Councillors in Enfield have sent a strong message of support for British livestock farmers and producers by reversing the unpopular plant-based edict, pushed through by the previous Labour council, and putting meat back on the menu.
Back in 2020, the previous Labour council banned all meat at council events, pledging to only offer vegan and vegetarian options as part of its efforts to fight climate change.
The Countryside Alliance criticised the move at the time, stating that the ban “demonstrates no understanding of how meat in this country is produced”, and ignored the fact that British meat is “among the most sustainable in the world”.
Enfield’s new Conservative council, under the leadership of Alex Georgiou, has now reversed this decision. Cllr Georgiou stated that they were “beefing back up Enfield”, honouring their manifesto commitment to allow “meat back on the menu”. The new Conservative council stated that the move was made in support of English, British and Enfield farmers.
The policy shift has been welcomed by rural campaigners.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, praised the decision:
“I applaud Cllr Georgiou for his good judgement in ditching the disastrous and virtue-signalling meat ban brought in by the previous administration. British meat is produced to some of the highest welfare and sustainability standards in the world, and at a time when rural communities feel under siege from the government, it is important that we do all that we can to support our Great British farmers. Enfield Council has done just that.”
The move comes as part of an ongoing battle in councils across the UK between plant-based activists and advocates of freedom of choice and British livestock farming. Numerous councils, including Durham, Suffolk, Cornwall and North Northamptonshire, have joined a Countryside Alliance campaign defending British meat and dairy and freedom of choice, defying the compulsory vegan train seen in other councils such as Calderdale, Oxfordshire and Edinburgh, who have voted to ban meat and dairy items from their council-catered menus.