A recent campaign by Spain consumer affairs minister Alberto Garzon encourages the country to eat less meat with slogans like, “Less meat, more life.”

But the campaign is causing a government feud over its potential to hurt the meat industry, which is a major contributor to Spain’s economy.

"Eating too much meat is bad for our health and for the planet," Garzon posted in a video on Twitter.

"It seems to me the campaign is unfortunate," agriculture minister of fishing and food Luis Planas said in an interview with Cadena Ser radio station.

Planas said that the campaign is subject to “profoundly unfair criticisms when it deserved respect for the honest work it does for both our food and our economy.”

Six meat producers reportedly wrote to Garzon about hurting an industry that accounts for 2.5 million jobs.

Garzon has defended his campaign and appeared on television to clarify his message. “The idea was not to stop eating meat altogether," he said.

“This doesn’t mean that we can’t have a family barbecue from time to time, just that we do it with a bit more restraint and that we make up for the days we eat meat by having days where we eat more salad, rice, pulses, and vegetables,” Garzon said.

He points to the fact that emissions produced by the meat industry are correlated with climate change. The World Health Organization advises people to limit intake of processed meat and red meat, which are linked to increased risks of death from heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses.

Some see the campaign as overdue, considering the average Spaniard eats about twice as much meat a week than the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition recommends.

“You can stuff your face with all the steak you want, but don’t get huffy because a minister tells you exactly the same thing as the World Health Organization, other institutions, and countless other scientific experts in the field," Spanish food journalist Mikel Lopez Iturriaga posted on Twitter.