ACCORDING to a recent YouGov survey, a quarter of the British public cut back on the amount of meat they ate over the last year.

The YouGov survey of more than 1,800 people was commissioned by the Eating Better alliance, which campaigns to persuade people to eat less meat as part of a more “sustainable” diet.

The survey found that around one in three people said they were “willing to consider eating less meat”, while a quarter said they had already cut back on the amount of meat they eat.

Only two per cent said they were eating more, while one in six (17 per cent) young people said they don’t eat any meat at all.

Young people were nearly three times more likely to say they don’t eat meat.

The alliance said consumers were most likely to be dropping ready meals and processed meats from their diets. It said this suggested the public remained wary, following the horse meat scandal earlier this year, of cheaper meats that are likely to be less healthy, of unknown origin and poorer quality.

The biggest reason cited for wanting to eat less meat was concern for animal welfare, ahead of saving money, food quality, safety and health.

The alliance said nearly one in three people were aware of the “significant environmental impacts of producing and eating meat”, compared with just 14 per cent in a 2007 survey.

Around half those surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for “better” meat if it tastes better, is healthier, produced to higher animal welfare standards or provides better financial returns to farmers.

Vicki Hird of Friends of the Earth and chairman of the alliance urged food companies to “take note and do more to help people switch to healthier, sustainable diets”.

Eating Better was launched with the backing of food campaigner Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall in July 2013 to “help people move towards eating less meat and more food that’s better for people and the planet, as part of the vital task of creating sustainable food and farming systems”.