HE’S been the King of the Australia Day lamb ads for as long as we’d like to remember, but the time may have come for Sam Kekovich to be dethroned — by none other than comedian and radio host, Dave “Hughesy” Hughes.

As the annual Australia Day Lamb ad dropped across the country this morning, the campaign is somewhat less of an attack on non-meat eating Aussies than what we witnessed last year.

In 2016, the annual ad — which featured SBS TV’s Lee Lin Chin and Mr Kekovich — focused around an Intelligence operation to save Australians abroad from going without the lamb on Australia Day.

The two-minute clip earnt the campaign the title of being one of the most complained about ads of all time.

Mr Kekovich came under further fire from Aussie vegan’s after he pleaded with them to “get a life” and try some lamb on Australia Day during an interview with Sunrise.

Mr Kekovich’s subsequent comments resulted in more than 600 complaints within hours of him making the inflammatory remarks, with vegans taking their anger to the Advertising Standards Bureau to voice their offence.

Australia's Diversity Celebrated in This Year's Lamb Ad Campaign Australia's Diversity Celebrated in This Year's Lamb Ad Campaign

This year, the annual ad campaign features the nation’s first people about to light a BBQ on an undisclosed Australian beach. Throughout the two-minute clip, people from around the world — including the French who bring the cheese, a German Ship carrying beer and a group of Chinese holding fireworks - descend on the sandy shores.

The ad, which has been dubbed the most political campaign to date by Mumbrella, is pushing lamb as “the most multicultural meat” and features cameo appearances from Olympian Cathy Freeman, rugby player Wendell Sailor, Masterchef’s Poh Ling Yeow, cricketer Adam Gilchrist and comedian Rhys Nicholson.

Just hours after the 2017 We Love Lamb campaign rolled out — Hughesy launched an attack on Lambassador Kekovich and Meat & Livestock Australia to debunk the idea that eating meat makes you “more Australian”.

In a 90-second address to the nation on behalf of the Alternative Meat Co., Hughesy declares “it’s time to talk turkey with certain citizens of our fair nation” who “have the chops to think throwing a slab of meat on the barbie makes them more Australian” than those who opt for vegetarian options.

“It doesn’t need to Moo for you to be True Blue,” Hughesy adds.

Hughesy, who is a vegetarian, discusses why you don’t need to be a carnivore to be Australian, and that there’s nothing wrong with “trying something different” and opting for a meat-free diet.

“To be clear, my beef isn’t with people who eat meat. I merely want to point out that there’s nothing un-Australian about trying something different,” he said.

“And I don’t mean drinking turmeric lattes filtered through a hipster’s beard or kambucha sundaes brewed in a handwoven kale basket. You can be healthier by just giving steak a miss every now and then.”

In an ever-changing dietary landscape, Australia now makes up the top three fastest growing vegan markets between 2015 and 2020.

Data from market researcher Euromonitor International has shown Australia’s packaged vegan food market is currently worth almost $136 million, set to reach $215 million by 2020.

Ewa Hudson, head of health and wellness at Euromonitor International said “the rising demand and trend for vegetarian and vegan proteins indicates where the market is moving right now”.

Hughesy supports this movement, but raising the fact that “some of Australia’s most ripped citizens enjoy a plant-based diet” such as Liam Hemsworth.

“He may be a beef cake but he’d never eat one,” Hughesy says.

“Remember folks, we aren’t a nation of sheep — so don’t let anyone tell you that you need to eat one.

“Why not chuck something vego on the BBQ this Australia Day.

“You know I’m right, I’m Dave Hughes.”

Let the food fight begin.