RTÉ has added a qualified dietician to its panel of experts for the controversial TV show “What planet are you on?”

The move follows an outcry from farmers and the food industry – as well as multiple official complaints to the broadcaster – over a climate scientist giving dietary advice in its 2019 series.

Dr Marco Springmann advised against the inclusion of beef and dairy in the diet, going so far as to suggest that avocados were a better option than Irish cheese.

A number of complaints were lodged with the national broadcaster, pertaining to a lack of balance in the show.

It appears that RTÉ has listened, taking Paula Mee, a qualified dietician who has worked previously with the National Dairy Council and Bord Bia, on board as an expert this year.

Mee said her role on the show is to advise on a balanced diet.

“If and where they (the families featured) were consuming too much red and/or processed meat, it was suggested they might like to choose more environmentally sustainable proteins,” she said.

“Likewise, if they were consuming over and above the recommended dairy intake, we discussed the importance of balance and making sure they were getting enough nutrients from other groups.”

Scientific support on the climatic impact of the families’ diets is provided through research compiled in Oxford, UK and Agroscope, Switzerland, according to the RTÉ website. This research is aggregated global data, not specific to Irish production systems.

Another change this year is that there is no sample diet like the one that was published in 2019. Mee said: “Families were not given the advice to go vegan.”

Farmers will be watching closely over the next three weeks, to see if the 2019 “beef bashing” theme is repeated in the 2020 series.