Portsmouth City Council to vote next week on whether to ban Vegan plant-only menus at events and keep meat options in a boost to British farmers

A city council is gearing up to become the latest to join the war against vegan plant-only meals at civic parties by keeping meat squarely on the menu.

Portsmouth City Council is set to vote on a motion to keep serving meat and dairy products at all its official events, next week, in a clear boast for local farming. 

The plan has been tabled by local Conservatives, who say they want to ‘fly the flag’ and ‘represent everyone’ by ensuring it is ‘always’ served at city functions.

It comes as hardline vegan activists continue to be successful in getting a number of councils to get bin meat and dairy from their functions, in a move that’s ignited fury among rural communities whose livelihoods depend on them.

If councillors in Portsmouth back the motion, the city will become the latest to rail against vegan campaigners, joining the likes of councils in Suffolk, North Northamptonshire and Cornwall who have already defied the trend.

Councillors in Portsmouth are set to vote whether or not to keep menu on the menu at the council (pictured: Portsmouth Harbour with the Spinnaker Tower)

A number of councils have scrapped meals that contain meat and dairy from their menus

Councillor Benedict Swann, who proposed the motion, said: ‘Our county and region plays a huge role in producing sustainable food and it’s high time we recognised that as a council and do everything we can to help them. 

‘When other councils have voted through divisive, illogical bans on meat and dairy, Portsmouth must stand with those on the side of farmers, growers, fisherman and freedom of choice and that is what my motion sets out to do. I hope every councillor, regardless of political affiliation, votes in support.’

Councillor Benedict Swann, proposed the motion at Portsmouth City Council 

The proposal seeks to ‘always’ offer meat and diary options, alongside plant-based food, from ‘local suppliers’. 

In addition, the motion would also commit the authority to encouraging city residents to shop locally and back home-grown produce.

And it would urge the council give local farmers the chance to display nd sell product close to the city’s booming cruise terminal to ‘champion our fantastic local produce to visitors’. 

‘This is about championing everything and flying the flag for people,’ Cllr Swann told MailOnline. ‘Everyone needs to be represented, you can’t take one particular stance on it. We can’t just say “yes, we going to take a very narrow view of that argument”. We have to represent everyone living in the city.’

The idea has been praised by the Countryside Alliance, which said farmers and people living in their communities are keen for support.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, a spokesperson for the group, told MailOnline: ‘Across the country we are seeing more and more councils back our campaign to support local farmers and growers, while pre-emptively rejecting bans on meat and dairy and so-called plant-based treaties that seek to eradicate livestock farming. Portsmouth now has a historic opportunity to be the first UK city to sign up to this important motion.

If the motion at Portsmouth City Council passes it would mean the local authority will ‘always’ have meat and dairy at its events, alongside vegan and vegetarian options

READ MORE: Council joins ‘rural fightback’ against vegan campaigners with motion to make sure meat and dairy products are ALWAYS on the menu at official events

‘Red meat produced in the UK is among the most sustainable in the world, and it makes every bit of sense for local authorities to encourage the public to play their part in fighting climate change by sourcing seasonal and sustainable produce from local farmers and growers – irrespective of whether its meat or vegetables. We hope all political parties support this motion’.

The Countryside Alliance, which has spearheaded a national campaign to get councils to adopt ‘farming friendly’ policies while pushing back against attempts to introduce bans on meat and dairy, has welcomed the motion.

It has urged all of Portsmouth’s 42 councillors, regardless of political allegiance, to vote for the motion ‘for the good of the county’s hardworking farming community and the wider countryside’.

Earlier this year Cornwall Council began the fightback against vegan food after it voted in favour of a ‘landmark’ motion to ensure meat and dairy would be served at its events. 

Several motions passed at other councils across the country encourage residents to buy ‘plant-based’ produce in a move away from meat and dairy, while also committing to only source vegan options for councillors at events.

The motion ensured the council’s commitment to local farmers by proactively sourcing local, seasonal produce – explicitly including meat and dairy – at council events, while encouraging residents to ‘shop locally’ and urging them to take advantage of ‘home-grown, affordable, nutritious food, both plant and meat base 

In 2021, Oxfordshire County Council triggered outrage among farmers, including Jeremy Clarkson, when it passed a motion to ban meat and dairy at its events.

Jeremy Clarkson, who hosted his Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, previously lambasted Oxfordshire County Council for its plans to ban meat and dairy

At the time, the council justified the policy saying it was ‘in the interest of the health of our planet and the health of our people’.

Councils such as , Edinburgh City Council, Norwich City Council and Haywards Heath Town Council in Sussex, have also signed up to the ‘Plant-Based Treaty’, which calls for an end to the construction of any future livestock farm and pushes plant-based food in schools and hospitals. It also includes a pledge to promote vegan food over animal products.

The Climate Change Committee, which advises the Government, does not support the UK going vegan, but does recommend everyone in the UK reduces their meat and dairy consumption by 20 per cent and 35 per cent by 2050.

Enfield Borough Council also removed meat from the menu of its catering service in 2020, while Cambridge City Council will transition to a fully plant-based catering for council meetings by 2026 and promotes vegan food options at civic and external events.

Portsmouth’s vote is taking place at the next full council meeting on Tuesday, November 14.  

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