A UK MEP has recently called for VAT to be applied on “processed and factory-farmed meat” in order to help combat the effects of climate change.

Consumers also need to change their eating habits, according to Molly Scott Cato – a Green MEP for the south-west of England and Gibraltar.

“It is clear that we need to change our eating habits and reduce our meat consumption – but, also challenge the corporate giants and their damaging policies – if we are to keep the global temperature rise to less than 2°C.

For those of us who do eat meat, we need to eat less of it and eat better quality meat when we do.

“Applying VAT on processed and factory-farmed meat could be used to subsidise healthier foods so everyone can access affordable healthy fruit and vegetables,” she said.

The MEP believes that this approach would also act as an incentive to small-scale and organic farmers, as well as holding the “giant meat and dairy producers to account for their poor standards”.

Meanwhile, Brexit could further encourage global meat and dairy corporations to expand in the UK and undermine the country’s many small-scale farmers, the MEP warned.

“The giant meat and dairy corporations produce vast amounts of highly-subsidised meat and dairy products in a handful of countries.

They then export their surpluses to the rest of the world, undercutting millions of small-scale farmers across the globe.

“When Brexiteers proclaim cheaper food post-Brexit we should be clear what this means: it will be a result of some dodgy trade deals with countries that will flood our market with low-quality meat and dairy, produced by corporations that use industrial and factory farming methods.

“This is bad news for consumer health and animal welfare and will devastate the small-scale farmers who work hard to meet much higher EU standards,” she concluded.