Australian Meat Consumption Is at Its Lowest Point in 25 Years

Meat consumption in Australia has dropped to its lowest point in 25 years, and it’s expected to keep shrinking, according to data from market research company IBISWorld.

The report found that concern for the environment is an important driver of the shift, since animal agriculture is one of the main causes of climate change. Awareness of environmental issues has risen by 1.2% annually over the past five years.

The Food of the Future Is Vegan

Aussies’ recent shift towards a vegan lifestyle is a far cry from the data collected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2015, which showed that the nation had the highest meat consumption of any country, earning it the dishonourable title of “the meat-eating capital of the world”.

But things have been rapidly changing for the better. These days, Australia consistently tops Google Trends for searches about vegan living, and we’re the third fastest–growing market for vegan food in the world. Plant-based meats, cheeses, ice creams, and more have exploded onto supermarket shelves and restaurant menus everywhere.

In the next year, meat consumption in Australia is expected to fall by another 10%.

Reduce Meat, Reduce Suffering for All

The meat industry’s impact on greenhouse-gas emissions, water security, and land clearing is certainly reason enough to swap your beef burger for a Beyond Burger, but it’s a decision that benefits the world in so many other ways.

Every year, billions of animals are bred to suffer and be killed for their flesh. Humans cram cows into barren, faeces-filled feedlots; put pigs into gas chambers, where they writhe and scream in pain as they suffocate; dismember lambs for “chops” and chickens for “nuggets”; and pull fish out of their ocean homes to suffocate to death. Every single one of them fights to stay alive.

Cows have been observed playing with balls, pigs prefer sleeping nose to nose, lambs wag their tails just like dogs when they’re happy, chickens are protective parents, and fish feel pain and suffer just as we – and all other animals – do.

Then there’s the fact that workers in slaughterhouses and on factory farms are often some of the poorest and most exploited people in the country. “Perpetrator-induced traumatic stress” (PITS) refers to the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by slaughterhouse workers, which include depression and suicidal thoughts. Australian research found that aggression levels among slaughterhouse workers were so high that they were “similar to some reported for incarcerated populations”.

You can help stop this violence and suffering by leaving meat, eggs, and dairy out of your shopping trolley every week and filling it with vegan products instead. Are you ready to get started? Let us help you: