After voicing his staunch opposition to legalizing medical marijuana in the state of Nebraska, Governor Pete Ricketts is back in the news again talking about a different topic.
Recently, Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared March 20th as "MeatOut Day" encouraging people to eat a more plant-based diet. This announcement has been met with a stream of criticism from conservative groups, municipal governments and the ranching industry.
In direct response to this, Gov. Ricketts has declared "Meat on the Menu Day" to also be held on this Saturday, March 20th. He said in a press conference yesterday, "[MeatOut Day] is a direct attack on our way of life here in Nebraska." He also said this will be a huge blow to beef production, Nebraska's largest industry. "If you were to get rid of beef in our country, you would be undermining our food security, an important part of a healthy diet, and also destroying an industry here in our state that’s very important."
Since 1985, "MeatOUT Day" has been promoted by the Farm Animal Rights Movement as part of an initiative to steadily remove animal products from the diets of American citizens. Meat production has also been linked to climate change, as well as animal abuse in slaughterhouses.