P. Scott Shearer, Vice President

June 27, 2016

1 Min Read
Keep meat on military menus

The U.S. House of Representatives approved Congressman Adrian Smith’s (R-NE) amendment to the fiscal year ’17 Defense Department Appropriations bill barring the military from adopting meat reduction programs.

The purpose of the amendment is to stop the Humane Society of the United States’ “Meatless Monday” campaign to have schools, hospitals and other institutions reduce their meat offerings.

Smith says, “Ideologically motivated activists are working to take meat off the menu in institutions across the country, and they have included the U.S. military on their list of targets. These restrictions would negatively impact the nutrition and morale of the men and women who protect our nation. Meat contains vitamins and nutrients not readily available in a plant-based diet. My amendment is not a mandate or a prohibition — it simply ensures there is a meat option available to our troops each day.

“I am not willing to allow activist groups to tell members of our military, who risk their lives to keep us safe, they cannot enjoy a hamburger or steak on certain days of the week simply to advance an agenda against animal agriculture,” Smith says.

About the Author(s)

P. Scott Shearer

Vice President, Bockorny Group, Inc.

Scott Shearer is vice president of the Bockorny Group Inc., a leading bipartisan government affairs consulting firm in Washington, D.C. With more than 30 years experience in government and corporate relations in state and national arenas, he is recognized as a leader in agricultural trade issues, having served as co-chairman of the Agricultural Coalition for U.S.-China Trade and co-chairman of the Agricultural Coalition for Trade Promotion Authority. Scott was instrumental in the passage of China Permanent Normal Trade Relations and TPA. He is past chairman of the USDA-USTR Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animals and Animal Products and was a member of the USAID Food Security Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the Bockorny Group, Scott served as director of national relations for Farmland Industries Inc., as well as USDA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs (1993-96), serving as liaison for the Secretary of Agriculture and the USDA to Congress.

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