Manchester Withington MP John Leech has submitted a parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for catering authorities at the Houses of Parliament to go “meat-free” on Mondays.
The “Meat Free Monday” campaign is being promoted in Manchester by Manchester Friends of the Earth, and by environmental campaigners and other groups and bodies right across the UK.
It encourages local authorities, schools and other public and private bodies to provide an animal-free menu at least one day per week to help tackle environmental and diet-related health problems.
John Leech said:
“Farming and slaughtering animals is now recognised as a significant contributor to today’s greatest environmental problems. According to the United Nations, livestock farming could be responsible for up to 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transport sector combined.” “As well as saving carbon, reducing the amount of meat in our diets will also help improve health.” “Parliament could send a powerful message and set a great example by designating one day a week as Meat-Free.”
Livestock uses far more land and resources than other food sources and the livestock supply chain also generates significant impacts. Amazon rainforest is being cleared to grow soy which is then transported across the Atlantic merely to feed to animals in the UK. In addition the methods used to process an animal into meat are both highly energy and water intensive and polluting.
Manchester Friends of the Earth campaigner Benjamin McCarron added that:
“We’re delighted that John Leech is working on this and taking it to Parliament. In the recent past, MPs have come in for a lot of criticism, so it’s great to see a local MP setting a positive example.”
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Makes me proud to be a Lancastrian.
Apart from environmental lunacy, meat is the dead body of someone who wanted to live.