Farmers have been left fuming at a city council in a rural heartland who decided to 'go vegan'.
Exeter city council has decided to go vegan with internal catering for its meetings, and some Devon livestock farmers aren't happy.
As part of a motion backed by councillors, the authority has also called for a policy to ensure plant-based dishes are available at Council-run sites including leisure centres, cafes and restaurants and that the plant-based options are advertised clearly.
Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Climate Change, called for a transition to plant-based grub at all internally catered meetings.
He said at its core the motion is about awareness of the impact "choices everyone makes on the environment" and what the options are to reduce that impact.
The British Farmers Union (BFU) today said a number of their members are concerned: "We, the BFU, see this motion, in part, as being detrimental to the rights of an individual to choose a wholesome, balanced diet.
"We also see this motion as being detrimental to the livestock industry within your boundaries and beyond, while reminding ourselves that pasture/grassland and the grazing of livestock is the most efficient carbon sequestration tool available to us.
"Livestock agriculture and its related industries form a very large employment base in Devon and ECC [Exeter County Council] receives a lot of income from the 10,000 acres it owns as well as other properties, which include a vibrant livestock market."
They added: "The whole issue of utilising plant-based foods flies directly in the face of sustainability. Many alternatives to meat consumption are based on products grown from land on the other side of the world which has had to destroy thousands of acres of rain forest to produce these products."
Councillor Wood touched on the climate impact of eating meat: "There is a shared understanding in society that we should eat less meat. Climate change means we need to look at everything we do, what changes we can make to reduce Carbon Emissions and consider food production, transportation and sustainability.
“We aren't saying people should stop eating meat, they may choose to of course. What we are saying is that they could be aware of their choices and that eating more plant-based food is one of the actions that they can take."
Cllr Josie Parkhouse, Lead Councillor for Leisure and Physical Activity, who seconded the motion, said: "The science is clear and we know that we need to start eating less meat as people, as a society and as a planet to help future generations. This motion is not saying we should all go vegan overnight. It is saying that we should all cut down on our meat consumption for the sake of the planet.”
The motion was overwhelmingly backed by councillors, reports Devon Live.
