There are times only milk will do.
So ran the strapline of the famous 1989 television advert in which a young boy, clad in a Liverpool shirt, quaffed a glass of milk while explaining to a dismayed friend that Ian Rush, the club’s star striker, had told him he would only ever be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley unless he drunk plenty of the white stuff.
For a growing number of local authorities, however, it would seem that milk – and indeed meat – will no longer do at all.
Eager to cut down on carbon emissions, councils up and down the country have been encouraging residents to embrace plant-based diets, sparking a fierce backlash from local farmers and agricultural associations.
Efforts to discourage the consumption of dairy products and endorse initiatives like Veganuary, the annual challenge that encourages people to eat a plant-based diet for the month of January, have been branded ‘a kind of lunacy’ by rural campaigners, who believe officials have been taken in by the ‘deceptive’ claims of ideological zealots.
Got milk? Not if the officials of Exmouth Town, Edinburgh City, Norwich City, Haywards Heath Town Council and Lambeth Council have their way, you won’t. All five areas have signed up to a plant-based treaty, while Oxfordshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, Calderdale Council, Belfast City and Nottingham City have banned meat.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs for the Countryside Alliance, a rural campaign group, says the trend is underpinned by the work of organisations like Plant-based Councils, which urges councils to embrace 100% plant-based catering for internal meetings and events, and Plant Based Treaty, which advocates a global agreement to align the food system with the Paris climate agreement.
He argues that councils have bought into the broad-sweep claims of such organisations without considering the specific realities of British farming.
‘I don’t think councils should be getting involved in people’s diets,’ said Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs for the Countryside Alliance
Gloucestershire County Council is one of several local authorities that have sparked outrage among farmers after supporting ‘climate-friendly alternatives’ to dairy and meat
‘We believe councils and others should support the local supply chains and farm businesses at the heart of our rural communities,’ said Tom Bradshaw, National Farmers’ Union president
‘I think what these groups are doing is deliberately painting a picture on a broad global scale about livestock farming,’ said Metcalf-Fisher. ‘They are deliberately trying to deceive people, because they’re not talking about UK farming systems.
‘Britain is a global leader in producing dairy, and that is very obviously a major stumbling block for them.
‘We take issue with councils regurgitating these claims, because they are just jumping on the plant-based bandwagon.’
The Countryside Alliance is spearheading a counter-campaign aimed at persuading councils to champion local producers and embrace freedom of choice.
Councils in Suffolk, Cornwall, Portsmouth, Fenland, Peterborough, the Highlands, Dorset, Wiltshire, Staffordshire Moorlands and Rutland are among those to have signed up so far.
Gloucestershire County Council recently fell foul of the local farming community after suggesting that residents might consider using vegan alternatives to cow’s milk such as soya or oat milk.
Councillor David Gray said the ‘swaps in seconds’ campaign was about making small changes for the sake of the environment.
‘Dairy is one of the big producers of methane, so our suggestion is every so often instead of having milk with your coffee, you have oat milk or soy, and that way make a small difference in the overall impact of your lifestyle on the environment,’ said Gray.
An outcry from local farmers prompted the council to backtrack, but Metcalf-Fisher questions why officials felt the need to get involved in the first place.
‘I don’t think councils should be getting involved in people’s diets,’ he said. ‘What they should be doing is talking about British farming and how brilliant it is, not going down the dubious route of brazenly repeating what plant-based groups say.
‘It’s another example of the nonsense farmers have to put up with, all to produce food to feed us. Hertfordshire has plugged Veganuary, which seems inoffensive, but they’re not doing their research.
‘A serious local authority should not be going anywhere near that kind of lunacy. They’re quoting from books that accuse livestock farmers of lying when they’ve got roads to clean and bins to collect.’
Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union, likewise called for more informed and judicious decision-making, emphasising the sustainability efforts of British farmers and the need to support domestic production.
‘What we eat is a personal choice and not something which should be imposed,’ said Bradshaw.
‘Decisions should be made in an informed way, taking into consideration the nutritional, environmental and biodiversity benefits that eating a balanced diet including meat and dairy provide.
‘Farmers in the UK are leading the way in sustainable food production. They are working tirelessly to measure and reduce their climate impact, such as through improving soil health, reducing emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration, to ensure they produce food alongside boosting biodiversity on farms.
‘We believe that councils and others should support local supply chains and farm businesses which are at the heart of our rural communities.
‘There have been some great successes with councils including Suffolk County Council and Cornwall Council showing their support for local farmers by committing to pro-actively source local produce and we will continue working with local authorities.’
However, Louisa Hillwood, regional coordinator for Plant-Based Councils in London, believes farmers can reap long-term benefits from paying greater heed to environmental factors and embracing plant-based food production.
‘Research has shown that the gold standard for food in terms of emissions, land use, and biodiversity is local and seasonal plant-based food,’ said Hillwood.
‘By promoting this type of food our councils can support the areas of farming with the lowest levels of food security, 17% for fruit and 55% for vegetables, while also demonstrating best practice to the public.
‘While it is true that some farmers will have to change their farm and how they use the land, it is beneficial for their businesses in the long run, because we are already witnessing the devastating impacts of extreme weather on the farming community.’
