Council vegan policies are ‘undermining’ farmers

VEGAN policies adopted by councils are “counterproductive” and should be dropped because they undermine British farmers, it has been claimed.

District councillors have been urged to withdraw from a campaign that encourages residents to give up meat and adopt a plant-based diet.

Climate Action Oxfordshire was launched by the county council with the backing of its five district councils to help residents live a more environmentally-friendly life and claims “switching to a plant-based diet can reduce the carbon footprint of what you eat by up to 73 per cent”.

It follows a controversial decision by the county council to ban meat, dairy and eggs from all catered events and make a plant-based meal the only option in schools one day a week.

The Countryside Alliance (CA) has now written to the leaders of the district councils, calling on them to withdraw, and accusing the country council of “undermining” British farmers.

The CA claims red meat produced in Britain is the “most sustainable in the world”, accounting for just 3.7 per cent of UK carbon emissions. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “Local farmers produce sustainable, seasonal food while maintaining and enhancing the countryside.”

Andrew Prosser, cabinet member for climate change at West Oxfordshire district council, said: “Climate Action Oxfordshire doesn’t prescribe a vegan diet, this is one idea presented.”

A spokesman for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils pointed out that the Government had recommended cutting meat and dairy consumption by 20 per cent.

They added they were working to support local farmers including appointing a Food & Farming Champion to “support and raise awareness of all sorts of local produce, low carbon meat and dairy farms and encouraging people to buy local”.