Mayor of London Vs The UN, Sir Paul McCartney et al

Cook and author of a new cookbook Tony Bishop-Weston , 48, says EU elections for MEPs are a good opportunity to encourage London Mayor Boris Johnson and other polititians to lead the way on health and the environment. "In the EU elections we can vote with our hearts for the good of the planet" says Bishop-Weston

With the wealth of evidence accumulating to verify that eating less meat is better for our health, better for our wealth, better to fight world poverty and better for the environment even staunch meat eaters agree that it would be better to eat less meat even if they are not ready to consider this a full time personal option.

Meanwhile in The Daily Telegrah Boris promised to eat even more meat rather than less in response to the suggestion by the United Nations scientists, Sir Paul McCartney, The Vegetarian Society, health professionals, environmental and Green campaigners, the city of Ghent and organisers of The Bristol Vegan Fayre that we eat less meat and more fruit and vegetables in order to save the planet.

Bishop-Weston will be demonstrating recipes from his new book, The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking at The Bristol Vegan Fayre on the 30th and 31st May on Bristol's waterfront and says "The aim of The Bristol Vegan Festival is to prove how easy, enjoyable, healthy and fun it is to be kinder to people and the planet. We'd love it if The Mayor could visit and try to tell the difference between a meat sausage and some of the better brands of healthy vegetarian sausage"

Boris Johnson wrote in the Telegraph "if they seriously believe that I am going to give up eating meat - in the hope of reducing the temperature of the planet - then they must be totally barmy. I am not going to have one meat-free day per week. No, I am not going to become a gradual vegetarian."

Bishop-Weston goes on "Boris has found the whole suggestion of meat reduction to save the planet so irritating that he has actually suggested we eat MORE meat this summer in response. In the Telegraph article Boris suggests vast barbeques every weekend that include carnivorous festivals of chops and sausages and burgers and chitterlings and chine and offal, - "the fat will run down our chins, and the dripping will blaze on the charcoal, and the smoky vapours will rise to the heavens" predicts Boris"

"I can think of no logical explanation for this kind of political thinking" said Bishop-Weston. It dismisses the facts, the UN report Livestock's Long Shadow, the rate at which Brazil's rain forest is being destroyed after being persuaded to grow GM soya to feed the world's cattle, the Oxford EPIC research proving that those who eat less meat, vegetarians and vegans are far healthier than the national average and the world's poor, starving, predominantly because the modern world seems to value beef more than human life."

Bishop-Weston's book The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking (and living) is published by Lorenz in June £16.99 IBSN 10-0-7548-1843-8

The Bristol Vegan Fayre is 11am – 10.30pm/8.30pm Sat /Sun 30th/31st May www.veganfayre.co.uk