Edinburgh to take meat off the menu in city’s schools

EDINBURGH is now the first European capital to commit to axing meat from its menus in schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

The city has voted to adopt the ‘plant-based treaty’ – including a pledge to promote vegan food over animal products.

The move comes days before Burns Night – the centrepiece of which is haggis, traditionally made from a sheep’s liver, lungs, heart and stomach.

Edinburgh is the second place in the UK to adopt the treaty, launched in 2021, after Haywards Heath Town Council in West Sussex. It is one of 20 worldwide, including Los Angeles.

The move – which could also mean refusing permission to open slaughterhouses in the Edinburgh area – was slammed as ‘anti-farming’ by the Scottish Countryside Alliance.

The alliance’s director Jake Swindells said that it was ‘pandering to misinformation about livestock farming’.

But supporters said that by changing local diets the city will be able to reduce the greenhouse gases it produces.

A council report said: ‘Overall, the science is clear: Meat and dairy consumption must reduce to achieve climate targets.’