By William Pack
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is wiping
egg off its face after encouraging employees in an internal newsletter to take
a stand for the environment by not putting meat in their mouths on Mondays.
It was viewed by one beef producers'
organization, congressional leaders and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd
Staples as an outrageous statement from a department whose mission is to
promote agricultural production.
"Talk about a slap in the face,"
Staples said in a blog. "At a time when historical droughts are
threatening the livelihoods of our beef producers and diminishing our food
supply, the last thing we need is a USDA that adds insult to injury.
Shame on you, USDA. You deserve all the bull you get."
The USDA has broad responsibilities aimed at
strengthening agricultural markets and rural communities, improving public
health and nutrition, enhancing food safety and protecting public and private
lands.
USDA officials made the meatless
recommendation Monday in a publication titled "Greening Headquarters
Update."
"One simple way to reduce your
environmental impact while dining at our cafeterias is to participate in the
'Meatless Monday' initiative," said the newsletter item.
"While a vegetarian diet could have a
beneficial impact on a person's health and the environment, many people are not
ready to make that commitment," the document continues. "Because
Meatless Monday involves only one day a week, it is a small change that could
produce big results."
The USDA distanced itself from the report
later in the week, and issued a statement saying that the agency did not
endorse Meatless Monday.
The newsletter on the USDA website was posted
without proper clearance, it said, and had been removed.
The agency did not make a further statement.
'Dangerous claims'
Among those who asked Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack to clarify his department's stance toward meat consumption was
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. He said in a news release that the report
made "dangerous claims" about meat production and demonized the
industry.
"It is my hope that the USDA has not
abandoned farmers and ranchers in pursuit of policies best left to the
Environmental Protection Agency," Moran said.
The senator's news release contained a link
to the original newsletter, even though it had been taken down.
Extremism cited
Also angered by the newsletter was the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association, whose president called the Meatless Monday
initiative an extremist campaign by animal rights activists aimed at ending
meat consumption.
"This is truly an awakening statement by
USDA, which strongly indicates that USDA does not understand the efforts being
made in rural America to produce food and fiber for a growing global population
in a very sustainable way," association President J.D. Alexander said
in a release.
Alexander later issued a statement applauding
the department's decision to scrap the newsletter and its endorsement of
Meatless Monday.
Missed opportunity?
Meatless Monday is the oldest initiative of a
global public health campaign called the Monday Campaigns, which encourages
people to stop smoking and take up other healthy activities by first altering
that behavior on Mondays.
Peggy Neu, president of the campaigns, said
she was surprised to see the recommendations in the newsletter because of the
conflicting promotional demands the department faces, but also was surprised to
see the position retracted so quickly.
The department also promotes healthy eating
and has recommended dietary guidelines calling for less consumption of
saturated fat and greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, two goals that
Neu suggested would be furthered by greater participation in Meatless Monday
activities.
"There was an opportunity to have a
bigger discussion of these issues, rather than a knee-jerk reaction," she
said.
Neu said her organization is not anti-rancher
and does not advocate a vegetarian diet. It does, however, advocate moderation
and believes Americans consume too much meat.
Original article here
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