Southwest Colorado responds to MeatOut Day by celebrating meat [VIDEO]

Fans of Colorado’s livestock industry gathered around the state Saturday to eat and promote meat in defiance of Gov. Jared Polis’ proclamation that made Saturday a statewide MeatOut Day.

In Durango, carnivorous community members gathered outside the Harley-Davidson dealership for Southwest Colorado’s Eat Meat BBQ. The barbecue, hosted by the La Plata-Archuleta Cattlemen’s Association, featured free hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst, along with coleslaw and bacon and beans.

“We’re celebrating agriculture today,” said Veronica Lasater, a member of the La Plata County Farm Bureau board. “It’s the second-largest industry in Colorado, contributes $47 dollars and employs just under 200,000 people in the state. So we feel it’s important to come together to just kind of celebrate meat and the industry.”