By now, we all know that we shouldn’t have too much red meat in our diet, but pork is a great alternative for health and the environment, so you don’t have to rule out that Christmas market hog roast bap this year.

The government’s climate change watchdog, the Committee for Climate Change (CCC), said this week that Britain needs to eat less beef and lamb in order to meet CO2 emission targets. The report explained that sheep and cattle have digestive systems that involve enteric fermentation, causing them to emit gases equivalent to 23 million tonnes of CO2 a year.

The committee’s report has warned that this level is so high, according to the Times, that it is affecting any chance of the UK meeting its emissions reduction targets. The report also says that it is consumers that drive demand for red meats and cause emissions and that: “As such, changing dietary patterns in the UK culture would be fundamental to this pathway, with a change from ruminant meat products to pig or poultry meat or plant-based diets.”

While its believed that there is over 600,000 vegans in the UK, a plant-based diet is clearly not for everyone, so educating on the benefits of white meats such as chicken and pork is key to evolving consumer habits.

However, while meat-producers can’t fight the figures on CO2 emissions, they do believe that it is not as simple as the CCC make out. Sheep and cattle both have important roles in the agricultural systems in rural areas, maintaining the landscape and aiding biodiversity.