'MEAT FREE Mondays' have been introduced to Edinburgh's council-run primary schools, to the outrage of the Scottish red meat sector, which described the decision as 'ill informed and ill-judged'.

The move makes the capital the first local authority in Scotland to adopt the idea, which was first instigated by celebrity vegetarian Paul McCartney, and has since been taken up by schools across England and Northern Ireland, and as far afield as Brazil, South Korea and the USA.

Edinburgh councillor 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.”

This was the proverbial red rag to a bull as far as Quality Meat Scotland was concerned, with outgoing chairman Jim McLaren stating: “The council appears to have based their decision on misinformation which completely misrepresents the reality of Scottish red meat production with its high standards of animal welfare and exceptional and widely-acknowledged environmental credentials.

“There is, of course, no problem with schools including meat-free meals as part of their regular range of meal choices," stressed the Perthshire farmer. "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.

“An opportunity to educate and inform our urban based young people about local food production systems in Scotland has been missed by an ill informed and ill-judged decision which risks completely misleading pupils and parents.”

Alongside QMS, a host of Scottish food and farming organisations have now collectively written to City of Edinburgh Council to highlight their 'grave concern' about its lack of awareness of Scottish red meat production's 'positive credentials', and call on it to reconsider the rationale behind the move. Among the organisations supporting that call are Scotland Food and Drink, NFU Scotland, the National Sheep Association, the Scottish Beef Association, the Royal Highland Education Trust, the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Associations and the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers.

Mr McLaren said that the council's announcement had shown "a very worrying lack of understanding" of the reality of Scottish red meat production, both in terms of its high welfare standards, and its 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," he stressed. "Leading environmentalists recognise the importance of livestock farming, particularly to Scotland’s hills and uplands, and the industry also supports around 50,000 Scottish jobs, many of which are in fragile rural locations.”

QMS has now extended an invitation to Edinburgh council officials to visit livestock farms and speak direct with producers to gain a better understanding of the important role of red meat at the cornerstone of Scottish food production and red meat’s role in a healthy, balanced diet.

“It is vital that officials in an organisation such as City of Edinburgh Council, with such an important role in Scottish education, have a much better understanding of the facts behind red meat production to avoid the sort of confusion and misunderstanding we are seeing this week,” added Mr McLaren.