“I’m a carnivore and I’m not ashamed of it,” reads the header of the project’s new website. i eat meat.

According to the Chamber of Agrarian Affairs, the goal is to “disprove the myths about meat and put it in the context of the trends being promoted in contemporary nutrition”.

The Ministry of Agriculture donated 3.7 million crowns to the campaign. “When approving the project, the ministry primarily pursued an objective, which in the case of this project should be ‘increasing positive perceptions of livestock raising and promotion of agriculture.’ The final form of this campaign depends on the recipient of the subsidy, namely the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic,” answered the spokesman for Vojtěch Bílý.

However, criticism is now directed at Minister Zdenek Nekula from KDU-ČSL.

For example, the Greens submitted an open letter to the head of the department, urging him not to fund similar campaigns in the future.

“The campaign is a meat lobby lobby tool for public money. At the same time, its contents are misleading both in terms of health and impact on the environment – especially in terms of what the campaign keeps silent about,” party co-chair Michal Berg said.

He describes the project as problematic for a number of reasons – a lack of information on the impact of livestock on greenhouse gas emissions, information about animal welfare or the health risks of consuming meat, especially industrially processed meat. “In our opinion, it is not the role of the state to serve one lobby group in this way,” he claimed.

Representatives from the association We Don’t Eat Animals, which is dedicated to protecting animals and promoting veganism, also responded. “It is hard to believe that at a time when the world’s scientists were warning of the climate crisis, which is largely to blame for the breeding and consumption of animals, the Ministry of Agriculture devoted nearly 4 million crowns to creating such a campaign,” said Michaela Vincourová, a member of the organization.

According to him, the Žeru maso website manipulates, distorts and hides information: “Their ‘origin’ version of the beef hamburger is greatly simplified and completely eliminates ethical and ecological issues, which are an important part.”

Minister Nekula said he understood the criticism. “I don’t find the processing of the campaign itself to be enjoyable, however, it’s mainly a matter of sponsors and processors. I personally try to fast at least two days a week from meat, on the other hand, animal protein is hardly a replaceable in nutrition, and meat has become a part of human food since ancient times, because he is an omnivore,” he said. through a spokesperson.

“Of course, meat should be consumed in moderation, however, I don’t consider imitating meat or other animal products to be the most appropriate way, as these are often processed foods,” he adds.

The Chamber of Agrarian claims that the campaign is not directed against meat substitutes, but against processed foods.

“This project aims to emphasize the importance of meat in human nutrition, an irreplaceable animal protein for optimal development and tissue regeneration and its various culinary uses. We considered the topic relevant and collaborated with a number of experts. Our goal is not to attack alternative ways of eating,” replied chamber president Jan Doležal.

Support for the project was also approved by former Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Toman (ČSSD). The Agrarian Chamber proposed a subsidy of 4,410,000 crowns, and eventually received 3,704,400 crowns.