PARENTS have blasted a school's decision to go permanently "meat free".

Students at Barrowford Primary School near Nelson, Lancashire, are only offered vegetarian dinners – and kids are also urged not to bring meat in their packed lunches.

The new rule was brought in last year, but a letter informing parents of the change was only sent out on Thursday.

And while the school claims it has hasn't received any complaints about its meals, Facebook is full of unhappy parents.

Mum Zoe Douglas is so seething at the situation she is even trying to transfer her children to a different school.

"It is a joke. I'm looking to move mine as I've had enough of that 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."

She is also fuming that the new meal plan was brought in "ages ago" and she has only just found out why her daughter returned home from school one day talking about the "disgusting" new sausages.

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Zoe said: "I only found out this week in an email.

"Amelia ordered sausage and mash and when she bit into her sausage she said 'eww'.

"Teachers said, 'oh, it's a vegetarian sausage' but they hadn't told her before she ordered.

"She ended up just having mash for her dinner. I'm fuming. She's been on packed lunches since."

Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I take it these children will never have a Christmas lunch ever again in school, something that's happened for decades and all of them look forward to.

"Why not accommodate the veggies, vegans, whatever and add to the menu instead of making our kids adapt?

"And to request parents pack lunches that are veggie as well, not to mention the local farmers, this is absolutely ludicrous.

"No wonder my kids are starving and raid the fridge before the shoes are off.

"Vegetarian is a choice for when they are older."

'ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS'

Elsewhere people asked "what happened to freedom of choice?" while others questioned why teachers at the mixed 345-pupil school felt the need to "dictate" their kids' diets.

A third described feeling "dumbstruck" at the "absolutely ridiculous"decision, and another said she immediately moved her youngster to a "meaty" packed lunch.

Some locals are particularly annoyed as the school, rated "good" by Ofsted, is on the outskirts of a rural area with farming at its core.

Livestock buyer Alex Nutter 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 resident 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."

But others think going meat free is the future and are more than happy for their kids to try it out.

Mum Lauren Stirzaker Jackson, whose daughter attends Barrowford Primary, said: "There are so many dietary requirements – vegetarian, vegan, halal.

"School are trying to cater for everyone. Whatever they do, someone will moan.

"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."

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

And Andrea Harter said the menu, which includes tomato pasta and vegetable curry, sounds "fantastic" and is certainly "nothing to moan about".

In the letter to parents last week, headteacher Rachel Tomlinson said she had made the decision to offer only vegetarian lunches over a year ago to "stop climate change".

She highlighted that the livestock industry has a huge carbon footprint and meat and dairy products "come at a huge environmental cost".

It concluded: "If you still want to send packed lunches, could you please consider meat-free options to further support us in doing our bit to reduce carbon emissions as a school community?"

When approached by The Sun, Mrs Tomlinson added: "We made our school lunches meat free over a year ago, and while we have not received any complaints from parents, I'm happy to discuss it with anyone who has any queries.

"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.

"We have been careful to approach this in a balanced way, and teach that it is fine to eat meat, but that reducing our consumption can help our planet."

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