"Insufficient" data

Study: Meat giants have a massive impact on the climate

The emissions correspond to two thirds (61 percent) of car traffic in Germany.(Bild: APA/dpa-Zentralbild/Jan Woitas)

A meat-heavy diet is not only many times unhealthier, it also causes considerable damage to the climate, as a study from Germany has found. Meat and dairy companies would cause almost two thirds of the emissions from car traffic in Germany.

Meat and dairy production in Germany causes massive damage to the climate, as a study by the environmental organization Germanwatch found out. The level of emissions is surprising: Almost 61 percent - equivalent to two thirds - would be the emissions of car traffic. 

Germanwatch: "incomplete" information 
The companies also provide "incomplete" information on their climate protection efforts and do not present sufficient measures to demonstrate this.

The meat industry association denies Germanwatch's accusation. The agricultural sector, including livestock farming, "exceeded its climate target" last year, countered Managing Director Steffen Reiter. The dairy industry association has not yet commented on the accusations made by Germanwatch.

We expect clear plans from the largest representatives of the industry in particular to significantly reduce their emissions - including in their supply chains.

Christoph Bals, politischer Geschäftsführer von Germanwatch

According to Reiter, many companies in the meat and dairy industry have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative. This makes climate gas emissions and reduction targets comprehensible and transparent. In an international comparison, German livestock farming is "one of the climate world champions".

Climate-related information is "insufficient"
However, this is not enough for Germanwatch: "We expect clear plans from the largest representatives of the industry in particular to significantly reduce their emissions - including in their supply chains," wrote Christoph Bals, Political Director of Germanwatch.

Konstantinos Tsilimekis, lead author of the study, criticized the climate-related information provided by the respective CEOs of the German meat and dairy industries to date as "insufficient, incomplete, non-transparent and inconsistent", despite initial attempts. A query sent to the companies about their emissions and climate protection measures remained unanswered in almost all cases - even after repeated requests.