Organisers of the Provinssi rock festival are charging plant-based food vendors slightly less than their meat-selling counterparts at the summer event.
The main rule of thumb is that the less meat, poultry or seafood a vendor offers, the less they will be charged to sell food at the festival. For example, if there is no red meat on a vendor's menu they will receive a one percent discount. If they aren't selling food with meat, poultry or fish the discount increases to two percent.
If a seller's menu is fully vegan, they will get a three percent discount.
According to Provinssi's director, Ville Koivisto, the festival is aiming to be more climate friendly and organisers are using the arrangement to encourage vendors to try selling vegetarian options.
Rural affairs newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus first reported about the festival's plans earlier this week.
However one of Provinssi's partners, meat and food products firm Atria, was surprised by the plans, according to the firm's marketing chief Sanna Päälysaho.
"This was not discussed when we made the cooperation agreement," she said.
According to Päällysaho, the company learned about the festival's vegetarian discounts through the media. She said that the arrangement was not necessarily in line with Atria's principles.
Provinssi director Koivisto told Maaseudun Tulevaisuus that between 10–15 percent of the festival's carbon footprint comes from food but that it is unknown how much this effort to reduce meat product sales would affect that figure.
Atria's marketing chief Päälysaho said there are other ways to reduce carbon footprints, including recycling and using locally sourced materials.
However, Koivisto said that meat lovers will still find something to eat at Provinssi next summer.
He also emphasised that the festival's vendors' fees will not be higher than last year and that the discounts were only meant to encourage restaurateurs to use plant-based ingredients.
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