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USDA newsletter encourages employees not to eat meat, GOP senator calls foul
The Daily Caller ^

Posted on 07/26/2012 6:03:39 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

USDA newsletter encourages employees not to eat meat, GOP senator calls foul 12:37 AM 07/26/2012 ADVERTISEMENT

On Wednesday, Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran called on Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to explain why the agency’s employee newsletter encouraged them to not eat meat and participate in the “Meatless Monday” initiative for the environment.

“One simple way to reduce your environmental impact while dining at our cafeterias is to participate in the ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative http://www.meatlessmonday.com/,” The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) July 23, 2012 “Greening Headquarters Update” read. “This international effort, as the name implies, encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays. Meatless Monday is an initiative of The Monday Campaign Inc. in association with the John Hopkins School of Public Health.”

Pointing to the United Nations as their informational authority, the USDA’s newsletter said that going meatless is good for the environment because “animal agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases and climate change. It also wastes resources. It takes 7,000 kg of grain to make 1,000 kg of beef. In addition, beef production requires a lot of water, fertilizer, fossil fuels, and pesticides.” It further charged that heavy meat consumption has detrimental health effect.

Watch Moran speak about the newsletter on the Senate floor:

Moran, who represents the third-largest beef-producing state in America, was shocked by the revelation.

“Never in my life would I have expected USDA to be opposed to farmers and ranchers,” Moran said in a statement. “American farmers and ranchers deserve a USDA that will pursue supportive policies rather than seek their further harm.”

“With extreme drought conditions plaguing much of the United States, the USDA should be more concerned about helping drought-stricken producers rather than demonizing an industry reeling from the lack of rain,” he added. “I have requested that Secretary Vilsack let me know if it is now USDA’s official policy to discourage the consumption of American grown meat. It is my hope that the USDA has not abandoned farmers and ranchers in pursuit of policies best left to the Environmental Protection Agency.”

The “Greening Headquarters Update” has since been removed from USDA’s website.

According to the Wyandotte Daily News a USDA spokesman explained, “USDA does not endorse Meatless Monday. The statement found on the USDA website was posted without proper clearance and it has been removed.”


TOPICS: News/Current Events
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1 posted on 07/26/2012 6:03:46 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
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To: Sub-Driver

Is there anything else the government needs to instruct us about?

Good Lord, leave us alone.

GOT STEAK? Yes sir!


2 posted on 07/26/2012 6:05:51 AM PDT by RexBeach (Mr. Obama Can't Count.)
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To: Sub-Driver

I’m looking forward to celebrating “Vilsackless USDA” next January.


3 posted on 07/26/2012 6:07:08 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Love the cult, respect the leader, but I simply can't drink the koolaid and die.)
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To: Sub-Driver
Odd, I always though USDA stood for United States Delicious Animals”
4 posted on 07/26/2012 6:07:09 AM PDT by Fido969
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To: RexBeach

Then the rest of us will simply have to eat more meat on Mondays to compensate.


5 posted on 07/26/2012 6:07:49 AM PDT by Josa
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To: Fido969

lol


6 posted on 07/26/2012 6:09:00 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Love the cult, respect the leader, but I simply can't drink the koolaid and die.)
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To: RexBeach

>> Good Lord, leave us alone.

Speaking of the Good Lord... if we weren’t supposed to eat cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens, then why did He make them so dadgum TASTY??!?


7 posted on 07/26/2012 6:11:40 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Love the cult, respect the leader, but I simply can't drink the koolaid and die.)
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To: Sub-Driver

This is the same agency charged with inspecting and grading meat for consumer use. No conflict of interest THERE! /sarc


8 posted on 07/26/2012 6:16:34 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Sub-Driver

If their cafeteria is going “Meatless Monday”, perhaps they should go out for Chick-Fil-A on Mondays. I make it a point to eat at the meat-serving restaurants in the news because of far left whining.


9 posted on 07/26/2012 6:19:04 AM PDT by Pollster1 (Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. - Ronald Reagan)
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To: Nervous Tick

LOL :)


10 posted on 07/26/2012 6:19:31 AM PDT by beaversmom
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To: Sub-Driver

Well they haven’t banned pork.....yet


11 posted on 07/26/2012 6:20:52 AM PDT by nascarnation
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To: Sub-Driver

So any burger these people would have eaten will reform as a living animal and the environmental impact will be reversed? Amazing.


12 posted on 07/26/2012 6:21:25 AM PDT by beaversmom
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To: Sub-Driver

Another bunch of bureauKaRATZ that need to be brought to heel, have their money supply hose cut and a full 60 percent of their ratz fired, retired or permanently laid off with NO 99 weeks of handouts.


13 posted on 07/26/2012 6:23:00 AM PDT by ConradofMontferrat (According to mudslimze, my handle is a Hate Crime. Hope they don't like it.)
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To: Pollster1

Why do they have a Cafeteria? Are we subsidizing it like we do for the do nothing Congress?


14 posted on 07/26/2012 6:24:57 AM PDT by mortal19440
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To: beaversmom

...although it might make a good Chick-Fil-A commercial...


15 posted on 07/26/2012 6:49:27 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Sub-Driver

We are OVERDUE for a”Spring Cleaning”!Let’s get this bunch of SOCIALISTS out of town this November!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


16 posted on 07/26/2012 7:24:11 AM PDT by bandleader
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To: bandleader

The USDA cafeteria is one of DC’s best kept secrets: very nice and very reasonable prices. Food is fabulous and it’s right on the edge of the Mall. Info at the USDA website.


17 posted on 07/26/2012 8:10:19 AM PDT by Kanzan
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