Households urged to swap Christmas turkey with cabbage soup to save the planet

Wildlife conservation charity WWF said if we really care about the damage we are doing to the globe, we would seriously consider binning our turkey dinner with all the trimmings

Folk have been urged to swap their traditional turkey dinner for a bowl of cabbage soup on Christmas Day to save the planet.

Do-gooders said if we really care about the damage we are doing to the globe, we would seriously consider binning our turkey dinner with all the trimmings to replace it with a bowl of blitzed vegetables.

Wildlife conservation charity WWF said opting for plant based options for your main meal this Christmas could help to reduce manmade greenhouse gas emissions. The charity’s chiefs shared their top sustainability tips on a blog post and linked to a list of “planet-friendly recipes” for “inspiration” including bean burgers, vegetable crumbles and red cabbage soups.

In the post, the charity advised: “Help to reduce the demand for meat by adding meat-free alternatives to your meal plans. If you are hosting a festive gathering, try out some new vegetarian or vegan dishes and help encourage more plant-based meal habits.

“The livestock industry generates 14.5% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions, and livestock require huge amounts of space, water and feed, all of which contributes to their global footprint.”

But not all share the same viewpoint.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, has urged the public to stick to traditional meats like turkey and goose this Christmas.

He said: “If people want to slurp on cabbage soup for Christmas, that’s their business. I, however, alongside the vast bulk of the UK public, will be tucking into a delicious bit of high-welfare, locally reared turkey and ham. Livestock farming in this country is among the most sustainable in the world and the only wish I have this Christmas is that people buy British and support our amazing farmers.”

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