Climate plan telling people to eat less meat deleted

A hastily-deleted government research paper on changing public behaviour to hit net-zero climate targets recommends "shifting dietary habits" towards plant-based foods, the BBC can reveal.

The paper also suggests promoting more domestic tourism and portraying business travel as an "immoral indulgence" to cut down on flying.

The research paper was swiftly deleted after being published by the Department for Business (Beis) on Tuesday.

The paper was not policy, it said.

"This was an academic research paper drafted by external organisations, not government policy. We have no plans whatsoever to dictate consumer behaviour in this way. For that reason, our Net Zero Strategy published yesterday contained no such plans."

The Behavioural Insights Unit, also known as the Nudge Unit - which is most known for its role in the design of the Sugar Levy and early comments on the pandemic "herd immunity" strategy - wrote the document.

It was swiftly deleted and has been replaced with a note saying it was published in error, but the BBC has obtained a copy.

In a chapter in the deleted document titled "Applications to Net Zero Policy", under the subheading "Diet Changes", researchers recommend following the example of the sugar levy with a tax on producers or retailers of "high-carbon foods" to incentivise "reformulation and diversification" towards more plant-based and local food types.

It suggests "building support for a bold policy", such as a "producer-facing carbon tax on ruminant products" - a reference to sheep and cattle meat - however, it stats that an "unsophisticated meat tax would be highly regressive".

The research paper also argues the government can begin to normalise plant-based food through its spending at hospitals, schools, prisons, courts and military facilities. It also states a "timely moment to intervene" diets could be to target people attending university of first time renters.

However, the document recognises that "asking people to directly eat less meat and dairy is a major political challenge, though positive framing and smaller asks may be possible (eg learn one new recipe)".

On aviation, the paper suggests "much stronger carbon taxes", and trying to "shift social norms" to make in-person business meetings requiring international flights a sign of "immoral indulgence or embarrassment".

Meanwhile, it says domestic purism should be promoted to lessen consumer demand for international flights.

A source at the Department for Business told the BBC the document was an "academic research paper drafted by external organisations" and was "not government policy".

"We have no plans whatsoever to dictate consumer behaviour in this way. For that reason, our net zero strategy published yesterday contained no such plans," the source added.