest municipality.
The coalition parties D66, VVD, and PvdA recently reached a majority in the Municipality of Bloemendaal to forbid meat and dairy advertisements on billboards, posters, and other advertising spaces under the municipality’s management.
Products that rely on fossil fuels, such as combustion engine cars and airline tickets, are forbidden, according to the local media.
According to Noordhollands Dagblad, the municipality released a statement stating that it is dedicated to taking the required steps to lower CO2 emissions and that the production and delivery of animal feed causes deforestation and the emission of greenhouse gases, which in turn contributes to global warming.
Similar to this, the Utrecht City Council decided at the end of October to outlaw meat advertisements in public spaces, according to AD, the local media. Advertisements for gambling and alcoholic beverages will also be prohibited.
These programs come after the Municipality of Haarlem, which is also the capital of North Holland, decided in 2022 to outlaw these kinds of ads beginning in 2024. Additionally, North Holland was the first province to approve a ban on meat, fish, and fossil products in advertisements.
Eliminating meat production subsidies.
The European Commission has been debating where to distribute agricultural subsidies in the future in the meantime.
During a recent EU meeting, Piet Adema, the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality for the Netherlands, stated that the EU should never give subsidies for the production of meat.
According to Boerderij, he contended that subsidies ought to go toward healthy, sustainable products, in line with the larger European policy that promotes sustainable production while lowering the consumption of meat and alcohol.
With the goal of reducing the nation’s total emissions by half by 2030, the Dutch government has been working to put into effect a policy to restrict nitrogen emissions, which are mostly brought on by animal agriculture. Farmers staged large-scale protests against the measures in March.
It is important to note that, according to reports, meat product sales have been falling for nine straight quarters in the Netherlands, with a 13% decline from the first quarter of 2019.
One of the main reasons for the shift is thought to be higher prices and decreased purchasing power. The nation also boasts one of Europe’s busiest markets for plant-based foods.
“Meat has always been a product that requires an enormous amount of raw materials. To make one kilogram of meat, you need up to ten kilograms of grain. Now, in times of scarcity, that takes its toll,” said Pablo Moleman of ProVeg Netherlands.