policy

Policy

The FAIRR Initiative has launched a new policy workstream where we will engage with governments, regulators, industry bodies and investors to promote a greater understanding of the ESG risks surrounding intensive animal agriculture and build increased engagement around sustainable policies and business practices.

For more information, please contact: Helena Wright, Policy Director

Where's the Beef?

Join investors in highlighting the critical need to reduce the global GHG emissions of the animal agriculture sector, and the opportunities presented by COP26 to foreground protein production and consumption in the climate conversation.

Visit Where’s the Beef?

23 %

of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the period 2007-2016 came from agriculture, forestry and other land use.

90 %+

of current NDCs fail to account for the whole food system.

New Policy Paper

In March 2021, the FAIRR Initiative launched a new policy white paper looking at the alignment of agricultural finance with the Paris Climate Agreement in two main areas:

  • In terms of public finance flows to agriculture, the paper summarises existing available data and research with a particular focus on subsidies and taxation, before covering likely future policy responses in the agriculture and food sector. The alignment of flows of public finance with climate goals also has implications for investors, companies and farmers.
  • In terms of private finance flows to agriculture, the paper explains how actions and coalitions led by other private actors, including investors, banks, and corporates, contribute to alignment. FAIRR’s own research contributes to this by providing data to investors on the climate and deforestation risks at major protein producers, and by enabling investors to conduct climate stress testing on their portfolio.

​To access the new FAIRR Policy White Paper: Aligning Agricultural Finance with the Paris Agreement, please click the button below:

View Report

Previous Policy Papers

Explore FAIRR’s policy paper on meat tax: The Livestock Levy: Progress Report which builds on a 2017 White Paper through three main areas:

  • Policy discussions: The report assesses recent policy discussions on the issue of extra taxes on meat, including a study commissioned by the Dutch Government into ‘fair meat prices’ and the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Bill in New Zealand which means livestock emissions at the farm level will be taxed within the country’s Emissions Trading Schemes from 2025.
  • Ascendency of climate: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (a zoonotic disease that has transferred from animals to humans) the human health issues connected with meat are currently in the spotlight. The report finds that, in addition to these growing health concerns, the environmental impact of meat has become particularly pressing for policymakers, and is likely to create material risks for investors to consider.
  • Transition crops: The report says that progressive legislation will likely tie incoming revenues from meat taxes to specific societal benefits such as lower prices of fruit and vegetables or support to farmers to help transition to more climate-friendly produce.
View Report