Meaty issue: Coles and AgForce address meat free controversy

Coles have back-pedalled following a meeting with AgForce regarding the controversial meat-free magazine debacle and producer uproar.

GOT BEEF: Agforce CEO Michael Guerin said

Following the recent ‘go meat free’ controversy which had Australian meat producers up in arms, Coles has since back-pedalled in a bid to assure Australia’s livestock sector of its strong and ongoing support.

The article, which appeared in a recent edition of Coles’ January magazine consisted of a list of healthy eating tips, one of which stated, “eating less meat was good for the environment” and impacted positively on a person’s health.

Coles has since met with AgForce representatives to clarify that the statement did not reflect the company’s attitude to the work being done across the livestock industry to improve sustainability outcomes, or the role that meat can play in a balanced diet, and has amended the online version of the article accordingly.

Coles was encouraging customers to limit their intake of saturated fats and consider switching animal products for “flat mushrooms, sweet potato, butternut pumpkin, or canned beans or lentils in your cooking”.

Recently Coles argued there were 50 per cent more recipes calling for animal products in its magazine than vegan ones, claiming it was “committed to working towards a sustainable future that supports local farmers and food producers”.

The message in the magazine’s digital form has since been changed and the information about eating less meat being good for the environment had been removed.

It was changed to instead say, “eating vegetarian meals a couple of times a week is a great way to enjoy more veg in your diet, while cutting down on saturated fats”.

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said he welcomed the comments from Coles and hoped the supermarket giant’s stance would set an example for others to end the unjust, unsubstantiated bashing of the red-meat industry in this country.

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin.

“AgForce and the entire farming community commends the leadership shown by Coles,” Mr Guerin said.

“Representatives we met with said they recognised the incredibly good sustainability work being done within the red meat sector and the wider agriculture industry.

“Coles has a fantastic relationship with our nation’s farmers and they obviously want that to continue for the years and decades to come, as does the industry.”

Mr Guerin claimed the way red meat in the ways it is farmed in Australia is very sustainable and is an integral part of a healthy, balanced diet.

“For decades now the red-meat and agriculture sector has been the target of ill informed, incredibly sophisticated, well-trained, well-resourced, anti-farming lobby groups and social and environment activists singing from the hymn sheets of decades old science that was cherrypicked back then and is kept alive now by sections of the medical fraternity harbouring shocking conflicts of interest,” he said.

“This misinformation is damaging the health of millions around the world and costing farming families who only want to feed the rest of us their livelihoods.

“There is no substantiated proof that saturated fats found in red meat are damaging to a person’s health. In fact, there are now dozens and dozens of long-term studies that prove the opposite – that is that saturated fat is necessary as part of a healthy diet.”

Mr Guerin also said the red meat sector is investing heavily into being carbon neutral by 2030.

“No other sector in this country has done more than agriculture over the past few decades to fight global warming – we are the only industry that has increased productivity while at the same time reducing emissions,” he said.

Queensland grazier and AgForce member Adam Coffey from Miriam Vale expressed his opposition to the message in a post to Twitter, questioning where the retail giant was sourcing facts suggesting animal farming was bad for the environment.

“Hey Coles would you care to reference your statement regarding meat and the environment and/or let us know who is driving your vegan agenda,” he wrote.

Mr Coffey said the red-meat industry had been caught napping somewhat by the relentless, ongoing attacks on red meat producers.

“It’s death by a thousand cuts, and by negative one-liners from people who don’t understand agriculture or have an agenda to destroy the industry,” Mr Coffey said.

“The problem is that when other people hear this or read it without doing their own research, they form an incorrect view of agriculture.

“They understandably feel guilty due to health and environmental issues when they read this stuff, especially when they don’t realise it isn’t true.

“That was why so many farmers I’ve spoken to during the past days had a problem with the information printed in the Coles magazine.”

Mr Coffey said he felt a terrific sense of relief after attending the meeting with Coles.

“It’s empowering for producers to know we have their support. To know that they have acknowledged an error in publishing the comments. To hear from them that they don’t consider us the bad guys as some like to paint us as,” he said.

“On my own property we’re doing everything we can to look after our animals and protect and actually improve the land. We believe we can have positive environmental impacts on what we do.

“We are constantly investing in and working on reducing erosion and run-off, sequestering carbon, conserving soil moisture, and increasing biodiversity.

“We know we’re not the bad guys. We’re all about producing good, clean, sustainable food. The story of agriculture is actually a very positive one if you take the time to learn about it.”