The chairman of Forest Green Rovers, Dale Vince, who is also the founder of ecotricity, has decided to stop selling red meat after a successful trial removing it from the player’s meals.

Mr Vince, who is himself a vegan, says although red meat is no longer on sale in the ground it’s not banned and if supporters brought it with them they would be allowed to eat it during a game.

The debate over the consumption of meat and emissions related to its production continue to split environmentalists.

There is widespread agreement that red meat production, due to various factors including methane and grazing methods, is the worst for the environment.

This means Mr Vince’s initiative could possibly make his football club one of the first to take a stance on red meat.

Mr Vince said: “A few weeks ago the decision was taken to no longer feed our players red meat, the decision was taken on performance and health grounds.

“Following that it seemed quite right that if red meat was not good enough to feed our players, then it wasn’t good enough for our staff, fans and visitors too.

“Consequently red meat is now off the menu at Forest Green Rovers, although this has been described by some people as a Red Meat ban, it’s actually not.

“This is a part of a bigger picture move – it’s about improving the quality of food about providing better quality, healthy food all round.

“The club will still have poultry and fish on its menu, as well as vegetarian food.”

Luke Walsh

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