Spain is the 2nd European country that consumes the most meat

On the occasion of the recent World Meatless Day, Greenpeace has released a report in which it is recorded that Spain ranks second in Europe in terms of meat consumption, only after Luxembourg, with 257 grams per day, five times more than the dietary reference intake. Worldwide, it ranks fourteenth.

The organization remarks that meat production "continues to skyrocket" to the point that Spain is becoming a country that "pollutes its soil, water and air to produce meat which is exported afterwards".

In 2015, Spanish livestock sector was responsible for more than 86 million tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions, almost double that the agricultural sectors. In the same year, pigs produced 60 million of cubic meters of slurry. In terms of acreage, growing food for livestock required 18 million hectares, almost 36% of the total area of Spain.

In addition, Greenpeace stresses that the Spanish livestock sector consumes 48,000 million cubic meters of water.

It calls for "reducing meat and dairy products' consumption and increasing the consumption of products of vegetable origin, from organic and local sources", in order to improve the planet and people's health.

Greenpeace also claims to the Spanish authorities working to reduce meat production and to achieve an average consumption of 300 grams of meat and 630 grams of dairy products per week in 2050, prohibiting the construction of new mega farms. The economic support to be addressed to projects where foods of vegetable origin are predominant. "In particular and urgently, these criteria should be adopted at schools and hospitals' canteens".

"It is inadmissible to support industrial farms which are factories of climate change and environment destruction".

Source: ibercide.ibercaja.es