Another council has banned meat and dairy from its events, sparking widespread criticism among campaign groups, opposition councillors and farmers.
Oxford City Council has voted unanimously in favour of providing only plant-based options at all council catered events.
Labour councillor Paula Dunne spearheaded the motion on the grounds that overconsumption of meat and dairy "was the leading cause of modern species extinction".
In justifying her motion, she claimed: “In the UK we eat twice as much meat and dairy as the global average, which is not sustainable on finite planet, as there is not enough land in the world to meet this demand.”
The decision is the latest in a series of moves by some councils to ‘transition’ to plant-based options at events.
Oxford City follows Cambridge, Norwich and Edinburgh in adopting parts of the Plant-Based Councils campaign’s demands.
Speaking to The Times, Liam Walker an Oxfordshire Conservative councillor who opposed the move, said: “The idea that some councillors eating vegan meals a few times a year is suddenly going to help towards climate change is madness”.
A local farmer, who chose to remain anonymous, said that Oxford council was not “not supporting Oxford farmers or people’s free choice”.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance, said the vote represented "an attack on freedom of choice" and was a 'snub' to local farmers.
"Livestock farmers across Oxfordshire work incredibly hard to maintain and enhance the beautiful countryside surrounding Oxford. Without them, that countryside risks becoming a wasteland.
"Anti-farming policies such as this will only alienate the voters they need to win over”.
