The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says eating less meat can help reduce the risk of coronavirus and save the environment.
The global body gave the advice while announcing a new Chatham House report on Wednesday.
Speaking on the report, Philip Lymbery of Compassion in World Farming, called for caution by humans.
“At a time when so much of the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s never been more obvious that the well-being of people and animals, wild and farmed, are intertwined,” he said.
UNEP warned that if ecosystems are continually destroyed, the population’s food supply will be endangered.
The document called for a shift to plant-based foods and protection of lands.
Renowned primatologist, Jane Goodall said intensive farming of billions of animals globally damages the environment.
She stressed that this causes “loss of biodiversity, producing massive greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate global warming”.
