A Labour council has been accused of launching an attack on British farmers with a “draconian” meat and dairy ban. The Telegraph has the story.
Calderdale council, in West Yorkshire, has become the latest in a string of town halls to implement “100% plant-based catering” at events to reduce its carbon footprint.
The move, agreed at a meeting of the council last week, provoked a backlash from countryside campaigners, who urged Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, to condemn the policy.
An increasing number of local authorities, including Labour-controlled Enfield in London and Oxford city council, have introduced meat and dairy bans or signed so-called plant-based treaties in a bid to be more environmentally friendly.
But the trend has been resisted by some rural communities, with 10 councils – including Suffolk, Cornwall and Dorset – voting in favour of an alternative motion from the Countryside Alliance to keep meat and dairy on the menu.
The policy agreed by Calderdale last week states that catering provided at meetings and events hosted by the council on its own premises must be “100% plant based”. It should also be “focused on wholefood which is minimally processed, and where possible should be locally sourced and seasonal”.
The ban specifically covers catering funded by the council, and does not apply to food purchased by staff for their own consumption, or for individuals, such as children in care.
Drinks are also exempt, although plant-based alternatives to milk should be provided at council events.
Worth reading in full.
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