Oxford University students vote to ban beef and lamb from campus canteens

Students at Oxford University in the UK have voted to ban beef and lamb from campus canteens in order to fight climate change.

According to Daily Mail, the Oxford Student Union passed a motion by a two-thirds majority at the weekly student council. Students voted to ban beef at the institution in order to save the planet in February, while a group of agricultural students were told to leave a meeting debating the decision to remove the meat from menus at its eateries.

The motion says the Union should “request fortnightly meetings with the university authorities to advocate for the adoption of a university policy surrounding meat reduction and removal.”

It adds this should be “especially in respect of beef and lamb (and to campaign for) the university to issue advice to faculties, departments, and colleges on how they may follow suit in removing beef and lamb”.

“As the UK’s premier university, the nation looks to Oxford for leadership, but Oxford has shown a lack of leadership in addressing climate change. The banning of beef and lamb at university-catered events and outlets is a feasible and effective strategy to help the university meet its revised 2030 goal. ‘A change at the university level will open the gates for similar change at the college level,” noted the motion.

Talking to Daily Mail, Ben Farmer, from the Oxford Students’ Union, said: “I welcome the mandate to engage the university on this important issue. It is important to recognise that food-based changes may not be possible for every student or staff member at the university.”

Though the 22,000-member Union represents students at Oxford University it has not got the power to change university policy. If the university changes its policy, it would be following the footsteps of Cambridge University, which has already banned beef from campus canteens.