At a student council meeting on (7/3/23), members voted to adopt a motion proposed by organisers of the Plant-Based Universities campaign [1].
The motion follows that the Students’ Union will adopt 60% plant-based catering by the 2024-25 academic year, with a 10% increase each year thereafter until 100% is reached, subject to financial viability.
This would mean the Students’ Union catering would be 100% plant-based by the 2028-29 academic year.
This follows the UK-first vote for entirely plant-based Students’ Union catering at The University of Stirling in November 2022 and last month’s vote at The University of Cambridge.
Weeks after the University of Cambridge Student’s Union announced that it voted to initiate talks with the University regarding the removal of all animal products from its menus, the Plant-Based Universities campaign announced that organisers at the Queen Mary University of London have also achieved a similar outcome.
Keenal Shah, 20, from Plant-Based Universities Queen Mary University of London said:
“The definitive action taken by the student council shows that the younger generation is prepared to tackle the climate crisis head-on with proportionate and visionary changes. We are no longer relying on the broken promises of governments and companies, but are taking on the responsibility to create a better world.
We are looking forward to working with our Student’s Union to implement these changes and provide incredible and affordable plant-based options for all students here at Queen Mary’s.”
The motion cited a 2018 University of Oxford study that concluded that 76% of global farmland would be freed-up for rewilding programmes to restore nature and absorb carbon from the atmosphere. It also referenced the ability to work with groups such as Made In Hackney to introduce high-quality menus.
Furthermore, the motion noted a YouGov survey that reveals that 55% of students would want to see more plant-based options on campus. It called on the Students’ Union to act in accordance with its sustainability policies regarding environmentally-friendly food.
The Plant-Based Universities campaign is a nationwide campaign of students who are pushing for their Universities and Students' Unions to adopt 100% plant-based catering on campus. The group states that universities have an obligation to follow the scientific research that they produce, detailing the environmental impacts of animal farming and fishing. The campaign is active in over 40 institutions, with the group encouraging interested students to sign up to run local campaigns.
The Plant-Based Universities campaign is supported by the well-known animal and climate justice group Animal Rebellion.
[1] The results of the vote can be confirmed by contacting Brad Coales, Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union Secretary and Governance Advisor on 020 7882 8143 or brad.coales@qmul.ac.uk
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