A new research project funded by the UK Research Councils Rural Economy and Land Use programme has found that the five-a-day campaign, if stringently followed by UK consumers, could lead to major changes in land use.
The study claimed that if consumers followed the government's advice to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, a subsequent lesser need for red meat would lead to cattle and sheep numbers dropping substantially, Farmers Weekly reported.
Welsh numbers could fall by up to 400,000 and cattle number could be halved, while both cattle and sheep numbers could fall by 200,000 with some areas abandoned altogether, the research suggested.
Meanwhile, the need for fruit and vegetables would lead to a greater need for intensive production – with more polytunnels springing up as a result.
'Undoubtedly the UK government has a duty to promote the health of the population and within this research we have been looking at the most effective ways of doing that, whether by fiscal measures, social marketing, or by trying to enhance the nutritional qualities of the foods that people eat,' said Bruce Traill, professor of agricultural and food economics at the University of Reading. 'There is potential in all of these approaches, if they are targeted effectively.
'But we do have to consider the potential unintended consequences of policies. For rural communities, such as the dairying industries of south west England and upland areas of the UK these could be far-reaching and need to be taken into account,' he added.
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