The group said it “regrets the stance taken by the Cannes film festival regarding the absence of red meat, particularly as a measure to combat climate change”.
A spokesman for the group added: “This paradoxically favours the importation of other food products and ignores the fact that in France, we have sustainable beef production from a pasture-based, small-scale, self-sufficient model that respects animal welfare.”
The lobbying group said that the French look after soil fertility and preserve biodiversity, adding: “Beef contributes to a balanced diet and enhances our culinary heritage and regional identities.
“An eco-responsible food policy could benefit from prioritising a diverse range of products and their local origins.”
The row comes after Cannes unveiled a series of environmental policies, building on previous reforms including reducing the rate of replacement of the red carpet, and ferrying stars to events in electric vehicles. The disposable paper cups once used to serve coffee to the international press have been replaced by washable plastic cups.
In a list of environmental guidelines for the 2024 event, the Cannes festival explains: “For the meals and cocktail receptions that it organises, the Festival de Cannes is committed to increasing the number of vegetarian options and to no longer serving beef, which is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.”
They said that beef production results in almost five times more greenhouse gas emissions than white meat, so a ban was agreed as an “effective and acceptable way of reducing the carbon impact of food”.
The festival has said that it is “making sure that our menus and buffets offer more and more vegetarian options” in order to move away from carbon-intensive beef.
The beef ban has come into effect even as stars attending the festival this year, including Anya Taylor-Joy, Demi Moore, and Cate Blanchett, typically arrive in southern France by plane.
Those who have appeared at the 77th annual event include Adam Driver, Emma Stone, Francis Ford Coppola and Barbie director Greta Gerwig – all of whom are likely to have flown to France.
Controlling the overall carbon emissions created as a result of Cannes may be difficult, as the marinas in Cannes are filled with yachts of the wealthy who have come to take in the festival, while helicopter flights frequently take off from the town’s heliport.