Ideological agendas must not interfere with the diet of everyday Australians in Mallee, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health and Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is toying with changing the Australian Dietary Guidelines to incorporate environmental sustainability, casting doubt over the future of meat in Australia.

“Changing dietary guidelines based on their environmental impact is a massive overreach,” Dr Webster said.

“The NHMRC are health experts and not an environmental authority, this should be reflected in the advice they are giving. They need to stay in their lane.”

Dr Webster said the “war on meat” pushed by environmentalists compromises a person’s health and would have dire consequences for Mallee’s agriculture-driven economy.

“A balanced diet is key to healthy living and avoiding conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia, which is thought to affect up to 5 per cent of the Australian population,” Dr Webster said.

“It does not make sense to let green activism dictate what we can and can’t eat. Will we have to stop consuming dairy products as well to ‘care for the environment’? The impact on Mallee’s farmers and their contribution to Australia’s bottom line would be horrendous.”

“New Zealand has gone down that path with their ridiculous methane tax on cow emissions, which has thankfully been ruled out for now by Agriculture Minister Murray Watt. It is ideology on steroids. Of course, the Prime Minister said he wasn’t going to change the Stage 3 Tax Cuts either so Mallee voters cannot trust any promise this Government makes.”

The NHMRC are set to update the Australian Dietary Guidelines by the end of 2026.