Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Industry doesn’t like Meat Free Mondays

Council officials have now been invited to visit livestock farms and speak directly with producers
Council officials have now been invited to visit livestock farms and speak directly with producers

Edinburgh City Council’s decision to introduce Meat Free Mondays in primary schools has incurred the widespread wrath of Scotland’s meat industry.

Children in the capital’s council-run schools are being offered vegetarian-only meals on one day a week, but it is the council’s justification for introducing the practice which has caused fury.

Explaining the rationale for the move, education convener Ian Perry said: “Encouraging healthy eating is extremely important so it’s fantastic that our primary pupils are being introduced to the benefits of eating less meat at a young age.

“By participating in Meat Free Monday, schools are also raising awareness of the environmental impact of livestock production, as well as the poor standards in which some animals are farmed.”

Meat wholesalers and traders, Scotland Food & Drink, the farmers’ union and others have now written to the council to highlight their “grave concerns” about a lack of awareness of the positive credentials of Scottish red meat production.

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) chairman Jim McLaren said he had no problem with schools including meat-free meals as part of their regular range of meal choices.

“Our disappointment is that an organisation, particularly one linked with education, should position their decision to support a campaign with a clear anti-meat agenda,” he said.

“The explanation given in a press release issued by the council shows a very worrying lack of understanding of the reality of Scottish red meat production and it is this we are seeking to urgently redress.”

Mr McLaren added: “Livestock farming in Scotland also has enviable environmental credentials. The reality is around 80% of Scotland’s agricultural land is grass and rough grazing – unsuitable for growing cereals, vegetables or fruit but ideal for producing top quality beef and lamb.”

Council officials have now been invited to visit livestock farms and speak directly with producers to gain a better understanding of the role of red meat.

nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk