Bristol students vote against vegan menu after meat and dairy ban …
Students at Bristol University have voted against the idea of making its student union menu 100 per cent ‘plant-based’ and vegan, and to lobby for the rest of the university’s campus to go vegan too. The vote was fairly close, with 57 per cent of student union members voting against the motion to ban meat and dairy products at the union’s own outlets. That has led campaigners for the switch[1] to suggest the issue may well return in the future as switching to a vegan diet, or eating less meat and dairy products, is seen as one of the key ways to tackle climate change on an individual basis.
After the vote, which took place last week, the Bristol University Students Union has now been praised by the Countryside Alliance, the pro-hunting and shooting lobby group, which said it was ‘pleased’ the students had backed ‘common sense’.
The vote followed a lively debate at the student union, which represents all 33,000 students on courses at the University of Bristol. The proposal was for the student union itself to transition to a 100 per cent ‘just and sustainable plant-based’ menu, with four key actions proposed – to back the national ‘Plant-Based Universities Campaign’, and for the student union to lobby the university itself to switch as a whole, for the student union building’s catering itself to try to become 100 per cent plant-based by 2026, for the student union to create a ‘sustainability accreditation’ by 2025, which would help student groups switch to plant-based food and their events, and for the student union to lobby the university to have all the vending machines across the campus switch to vegan. (article continues below…)[4]
The student news site The Tab reported[5] that the debate centred around the environmental benefits of switching to a more plant-based world, against the rights of individuals to have choices in what they eat and drink. It was claimed that the proposal was not inclusive, especially at a university with so many students from all around the world. The result of the vote was that 57 per cent opposed the proposal, 32 per cent supported it and 11 per cent of the students abstained.
In a statement, the campaign group Plant-Based Universities Bristol, which protested outside the Victoria Rooms back in September[6], said: “In light of the recent vote against a plant-based transition, we will be looking to open conversations with those who opposed the motion, in particular international communities. We believe that plant-based catering can and should be inclusive for everyone, and that it will serve to protect people all over the world from climate catastrophes, such as flooding and hurricanes.” The decision not to adopt the motion was praised by the Countryside Alliance.
Spokesperson Sabina Roberts said people should have the right to choose. “We’re pleased to see students voting overwhelmingly against compulsory diets and in favour of common sense,” she said. “The vote by Bristol’s Student Union demonstrates the sensibility of our Rural Fightback, which we have been taking across the nation. People should have the freedom to choose what goes on their plate; we should be encouraging the public to eat locally sourced produce, which reduces food miles, not forcing them to follow any one particular diet.”
“British meat is amongst the most sustainable in the world.
Farmers should be celebrated for their contributions to sustainability endeavours through regenerative farming techniques and the production of renewable energy,” she added.
References
- ^ campaigners for the switch (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ Calls to ban meat and dairy from the menu at Bristol University (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ I tried the world’s first vegan steakhouse less than an hour from Bristol (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ University of Bristol (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
- ^ student news site The Tab reported (thetab.com)
- ^ protested outside the Victoria Rooms back in September (www.bristolpost.co.uk)