A butcher has come under fire after writing an advert saying: Dear vegans, we have the cow thats been eating all your grass. Youre welcome.
Anthony Andrew Traditional Butchers left the sign outside and received a strong backlash after a photo was posted on social media.
A caption alongside read: Dear Anthony Andrews, when I saw the title of your board I was excited at what you might be offering; what a disappointment it was to then read this message and find you offering only hostility and bad grammar.
Tip: dont alienate potential customers. Youre welcome.
Anthony Griffiths, owner of the shop in King Street, Duffield, Derbyshire, has said that the advert was just a bit of fun and he meant no harm by it.
He said: We are well-known for our silly adverts and our videos we post online – its all a bit of fun. There was no offence meant by them, we just like to have a good time and lighten the mood.
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We have signs up about vegetarians, but I guess some people are more sensitive than others.
All we do is try and do our best every day.
The butcher also said that the person who posted the comment online could come into the store and have a free steak on the house.
He added: I use local farmers and Im quality assured, so all the meats come from RSPCA approved farms. I always say to my customers that I would be the worst farmer in the world. I wouldnt send any of the animals to slaughter and they would all live in the house with me.
If I did upset the person, then I do apologise and they can come in and Ill get them a couple of fillet steaks to go.
Dominika Piasecka, a spokeswoman for The Vegan Society, has said the advert was in bad taste but, on the plus side, could cause more people to go vegan.
She said: The number of vegans has quadrupled in the last four years alone and its obvious that the meat, dairy and egg industries are becoming worried and resorting to adverts like this.
The irony is that this message actually helps people to make the connection between the dead cow being sold at the butchers shop and the sentient, living being he or she once was.
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We hope this advert will help people to see that eating animals is unnecessary and easily avoidable in this day and age, with a plethora of vegan options available everywhere.
While some took to social media to criticise the butchers, some have defended his actions.
One wrote: The board outside the butchers says something comical and funny every week. I dont see how this is alienating vegans as why would a vegan be setting foot in a butchers anyway.
While another said: Brilliant. It would make me use this butcher, purely because of their sense of humour.
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