The school has even encouraged parents to pack meat-free lunches.

Parents have slammed Barrowford School in Lancashire for removing meat from school lunches.

The 355-pupil primary school near Nelson has been offering only vegetarian dinners in the past year.

It started after headteacher Rachel Tomlinson introduced the new rule in a bid to educate children about the environmental impact of eating animals.

In a following letter to the parents, she explained that the new rule has been implemented because the carbon footprint caused by meat and dairy products “come at a huge environmental cost”.

She also urged the parents to send in veggie packed lunches.

Speaking to The Sun, Tomlinson said: “Our children learn about the principles of sustainable development as part of the national curriculum, and are really interested in how they can contribute to better looking after our environment.

“We made our school lunches meat free to demonstrate how each of us making a small change to our daily habits can have a much wider positive impact, and that reducing meat consumption is just one way to do this.”

She added that the school’s approach has been ‘balanced’, and while it maintains that ‘it is fine to eat meat’, it wants to promote the idea that ‘reducing our consumption can help our planet’.

Backlash

While Tomlinson claims the school has received no complaints, many parents have vented out on social media calling the new rule ‘absolutely ludicrous’

Some have even questioned the impact this decision would have on local farmers.

Moreover, parents are also seething over the fact that they were only informed of the new rule this month despite it being implemented in the school last year.

David Atherton tweeted: “What right you have to indoctrinate & impose your views on pupils & parents?”

An angry mother described the rule as a ‘joke’ and even threatened to pull her daughter out of the school.

She said: “I think they forget that non-meat eaters and vegans have to take a lot of supplements. What supplements they getting instead at that school? Nothing, probably saving on food costs.”

A livestock buyer said: “We have absolutely no hope of teaching the younger generation about our food production when primary schools are teaching them to be ‘meat free’.

“It’s very worrying what we’re up against.”

Another local said: “Wow. It’s pathetic. Ten years ago nobody knew what the word vegan meant, now these grass eating w****** are pushing their b****** agenda on us all.”

‘Someone will moan’

While some parents are clearly upset, many have also come out in favour of the new rule and appreciated the school’s effort to introduce kids to different types of foods.

“School are trying to cater for everyone. Whatever they do, someone will moan,” one parent told The Sun.

“I am not vegetarian and I think the lunch choices are great.

“If people are upset they have the option to send a packed lunch if they wish, nothing is forced.”

Elsewhere, a social media user wrote: “Good Lord! School tries to do something positive for the future of the planet and helping make it a better, healthier place for children and people are saying this is a bad idea?!

“We’re leaving the planet in a mess for today’s kids and their kids and one minor change that might help is leapt upon. And as for those banging on about human rights… you really don’t understand privilege do you if this is some massive violation to you?!”

• Read: NYC schools to now serve vegan-only meals to 930,000 students every Friday

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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