Labour’s new shadow environment secretary has defended saying meat should be treated like tobacco with public campaigns to stop people eating it.
Vegan Kerry McCarthy, vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports, was branded “cranky” and “completely out of step” over the remark.
The Bristol East MP, who made the comments earlier this year before being appointed to Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench, told her local newspaper it was an individual’s choice whether they wanted to eat meat or not.
The point she was trying to make, she said, was that people should be aware of the consequences of eating meat, its origins and how it was produced.
She told The Bristol Post: “I am not trying to tell people what they should or shouldn’t eat.
“But they should know what the risks are without them being swept under the carpet.
“There a lot of sensible scientists and experts out there saying that there are risks associated with meat, particularly processed, and that is something that shouldn’t be ignored.”
In the same way society is warned about the risks of drinking too much alcohol, more should be done to inform people about meat, she said.
But dietitian Jennifer Robertson, health and education coordinator with Quality Meat Scotland, emphasised the important role red meat plays in a healthy diet.
She added: “Lean red meat provides many important nutrients and due to modern farming techniques is much lower in fat than ever before.
“Importantly, for some population groups red meat is also vital in order to prevent certain deficiencies such as iron anaemia in young women.”
Mrs Robertson also pointed out the average intake of red meat in the UK is well within the recommended targets for health.
Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said Ms McCarthy would make it more difficult for Labour to reconnect with rural Britain.
“Her views on meat eating and livestock farming are completely out of step with the vast majority of people. Her ideas are verging on the cranky,” he added.
Ms McCarthy’s controversial comment appeared in the spring edition of Viva!life magazine, a magazine for vegans.
In the interview she said: “I really believe that meat should be treated in exactly the same way as tobacco with public campaigns to stop people eating it.”
The Scottish red meat industry contributes around £2billion to Scotland’s economy each year.