LSE students vote to ban beef from student union outlets

Farmers have raised concerns that such moves are a knee-jerk response to fighting climate change, and that sourcing local, British beef is a better option
Farmers have raised concerns that such moves are a knee-jerk response to fighting climate change, and that sourcing local, British beef is a better option

Students at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) have voted to ban beef from student union-led outlets.

LSE has become the latest further education institution to vote for a beef ban following a string of votes at other universities.

At a Students’ Union meeting on Friday 21 February, students voted 243 to 170 in favour of banning beef on campus.

The Students' Union now intends to lobby the university authorities to implement the change on campus, according to i news.

The vote was prompted by Phoebe Woodruff, a campus representative for vegan and animal rights charity PETA,.

"More students than ever are looking to limit their environmental footprint – and cutting out meat, eggs, and dairy is the best and easiest way to do that," she said.

"It's encouraging to see LSE take a stand to protect animals and the environment. Everyone who wishes to eat with compassion can make the switch to a vegan lifestyle today – it's never been easier."

It follows a similar move by Goldsmiths, University of London, which voted last year to stop the sale of products containing beef at campus food outlets as part of a wider move to become carbon neutral by 2025.

And in 2016, Cambridge University’s catering service replaced beef with plant-based products in all of its fourteen outlets and 1,500 annual events.

Not all university beef bans have been successful. Students at the University of East Anglia recently voted to overturn a ban on the sale of beef in student union outlets.

Just this month, students at Edinburgh University voted to reject proposals to ban the meat from outlets.

UK farm leaders have criticised university beef bans for misunderstanding the differences between British beef and beef produced elsewhere.

Farmers have raised concerns that such moves are a knee-jerk response to fighting climate change, and that sourcing local, British beef is a better option.

The NFU has frequently pointed out that beef production standards in the UK are among the most efficient in the world.

The union's president Minette Batters has said that the current media sentiment toward British livestock farming and climate change is a 'deeply floored approach'.

"Agriculture is the only industry that is both a source and a sink. So why can't everyone focus on the serious challenges like our clothing, technology, cars, holidays. Food waste?" she said.

It comes as British farmers aspire to produce the most climate-friendly food in the world as the industry looks to become net-zero by 2040.