FILE PHOTO: Donald Tusk, leader of opposition Civic Platform (PO) party, speaks during a rally in support of Poland鈥檚 membership in the European Union after the country鈥檚 Constitutional Tribunal ruled on the primacy of the constitution over EU law, undermining a key tenet of European integration, in Warsaw, Poland, October 10, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
WARSAW 鈥� Polish voters were given food for thought on Friday, as politicians from the two main parties traded accusations that the other side planned to push meat-loving citizens into eating worms ahead of elections this autumn.
Lawmakers from the ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) claim that opposition party Civic Platform (PO) plans to limit the consumption of meat and replace it with insects, an accusation PO rejects.
鈥淔or the upcoming elections, PO politicians should write on each poster 鈥業nstead of chicken eat a worm鈥�, because this is their real election program,鈥� PiS lawmaker Bartosz Kownacki told reporters.
State-run broadcaster TVP Info accompanied Kownacki鈥檚 press conference with a news ticker reading 鈥淭he opposition鈥檚 proposals for Poles: worms instead of meat鈥�. TVP Info has been regularly criticized by the opposition as being a mouthpiece for government propaganda.
The subject of eating worms has featured heavily on TVP Info since the C40 Cities initiative, which recommends measures such as eating less meat and using cars less to combat climate change, said Warsaw would feature in a project to demonstrate 鈥渢he role of cities in responding to the climate, energy and cost of living crises.鈥�
The mayor of Warsaw is leading opposition politician Rafal Trzaskowski.
However, PO politicians and city hall officials say this does not mean proposals to force people to lower meat consumption and eat worms are under consideration.
PO leader Donald Tusk hit back at the PiS allegations on Friday, labelling the government a 鈥減romoter of worm soup.鈥�
Tusk was referring to media reports that the National Centre for Research and Development had provided 6.5 million zlotys ($1.47 million) in funding to a project called 鈥淪martFood鈥� which included the rearing of edible insects.
鈥淚t is a bit humiliating for everyone that the media and politicians have been wondering for several days whether Mayor Trzaskowski really wants to force Poles to eat worms, not meat,鈥� Tusk told reporters.
Poland鈥檚 Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy has said that 鈥淪martFood鈥� is not a government program and is mainly funded by Norway, state-run news agency PAP reported.
($1 = 4.4365 zlotys)
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