Gov. Pete Ricketts is upset that neighboring Colorado encourages it’s citizens to abstain from meat at least one day per week. Gov. Ricketts declared Saturday “Meat on the Menu Day” in Nebraska. The day was chosen to coincide with Colorado’s “MeatOut Day.”
Ricketts said meat is a nutritious, protein-rich food source and noted that beef production is Nebraska’s largest industry.
“That is a direct attack on our way of life here in Nebraska,” Ricketts, a Republican, said at a news conference in an Omaha meat shop.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, signed a non binding proclamation last month declaring Saturday a “MeatOut” day.
“MeatOut Day” was started in 1985 by the Farm Animal Rights Movement and seeks to encourage non-vegetarians to consider a plant-based diet. The move by Polis, a Democrat who eats meat, has faced criticism from his state’s ranching industry as well as some local governments and conservative groups in Colorado.
There has been no activist movement in Nebraska to ban or limit meat consumption however, Ricketts stated his proclamation was preemptive.