Don’t eat up the claim, peddled by the Coalition and conservative media, that greenies are ‘coming for your steak’

Australians have already shifted from beef and lamb and towards less emissions-intensive pork and chicken in recent decades, a report says. Photograph: Manfred Gottschalk/Getty Images

The notion that “greenies” are coming for the Aussie barbecue and want to rip that eye fillet from your cold dead hands is a recurring culture war flash point for many conservatives.

Last week came a flood of media stories and furious commentary that claimed the government’s Climate Change Authority (CCA) had recommended people eat less red meat to bring down greenhouse gas emissions.