Dutch Minister of Finance, Minister Hoekstra, sent a proposal for a fair price for meat and cheaper fruit and vegetables (starting in 2023) to the House of Representatives. This relates to the positive outcome of calculations by top officials that the State Secretary of Finance promised to the House of Representatives last November, based on a proposal from the True Animal Protein Price Coalition (TAPP Coalition).
Since 2018, this broad coalition has advocated the importance of a fair price for meat and dairy products. Pier Vellinga, chairman of the TAPP Coalition, stated: “We are delighted that our binding proposal, which does justice to everyone, is increasingly being heard at the administrative and political level. We have already measured that a majority of the Dutch population supports this proposal. We call on political parties to incorporate these proposals into their election programs. It provides benefits for everyone: cheaper fruit and vegetables, extra money for implementing sustainable solutions on farms, lower health care costs, a cleaner environment and more animal welfare.” Previous surveys of Dutch citizens have already shown that the majority of consumers support the proposal; on the condition that the extra money paid for meat really flows back to these positive goals (63% agree and VVD liberal voters support the plan the most).
Proceeds of higher meat price for everyone
The plan of the TAPP Coalition is to allocate the proceeds of the fairer price in a fund that is used to make fruit and vegetables cheaper. In addition, a large part (33-50%) can be used to make the agricultural sector more sustainable. There is also room to increase the health care allowance or to lower taxes and increase benefits, so that the purchasing power remains the same for Dutch people with lower incomes.
Effect on health care system, health, environment and agriculture
According to researchers, the proposal is (net) positive for the economy and also good for consumers. Overall, people with a low to middle incomes will see their situation improve slightly. Anyone who eats less meat and more vegetables or meat substitutes will also benefit. Consumers will eat healthier, which will maintain or improve their health. As a result, the continuously rising healthcare costs will start to decrease. Because less meat and more vegetables will be eaten, as of 2025 the number of new diabetes patients will decrease by 7.6% (4434 people), the number of people with strokes will decrease by 2.7% (2883 people), and the number of people with colon cancer will decrease by decrease 2.9% (454 people). Furthermore, this proposal will reduce CO2 emissions (2 Mton CO2), save 18 million cubic meters of water, and reduce the amount of animal feed needed and the number of animals slaughtered.
Next week, the TAPP Coalition will start a petition in the Netherlands to accelerate the introduction of a fair meat price.
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