Alliance criticises Tunbridge Wells council for promoting anti-meat and dairy message

A Liberal Democrat council has been criticised by countryside campaigners for encouraging people to stop eating beef and drinking milk.

A magazine produced by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent, which is delivered to households across the borough, has urged people to turn away from meat and dairy for the sake of the planet and its population prompting the Countryside Alliance to demand a re-write and apology to local farmers.

The magazine encourages readers to cut their beef intake and “try meat-free Mondays or vegetarian lunches as a starting point” under a headline of “No moo-re beef!”. Urging residents to “Stop Milking it!”, the magazine then asks people to switch to plant-based milk, from dairy, to reduce their contribution towards climate change.

The Countryside Alliance has since spoken out and criticised the council for using resources designed to discourage people from consuming staples of Britain’s farming industry.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs for the Countryside Alliance, said:

“Local councils should not be telling people what they can and can’t eat. Meat and dairy produced in this country is vastly sustainable and it is incredibly disappointing to see a council regurgitate lazy tropes about UK livestock farming.

“Tunbridge Wells Borough Council should apologise for not promoting the benefits of buying British beef and dairy produce and remove these demands from their magazine. The council should champion local farmers and freedom of choice instead.”

It comes as nearby Maidstone Council became the latest local authority to support a Countryside Alliance campaign to proactively support local farmers and block councils from banning meat and dairy.

On Wednesday, 25 September, councillors agreed a motion introduced by Conservative Councillor Tom Cannnon, ensuring that all catering at council-organised events is sourced from local Kentish suppliers, specifically including meat and dairy options, alongside fruit and vegetables. The motion also commits the council to encouraging residents to shop locally, where possible, taking advantage of home-grown, affordable, and nutritious produce, with an aim of reducing food miles to plates.

10 other councils, including Suffolk, Dorset and Cornwall have also voted to approve similar motions in what the Countryside Alliance describes as a “victory for farmers and freedom of choice”.

The campaign, launched by the rural campaign group two years ago to prevent the spread of compulsory veganism, has taken hold at several other councils. Cambridge, Nottingham City and Oxfordshire County Council have all voted to remove meat and diary items from their council-run menus.

A spokesperson for the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said: “Ninety percent of the Tunbridge Wells borough is rural and the council is very aware of the importance of farming both to the local and the national economy. It is not our place to tell people what they can and cannot eat.