THE boss of a Ripon-based online meat retailer is urging people to back 'Seasonuary' instead of 'Veganuary' this month.

In recent years January has been seen by some as 'Veganuary', meaning a commitment to eating a diet free of animal products for the whole month.

It is argued by some that this is healthier and much better for the environment than eating meat and animal products.

However, John Pallagi, CEO and founder of Farmison & Co warns that Veganuary could have the opposite effect to the one intended by its proponents – pushing out much more sustainable ways of eating, in the pursuit of “simplistic narratives” on diet.

He instead urges people to embrace a 'Seasonuary' diet, eating home-grown food appropriate to the season.

He said: “The perseverance of the narrative that a plant-based diet is a magic bullet for the climate crisis is worrying.

"Vegan cookbooks full of almond and avocado recipes are a case in point and to me are far removed from the chilly landscape of Yorkshire.

“The idea of consuming foods grown thousands of miles away, often in a chemically intensive and water intensive manner, in the name of sustainability is beyond satire and undermines the very concept of our seasons.”

Mr Pallagi is also calling for consideration of a UFL – an Unseasonal Food Levy – to help change the ‘everything all-the-time’ mindset and foster lower-cost, lower-impact eating.

He said: “Eating out of season should come at a cost. I'm calling for a UFL to be an effective and alternative way to reduce imports of this produce - and the export of environmental damage for a fuller fruit and vegetable aisle."

He added: “Not only does eating seasonally mean produce tastes better, but it’s also far more sustainable - keeping food miles low, reducing waste and supporting local farmers.

“As the British climate warms, we risk losing the seasons that make our food culture so vibrant.

"Plant-based diets that rely on tropical imports threaten our seasons with their contribution to carbon emissions.”

Compared to an avocado travelling 6,321 miles from Peru to the UK, a rib eye steak from a Farmison farm in Castle Bolton in North Yorkshire, would travel 75 miles to its Ripon HQ for packing – onward distribution to Penzance would see that steak travel a maximum of 490 miles.