A Shropshire town council could be set to go vegan after hundreds back a petition

The petition urges Shrewsbury Town Council to show “climate leadership” by switching its catering at meetings and events to plant-based in order to lower the council’s carbon footprint; open up a conversation with residents about reducing meat and dairy intake; and save the council money.

It was released ahead of a council motion on September 30, presented by Green Party Councillor Chris Lemon, who is calling on the town council to change its events catering to “plant-based by default” while using locally sourced produce where possible.

Anyone attending the council’s catered events who wants to eat meat and dairy can still request it.

Councillor Chris Lemon said: “Shrewsbury Town Council has a relatively modest carbon footprint generated by the food and drink it provides at functions and meetings, but by passing this motion it can add significantly to the direction of travel towards becoming carbon neutral by taking a lead in highlighting that what we eat and drink really does matter.”

He added that several other councils across the UK – including Nottingham City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, Norwich City Council – have already supported similar plant-based initiatives as part of their response to the climate emergency.

His motion comes after the UK Government Food Strategy recommended a shift towards ‘a sustainable, nature positive, affordable food system’ which, according to government advisors the Climate Change Committee, requires a 20% shift away from all meat by 2030, rising to 35% by 2050; and a 20% shift away from dairy products by 2030.

Shrewsbury resident Dr Alice Brough – a farmer’s granddaughter, pig vet, and national campaigner who signed the petition said: “Shrewsbury Town Council’s climate emergency guide for residents encourages us to eat less meat and dairy, but it doesn’t explain how we should achieve this.

“We’re asking Shrewsbury Town Council to make catering at its events plant-based by default, using locally sourced ingredients where possible, to kickstart a conversation around this important issue.

“If Shrewsbury Town Council wants residents to achieve this aim, it has to lead by example and explain to us why this shift is necessary. Leading research from the University of Oxford has shown that reducing meat and dairy is hugely beneficial for the planet. A global transition to plant-based eating would free up 76 per cent of the land currently used for food production, which could be re-wilded to benefit nature recovery and mitigate the accelerating climate emergency.”