Council row erupts over vegan-only lunches which 'do not promote sustainability'

The local authority said at the time its decision to serve vegan lunches and and prioritise locally sourced food was "framed by the need to tackle climate change", as well as reducing food waste and supporting healthy eating.

At a meeting on July 8, Faringdon Councillor Bethia Thomas called on the council to rethink its controversial catering policy which has "continued to spark comment".

"This caused a lot of controversy at the time and has continued to spark comment especially as meals have not been sourced locally, and do not promote sustainability or wholly reflect the policies set out in the Oxfordshire Food Strategy which the council endorses, the Liberal Democrat councillor said.

"While I am very happy to have a meal of any sort provided for me, I would prefer it if we could rethink our existing catering policy and consider different options including the use of local produce, to reflect the county's rural economy and our farmers' role in food production."

She also suggested councillors bring their own lunches or go out "to support local businesses".

In response, Council Leader, Councillor Liz Leffman explained the current supplier for "all council lunches" was a company based in the Oxfordshire village of Kidlington.

"We also use a range of local caterers for internal and external events at the council, including Damascus Rose and Waste2Taste – an Oxford-based community interest catering company who use surplus ingredients to provide high quality food", Councillor Leffman said.

The council leader added that she had asked its facilities management team to "review the current arrangements" for the lunches to be in line with its "commitment to the Oxfordshire Food Strategy and to supporting the local economy".

Oxfordshire County Council was met with backlash upon announcing its vegan-only lunch policy in 2021.

The Countryside Alliance said at the time: "Scrapping meat is unnecessarily divisive and demonstrates no understanding of how meat in this country is produced, which thanks to UK farming practices, is among the most sustainable in the world.

"Meat and dairy are enjoyed by the vast bulk of the public and dietary choices remain just that: a choice.

"Oxfordshire County Council's Liberal Democrat and Green leadership would do well to actually liaise with their local farming community to see their amazing work first hand, rather than bringing in provocative, headline grabbing proposals which alienate the rural community.

"By sourcing their meat and dairy from only local producers going forward, the council would be setting an example people might want to actually get behind."

Councillor David Bartholomew, representing Sonning Common, labelled the move "dictatorial".

Henley Town and South Oxfordshire District Councillor, Stefan Gawrysiak, meanwhile said at the time: "For the council to actually force all catering to become plant-based is wrong. It has got to be gradual."

The decision also sparked criticism from Oxfordshire farmers, including Jeremy Clarkson.

Clarkson said: “It’s the principle of it. You can’t dictate. You might be a vegetarian but you can’t make everyone else a vegetarian just because you are."

The former Top Gear star runs his own farm in Oxfordshire called Diddly Squat.

He showcases the highs and lows of farming on hit Amazon programme, Clarkson's Farm.