Calderdale Council is facing renewed criticism over its decision to impose a meat ban, after claims that the policy has led to soaring levels of food waste.
Rural campaigners are once again calling for the authority to reverse its stance, describing the measure as “unpopular and divisive”.
The ban, introduced last year, requires the council to provide only vegan catering at its functions.
The move has drawn sustained backlash since its adoption. Critics have argued the policy amounts to an “imposition of views”, that it risks increasing food miles by importing specialist produce, and that it ignores potential nutritional shortcomings in vegan diets.
The Countryside Alliance condemned the decision at the time, insisting it scapegoated the meat and dairy industry for climate change.
It argued that if councillors were serious about tackling emissions, they should instead commit to cutting food miles by sourcing local produce, whether meat, dairy or plant-based.
The Conservative mayor of Calderdale, Councillor Steven Leigh, is now seeking an exemption from the policy for events he oversees, citing “complaints about the plant-based menus at council catered events”.
Deputy mayor Councillor Geraldine Carter has also spoken out, arguing the ban excludes pescatarians and meat eaters and has resulted in “a large amount of food waste” at catered events.
A request has been lodged for mayoral functions to be allowed to serve non plant-based meals, funded through the mayoral budget.
The council’s civic advisory group has concluded that only a full council meeting could overturn the policy. However, it has recommended that the authority take steps to reduce food waste in the meantime.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: “It was always going to be the case that dumping meat and dairy, enjoyed by the vast bulk of the population, would prove unpopular and divisive.
“The council could now inadvertently be contributing the to the actual problem of food waste, which was completely avoidable.
"There was never any need to enforce a full plant-based menu as meat, dairy and vegetables produced in the UK are vastly sustainable.
“The council should ditch the policy and offer an inclusive menu, regardless of dietary preference”.
Ten other local authorities – including Suffolk, Cornwall and Dorset – have already backed the Countryside Alliance’s alternative approach.
This commits councils to keeping meat and dairy on the menu while sourcing produce from local farmers and growers, supporting both livestock and arable farming communities.
