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The Saskatchewan Roughriders organization has distanced itself from an A&W ad that showed fans of the football club sinking their teeth into Beyond Meat burgers, after the commercial drew ire from ranchers.

The ad, which was filmed outside Mosaic Stadium during a Rider game, left a bad taste in the mouths of some ranchers. Enough so, it prompted the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association to reach out to the Riders after getting calls from producers.

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“They were concerned about the Roughrider brand being leveraged to support the products in the commercial,” said Chad MacPherson, the association’s general manager.

Within 24 hours of contacting the Riders, members made the short walk from the association’s headquarters on Regina’s exhibition grounds to Mosaic Stadium for a meeting with the club.

The Roughriders chief brand officer, Anthony Partipilo, also wrote a letter addressing the complaints, which was posted on the Stock Growers Association’s website. The letter explained the commercial was not intended make it appear the football club was withdrawing support for the beef industry, and that the Riders were not involved in its production.

“We understand this is a very sensitive issue for your membership and for Canadian ranchers and we apologize for any distress this may have caused,” wrote Partipilo in the letter.

Partipilo said the Riders met with A&W last week to voice concerns about the ad. According to Partipilo, A&W said the ad was not meant to convince people to “stop eating beef.” Partipilo said A&W’s intent was to attract customers who normally don’t eat beef for personal, dietary or religious reasons.