An East Yorkshire councillor is calling for schools in the region to give pupils freedom of choice and end 'Meat Free Mondays'.

The scheme has been operating for more than five years across the UK and means that once a week it's only vegetarian meals on the menu across 3,500 participating schools.

As of this year, 64 per cent of East Riding schools participate, with the meat-free meals mainly pizza and quorn-based.

Conservative East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor, Leo Hammond, who represents the rural Wolds Weighton Ward, has launched a petition calling on the public to help him combat the council's "climate change" meat-free menu.

It comes as plant-based campaign groups have claimed that people can 'slow climate change, protect the environment and live a healthier life' by reducing their consumption of meat.

"My petition that I'm asking the public to support calls for compulsory procurement targets for the council to buy its food locally," Cllr Hammond told GB News.

"The petition also calls for an end to the climate change menu that the council has introduced, where schools that source their food from the council get the option, if the school decides to force children to eat meat-free meals at school, regardless of the child's or the parents' views on that.

"I think that's wrong. I firmly believe in the freedom of choice of parents and children to decide what they eat.

"So I want to go back to the sensible option of having five meat options and five meat-free options a week, and let the parents and children decide.

"This is not an argument about meat vs meat-free, we all have our personal opinions on that. It’s a fight to uphold people’s right of choice."

Some 64 per cent of East Riding schools participate in the meat-free meals scheme

East Yorkshire is one of the food-producing capitals of the nation - it's the largest pig producer in the UK, the largest shellfish producer in Europe and is in the top ten for most UK vegetables produced in Britain.

To support food producers in the area, Cllr Hammond's petition also calls on the council to have compulsory procurement targets so that it buys as much of its food from local farmers, fishermen and food and drink producers as possible.

The campaign is backed by East Yorkshire pig farmer Anna Longthorp.

She told GB News: "It's not up to councils, it's not up to schools, to put their ideology onto our children.

"We should be offering them a balanced, nutritious diet and enable them to get all of the nutrients that they need, which includes meat.

Councillor Leo Hammond began the petition to give more choice to children

"We'd be far better off looking at supporting local farmers and supporting local businesses, and we've got a real opportunity here in East Yorkshire.

"We produce pretty much everything that we need, and we've got big food processors here, and we've got the logistical network, so we could get all of those people together, all of those businesses together.

"We could do something really quite special here in East Yorkshire and get local food into local schools."

East Yorkshire pig farmer Anna Longthorp has backed the scheme

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said school menus are created by a team of school meals experts who adhere to the school food standards, ensuring children eat a healthy, balanced diet.

The local authority added: "Each school, in consultation with governors, chooses their lunch menu. This includes whether they want to include a climate day supporting the school's curriculum and ethos."

To sign Cllr Hammond's End Meat Free Monday petition, click HERE.