Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has ridiculed as a “farce” a landmark report that says bacon and sausages are carcinogenic, saying humans would be heading back to the cave if they adopted all advice from the World Health Organisation.

If you got everything that the World Health Organisation said was carcinogenic and took it out of your daily requirements, well you are kind of heading back to a cave

And Mr Joyce also said if people want to truly avoid all cancer-causing toxins they wouldn’t step outside in big cities, including Sydney.

Mr Joyce was speaking on radio when he responded to the WHO’s overnight declaration that processed meats like bacon and sausages cause cancer, while red meats probably do too. 

Nearly two dozen experts from 20 countries working for the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 per cent.

The experts determined that red meat is “probably carcinogenic to humans” based on “limited evidence” it causes cancer.

The report classifies processed meats, like bacon and sausages, as a Group 1 carcinogen based on “sufficient evidence” they cause bowel cancer. 

Group 1 carcinogens are defined as known causes of cancer.  According to the American Cancer Society these include asbestos, alcohol and tobacco smoking.

Mr Joyce said the idea that sausages could be labelled as lethal as cigarettes was ridiculous.

“No it shouldn’t be compared to cigarettes and obviously that makes the whole thing a farce – comparing sausages to cigarettes,” he said.

“I don’t think that we should get too excited that if you have a sausage you’re going to die of bowel cancer because you’re not.

“A lot of people to be honest don’t eat two slices of bacon a day, they don’t have bacon everyday and I think the biggest thing is to make sure you get a balanced diet.”

The minister said it would be impossible for humankind to avoid every cancer causing toxin in modern day life.

 “If you got everything that the World Health Organisation said was carcinogenic and took it out of your daily requirements, well you are kind of heading back to a cave,” he said.

“But if you’re going to avoid everything that has any correlation with cancer whatsoever – don’t walk outside, don’t walk down the streets in Sydney, there’s going to be very little in life that you do in the end.”

Mr Joyce said Australia’s capacity to feed itself would radically change if a vegetarian diet became the norm.