State Labor MPs push ‘alternative proteins’ - tofu, bugs & algae - to replace meat days before live sheep ban

Five WA Labor MPs recommended the Government provide more support for “alternative proteins” — such as tofu, insects and algae — just two days before it was confirmed live sheep exports would be banned from 2028. The “discussion paper” was tabled to Parliament on the same day State Treasurer Rita Saffioti handed down her first Budget last week. It was researched and authored by the Education and Health standing committee, which is chaired by Gosnells MP Chris Tallentire alongside Maylands MP Lisa Baker, Hillarys MP Caitlin Collins, Dawesville MP Lisa Munday and Pilbara MP Kevin Michel. The report notes Australians eat twice the recommended amount of red meat — putting them at heightened risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease — and that livestock production “takes a toll on the environment” through the use large amounts of land and water, as well as “contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions”. “If we are interested in a diet that is better for the environment and the agriculture sector, kinder to animals and beneficial for our health, we should consider replacing some of the animal-sourced protein on our plate with plant-based protein,” Mr Tallentire said in a media release accompanying the paper. Opposition Leader Shane Love seized on the discussion paper as evidence of an “anti-agriculture agenda” within the WA Labor Party. He said the “ideological drivel” contained in the report “flies in the face of (Premier Roger Cook’s) comments that his Government is committed to the future of WA’s sheep and beef sectors”. “While the do-nothing Premier espouses tokenistic support for our live export industry after the death knell has been sounded, his own MPs are pushing for an end to WA’s billion-dollar livestock industry, exposing the true nature of Labor’s ideology at a State and Federal level,” Mr Love added. On Monday, Mr Cook distanced himself from the committee, saying the discussion paper “does not align with my Government’s strong support for our livestock industries”. “Livestock farmers play a vitally important role in our regional economy and our regional communities,” he said. “Importantly, they provide the top-quality meat that most Western Australians enjoy and rely on to fill their dinner plates and kids’ lunchboxes every week. “That’s why we’ve been clear in our support for our livestock farmers . . . my Government will always back WA farmers and our local meat industry.” The report lists “plant-based alternatives, cultured meat, insects, precision fermentation products like animal fats and dairy products, mycoproteins, algae and bacterial protein” among the potential replacements for meat. “They all have the potential to play a role in transitioning to healthier and more sustainable diets,” the document states. Anticipating resistance, the committee noted “there are barriers to Australians changing their diets, such as the association between masculinity and eating meat”. “Lack of awareness of the impact of food production on climate change also affects motivation to implement change,” the report said. “Social, cultural and traditional factors influence consumer choices, but institutions and public health policies can also influence demand.” The committee said lack of cooking skills meant many Australians accustomed to meat were unsure how to prepare plant-based alternatives. On the subject of insects specifically, the report said it would be a “misnomer to call them them ‘alternative’ in many countries given that they are already consumed by at least two billion people worldwide”. Mr Love said more than 90 per cent of West Australians relied on ready access to “affordable and high-quality base protein” in the form of meat. “It comes as no surprise to find this report was co-authored by staunch anti-agriculture campaigner Lisa Baker, who has previously blamed WA farmers and ‘meat-eating men’ for climate change,” he said. “That same ignorant discourse runs rampant through the report, claiming meat eating is linked to masculinity and devoting pages of the report to cherry picking climate change statistics to suit their argument.” While talking up the potential health, environmental and economic benefits of alternative proteins, the committee recognised many of the options currently on the market also had drawbacks. They included the high comparative cost of plant-based products designed to mimic meats, as well as questions over the nutritional value of items that in some instances are highly processed and contain various additivities, colourants, and large quantities of salt. In addition, the committee wrote some of the key ingredients in many plant-based alternative proteins — such as coconut and palm oil — have been linked to “deforestation and ecosystem disturbances”. Carbon emissions in the transport of meat substitutes, while lower than real meat, were another consideration. “Australian manufacturers of plant-based meat substitutes are currently importing key ingredients because the processing technology required to make meat alternatives does not exist in Australia,” the report said. “Costs are significant—up to hundreds of millions of dollars—and the current economic environment poses a challenge to securing the required funding.” The report concludes that “institutions and public health policies’ have the potential to influence dietary preferences”. Its only recommendation states: “Given the multiple health and environmental benefits and the economic opportunities, the government should provide more support for the development of the alternative proteins industry.”