Enfield Council in London has announced it will ban meat from future events to help tackle the climate crisis.
Starting in December, the council will be the first in the U.K to only serve veggie and vegan options at events where it provides the catering.
The council, which aims to become a net-zero organization by 2030, and a net-zero borough by 2040, recently made the announcement in its Climate Action Plan report.
‘Positive impact’
A spokesperson from The Vegan Society told the Evening Standard: “A comparison of even the lowest impact beef with plant protein such as peas shows that beef is responsible for six times more greenhouse gasses and 36 times more land.
“For councils that have declared a Climate Emergency this would be a simple policy to enact which would have a positive impact.”
The Vegan Society added that it hopes other councils and public sector organizations will be ‘inspired’ by Enfield Council’s move and follow in suit.
Mixed opinions
The announcement stirred opinions online, with some accusing the council of ‘forcing’ people to be vegetarian.
One Twitter user said: “Imagine the outcry if it was the other way around! Surely it’s not a councils job to dictate what we eat?”
Whilst another, who was in support of the ban, said: “Hats off to Enfield Council. Thank you for doing the right thing when plant-based is the only way forward for our planet, public health, and human decency.”
You can read the full report here