Addressing the Impacts of Red Meat Consumption: Lessons from Australia’s Tobacco Control Regime

Abstract

In spite of the negative impacts red meat consumption is having on public health and the environment, the issue is largely absent from environmental politics literature. This thesis will address this gap by considering potential policy mechanisms to mitigate the impacts of red meat consumption, barriers these policies might face, and how these could be overcome. Using Australia as a case study, a comparative analysis between Australia’s tobacco control regime and red meat consumption is conducted, supplemented by stakeholder interviews. This comparison is framed around the main influences on policy outcomes; ideas, interests, and institutions. The analysis highlights the essential roles of awareness-raising, cohesive policy networks, and a gradual increase in interventionism for ensuring policy regime success. It also demonstrates the larger scale of barriers for policy addressing the impacts of red meat consumption, and the potential policy windows that are opening due to a shift in meat consumption patterns.