More people are choosing to eat less meat than in the past.
A full IELTS Writing Task 2 answer to this question, with a paragraph plan, ideas you can use, and the vocabulary that fits this topic.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
More people are choosing to eat less meat than in the past.
Why do you think this is happening? What effect will it have on farming?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
How to read this question
The second question asks specifically about the effect on <em>farming</em>, which is narrower than the environment or health — answering with general environmental benefits misses it. The useful observation is that reduction is not the same as elimination: a broad shift to eating somewhat less meat changes what farms produce and how they are financed far more than a small number of people giving it up entirely.
Paragraph plan
Introduction — Paraphrase, then signpost both answers: the shift is driven by environmental awareness, cost and the arrival of credible substitutes; the effect on farming is restructuring rather than collapse.
Body 1 — Why — climate information reaching consumers, rising meat prices, health advice, and substitutes that are finally acceptable.
Body 2 — Effects on farming — falling volumes but rising value in quality meat, land released for other uses, and severe pressure on intensive producers with narrow margins.
Conclusion — The transition is manageable in aggregate and painful in particular places, which is where policy should be aimed.
Model essay
Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
336 words
An increasing number of individuals are curbing their meat consumption compared to previous decades. This shift is primarily driven by health awareness and environmental concerns, and I am convinced that it will compel farmers to fundamentally restructure their operations.
The foremost reason behind this dietary shift is heightened awareness of the health risks associated with excessive meat consumption. To clarify, extensive research linking red and processed meat to cardiovascular disease and certain cancers has been widely disseminated through documentaries, social media and public health campaigns, prompting many consumers to reconsider their eating habits. Moreover, growing environmental consciousness has reinforced this trend. Given that livestock farming is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation, environmentally minded consumers increasingly perceive plant-based diets as a means of reducing their ecological footprint. This awareness has been further amplified by widely publicised reports comparing the carbon footprint of meat production with that of plant-based alternatives.
This shift is likely to compel considerable transformation within the agricultural sector. To illustrate, as demand for meat gradually contracts, livestock farmers may be forced to downsize their herds or diversify into crop cultivation and plant-based protein production, such as soy or lentils, to remain financially viable. Furthermore, this transition could stimulate greater investment in alternative protein industries, including laboratory-grown meat and plant-based substitutes, generating entirely new agricultural business models and export opportunities. However, farmers who fail to adapt swiftly, particularly those in regions historically dependent on livestock, may face serious economic hardship, underscoring the necessity of governmental support, such as subsidies for transitioning to alternative crops, during this transitional period.
To conclude, while health consciousness and environmental concerns primarily explain the decline in meat consumption, this trend will likely necessitate substantial restructuring within farming, rewarding those who diversify while posing considerable risk to farmers who resist change.
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to read the rest of this essay and unlock every model on the site.
This is a problem and solution question. The essay above shows you what a strong answer looks like when it is finished. What it cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in forty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the essay is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Introduction: Paraphrase that meat consumption is falling and state that this will force significant restructuring in farming.
Body 1: Argue the decline is driven by widely publicised health research linking meat to disease, and by environmental concern over livestock's emissions and deforestation footprint.
Body 2: Argue farming must restructure — herds shrinking, farmers diversifying into crops or plant-protein production, and investment growing in alternatives like lab-grown meat — with slow-adapting livestock farmers needing government support.
Conclusion: Summarise that health and environmental motives explain the shift, and that diversifying farmers will fare better than those resisting change.
Word or phrase
Meaning
Used in a sentence
curbing
reducing or restricting something
An increasing number of individuals are curbing their meat consumption.
widely disseminated
spread broadly to many people
research...has been widely disseminated through documentaries, social media and public health campaigns
ecological footprint
the impact of a person's or industry's activities on the environment
consumers increasingly perceive plant-based diets as a means of reducing their ecological footprint
contracts
shrinks or decreases
as demand for meat gradually contracts
diversify
to expand into a variety of different areas or products
livestock farmers may be forced to downsize their herds or diversify into crop cultivation
financially viable
capable of being sustained profitably
to remain financially viable
alternative protein industries
sectors producing non-traditional sources of protein, such as lab-grown or plant-based
greater investment in alternative protein industries, including laboratory-grown meat and plant-based substitutes
economic hardship
financial difficulty or suffering
farmers...may face serious economic hardship
Created by a Band 8.5–9.0 IELTS Writing achiever — Premium. Sign up free to see the ideas and vocabulary for this topic and unlock every model on the site.
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Common questions
The question asks about farming — can I write about the environment?
Only as a cause in the first half. If the second question names farming, that paragraph must be about farms: volumes, prices, land use, which producers gain and which lose. Drifting into general environmental benefits is a Task Response error that is easy to avoid by rereading the question line.
How do I predict effects without guessing?
Reason from mechanisms rather than forecasting events. "Reduced demand plus fixed buildings means intensive units cannot adapt" is defensible reasoning; "by 2040 meat farming will disappear" is a guess that earns nothing and may be indefensible.
Should I mention who loses from a change I support?
Yes — it is one of the clearest markers of a high band. Noting that upland farmers face abandonment rather than conversion shows you have thought past the aggregate figure, which is where most answers stop.
