A MOTION to ban all meat and dairy from council catered events has been passed.

Green Party councillor Ian Middleton, put forward a motion to make sure all Oxfordshire County Council meetings are "entirely plant-based", and it was passed on Tuesday's full council meeting.

The motion also called for targeted education in schools on dietary health, food growing, preparation and waste avoidance and for the county school meals service to make fully plant-based menus available to schools that ask for them.

However, Conservative councillor David Bartholomew feels the motion is "unacceptable" and says that veganism should be a choice.

Mr Bartholomew also believes the motion is discriminatory against the farmers who are making efforts to make their farming sustainable.

Mr Bartholomew proposed an amendment to the motion at a previous county council meeting, to change the wording to make a plant-based diet optional. However, this amendment was not accepted.

In Tuesday's meeting two amendments were proposed. One by the Conservatives seeking to limit its scope which was not accepted, and a second amendment from the alliance itself adding references to support for local farmers and food producers which was accepted.

Read again: Green councillor wants an entirely vegan menu at Oxfordshire council meetings

It will now be considered by the council cabinet before implementation.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Middleton said:"It's been hard work getting this motion to the council but I'm very pleased that it's finally been passed. We now join several other authorities who have passed similar motions, but I believe we're the first county council to do so."

He added: "No one is taking away free choice, these changes will only affect those who wish to avail themselves of food provided by the council. What members do outside the council walls is their own affair.

"This was a democratic decision taken on a collective basis which simply says that the council should be promoting healthy, plant-based foods in the face of evidence about the damage being done on a global scale by intensive meat and dairy production both in terms of climate change and public health.

"We also wanted to highlight how local small scale farms in Oxfordshire were moving increasingly towards sustainable practices, encouraging a more direct local link between consumers and the food we buy."

Mr Middleton said: "These are not choices we're making for ourselves, but for future generations. This is a very minor change that sends a powerful message to the people we represent that we take tackling climate change seriously and are prepared to play our part as community leaders".

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