Now snowf lakes ban beef burgers
University’s canteen crackdown ‘to save planet’
a UnIverSItY that is banning beef from its canteen has been condemned for denying people the freedom to choose what they eat.
the move by goldsmiths, University of London will come into force from next month as part of a drive for a ‘carbon neutral campus’.
the students’ union has backed the ban, saying the university has a ‘huge carbon footprint’ that must be eradicated by 2025.
but farming groups said goldsmiths was setting a ‘dangerous precedent’ by ‘taking away choice’ and that british beef is produced to ‘high environmental standards’.
Studies have shown cattle farming produces relatively high levels of greenhouse gases, although the impact is lower on farms in the UK compared with other parts of the world.
the goldsmiths ban, which will affect all beef products including burgers, was announced by new head Professor Frances Corner, who has come from the London College of Fashion and is known for ‘ethical fashion’ campaigning.
She said: ‘the growing global call for organisations to take seriously their responsibilities for halting climate change is impossible to ignore.
‘our staff and students care passionately about the future of our environment and are determined to help deliver the step change we need to cut our carbon footprint drastically and as quickly as possible.’
She has also implemented other measures to make the university more environmentally friendly, such as charging students a 10p levy on bottles of water and single-use plastic cups.
Stuart roberts, of the national Farmers’ Union, said the beef ban was an ‘overly simplistic approach’, adding: ‘our standards of beef production in the UK are among the most efficient in the world, with british livestock grazing in extensive, grass-based systems – meaning a greenhouse gas footprint 2.5 times smaller than the global average.’
mo metcalf-Fisher, of the Countryside alliance, said: ‘goldsmiths University are setting a dangerous precedent by imposing bans and forcing people to live a particular way.
‘reducing carbon is laudable but this is the wrong approach. education is what a university should be about so people make responsible choices on their own. a university should not be about taking choice away.’
Katie Pearson, of the national beef association, said: ‘the UK continues to lead the way in environmentally sustainable beef production and this should not be confused with environmentally damaging beef production systems such as South america.’
george dunn, of the tenant Farmers association, said the ‘wrongheaded’ ban lacked the ‘rigour of evidencebased decision making that we should expect of our academic institutions’.
‘Forcing people to live a particular way’