County Clare Meat Free Monday

Did you know that by not eating meat for just one day a week, you really can help to slash levels of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions in the air you breathe?

A “meat-free” day of the week is not a new idea. Countries across Europe have already suggested the idea to their respective governments, some of which have embraced the idea. Belgium’s Brent City Council introduced a “Meat-Free Thursday” in 2009, which is still going strong.

By opting to take part in a similar campaign here in Ireland, you too can make a contribution to the environment. Dangerous greenhouse emissions are a direct result of mass cattle farming and, as we all know, Ireland is a major beef farming nation.

Our country must now accept a slice of responsibility for the global increase in greenhouse gas emissions. It can, and should, demonstrate to the world a commitment to make its carbon footprint smaller.

The benefits of ‘Meat-free Monday’ are immense: you lower your intake of meat and reduce your carbon footprint. You also improve your health and make sure fewer animals in Clare are slaughtered for food. Consider this: if demand for meat lessens – even just a small bit - more land, typically used for cattle grazing, can be used instead to cultivate trees, organic vegetables and grains. This is good news, especially for Clare. Why?

• The Centre for Environmental Living and Training (CELT) is based in Clare. CELT is dedicated to environmental awareness and is right now driving forward their Agroforestry campaign. Agroforestry involves the integration of trees into farming systems to create more diverse, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems. It also reduces the need for fertilizers by providing habitats for natural predators. These natural predators eat ‘pests’, negating the need for harsh chemical fertilizers.

We can help CELT’s Agroforestry policy by spearheading a campaign to eat less meat and therefore reduce the amount of space needed on farms for cattle grazing. The government has already showed its support for CELT’s scheme. Will you?

If you want to commit yourself to Clare Veg Group’s meat-free Monday campaign, please sign our petition here. Remember, all movements start out small and grow bigger and bigger the more people get involved. We want Clare can be the first county in Ireland to launch “Meat-Free Monday?” We can lead by example and get the whole country on board. It’s down to you.