National Trust to vote on plant-based menus

The National Trust has hit the headlines again, this time over a members’ resolution to be voted on at its AGM on 2 November to make 50% of its café menus vegetarian or vegan, up from the current level of 40%. 

The Countryside Alliance has been unyielding in its defence of British farmers against those extreme activists who are seeking, under the guise of environmentalism but in reality for ideological reasons of their own, to impose veganism by stealth. Work has focused mainly on local authorities, countering their targeting by promoters of the so-called “plant-based treaty”, which is not a treaty on any normal definition, that would commit them to eliminating meat and dairy from the menus at all council-run facilities.  

Our alternative proposal is that food procurement should instead focus on local and British food, which is already produced to among the highest standards of environmental responsibility and animal welfare in the world. Local sourcing can not only drive up standards but also support our vital food and farming sector and the rural economies they so often underpin. To date, 10 councils across the UK have signed up to our motion, a number that already dwarfs those that have backed the so-called treaty. 

Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said this week: 

“The most important question for any food retailer should be whether the produce they sell is locally and sustainably sourced. It is a shame that the National Trust seems to be more interested in whether food is plant-based than whether it is ethically produced and supports local communities.”

Members of the Trust have been issued the AGM booklet and invited to register interest if they wish to attend the meeting in person or online, and have the option to vote in advance of the deadline of 11:59pm on Friday 25 October. Aside from the resolutions, up to six candidates will be elected to the Council. If and when we have any certainty about the candidates’ views on matters of importance to Alliance members, we will circulate further guidance.