Meat still on menu in North Devon

Councillors throw out veggie-only plan

People who work for North Devon Council will still be able to eat meat at events and meetings it caters for, despite a Green councillor trying to stop them in the interests of climate change.

Councillors rejected moves to encourage plant-based meals after regarding it as “a slap in the face” to local farmers – although Cllr Ricky Knight (Green; Heanton Punchardon) had asked the council to turn to local producers for plant-based ingredients.

He also wanted to ban advertising of meat and dairy products in spaces the council controls or influences, as these “promote harmful ways of eating.”

Around a hundred people, made up of mainly local farmers but also some climate change activists, came to the full council meeting at Petroc College where the motion was thrown out after a heated debate.

Councillors recently committed to supporting agriculture and the part it plays in the economy of North Devon at a special policy development committee meeting.

Cllr Knight said meat and dairy production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and global deforestation, and that reducing consumption of these foods is a key part of tackling the climate crisis as well as improving health.

He claimed that 40 per cent of the UK’s most productive land is currently used for growing livestock feed.

And he said phasing out animal agriculture over the next 15 years would result in a 68 per cent reduction in global issues this century.

“We have a duty as leaders in the district to empower the local community to make changes that can mitigate climate catastrophe and help preserve the vitality of our planet for future generations,” he said.

“Increasing awareness of dietary choices and the resulting impact on an individual’s carbon footprint can allow them to make more informed choices.”

As the authority’s lead member for climate and biodiversity, he said it was his remit to  make sure the council reached net zero by 2030.

He denied the motion was anti-farming and said it would not result in the “overnight collapse of meat and dairy farms”. Instead it was an incremental transition to sustainable healthy food production.

Cllr Mark Haworth-Booth (Landkey) said: “We all want to pass on our planet and our beloved countryside to our children in a similar or better condition but as present we are failing very badly in achieving this.

“What clearly feels extreme to some seems to me, given the crisis we are in, well worth discussing and perhaps adapting to suit North Devon’s rich farming culture.”

But Cllr David Worden (Lib Dem,South Molton) said, if passed, the motion would “deny people of their personal choice” and be “a nail in the coffin” for local farmers.

He said land in North Devon is not conducive to arable farming, and more suitable for pasture.

“To move entirely to growing plants and trees would be disastrous for the ecology of the area and bankrupt our farmers, destroy our rural communities and have a devastating effect on our countryside.

“Successive governments have undervalued our farmers and increasingly relied on foreign imports to feed our nation, that is a very dangerous thing to do.

“If we really want to make an impact on the climate crisis we need to buy more of our own food instead of clocking up huge transport miles with goods coming from South America, Australia and beyond.

“I passionately believe that, as a council, we would be overstepping the mark to take away the general public’s choice of what food they would like to eat. This motion is inappropriate for our area, there maybe some useful points in it, but as it stands it’s a slap in the face to our farmers and I urge members to vote against it.”

Cllr Robin Milton (Ind, Bishops Nympton) said it was wrong to blame farmers for climate change.

He said the motion was “inappropriate and ill conceived” and failed to recognise the complexities of agricultural diversity and its contribution to the community of North Devon.

And that it undermined the work of the policy development committee and the council’s new economic strategy.

He said sustainability and a plant-based approach were two entirely separate issues and should not be confused, and he urged people to buy local, seasonal produce.

Cllr Liz Bulled (Con, North Molton), who also works in agriculture, said local farmers were angry at the motion. She said farming and tourism are the two biggest industries in the district.

North Devon is home to the largest farm supply business in the UK, which employs more than 2,000 people and there many other businesses rely on agriculture.

“Without these businesses our rural economy would die,” she said. “In addition the North Devion tourist economy relies on the landscape provided by farmers. It attracts people here, we all work together.”

She said meat and milk are two of the most sustainable ways of food production – grass locked in carbon, arable cultivation released it.

“It costs thousands in litres of diesel because there are currently no viable electric tractors to cultivate and to harvest arable land,” she said.

Inorganic pesticides were also a threat to the environment.

“I have no problem in anyone having a vegan or vegetarian diet as long as they are happy to live on produce like avocados and almond milk from the other side of the world and fruit and veg wrapped in plastic from Spain and California, where water supplies are under serious threat due to irrigation.

“What I object to is these diets being imposed on us impacting our freedom to choose our own homegrown fresh produce.

“Livestock farming is the bedrock of North Devon and we need to be given the choice of eating what we want to eat.”

Other councillors raised concerns over plant-based food not providing nutrients needed for a healthy diet.