Germany’s environment minister bans meat at functions

The head of Germany’s environmental agency has directed the department to serve only vegetarian dishes at official functions. Quoting an email from an environmental ministry official, the agency has a responsibility to combat the “negative effects of meat consumption” and must “set an example,” the media reports said. This, although the meat ban does not extend to the agency’s own cafeteria, which continues to offer meat options with every meal. Environmental Minister Barbara Hendricks has claimed that eating meat is damaging to the environment.  Meanwhile, Christian Schmidt, an agency official from a rival political party, was quoted as saying, “I believe in diversity and freedom of choice, not nanny-statism and ideology. Meat and fish are also part of a balanced diet.”