I understand that there was cross party agreement, led by a working group including the Green party and Lib Dems within the Council to sign up to the treaty and they believe the aim of adopting a Plant Based Treaty as a companion to the UNFCCC/Paris Agreement is to put food systems at the heart of combating the climate emergency. The Treaty aims to halt the widespread degradation of critical ecosystems caused by animal agriculture, to promote a shift to more healthy, sustainable plant-based diets and to actively reverse damage done to planetary functions, ecosystem services and biodiversity.
As I understand it, they backed three core principles:
• Relinquish - No land use change, ecosystem degradation or deforestation for animal agriculture
• Redirect - An active transition away from animal-based food systems to plant-based systems
• Restore - Actively restoring key ecosystems, particularly restoring forests and rewilding landscapes
The cross-party group of town Councillors chose to back these principles and highlight this to the town. I understand this was due to the weight of local environmental interest, its noted this type of issue is coming before local Parish Councillors in effect and they felt they needed to respond in the wake of COP26.
Personally, I do not think any Town Council should be viewed as ‘telling people’ what to do and how to eat, shop and live. There is, however, a perception by signing this, that is what they are perhaps looking to achieve. However, it’s my understanding that whilst the Town Council chose to endorse the Treaty, it is in no way as a whole directing residents to follow the entire basis of the Treaty but merely acting as a signpost. This motion, I believe, is a component of its environmental commitment and is part of their policy to share information on sustainability and net zero within the wider community. I appreciate both sides of the argument that the Town Council should be taking a stand and what other residents have said is in fact, they would prefer them to focus on their day-to-day activities.
May I reassure you that the Government has taken positive action on the environment, supporting our farmers and backing our rural communities. In fact, I spoke to one of the DEFRA Ministers just today on the importance of balancing our net zero and suitability targets alongside ensuring that we are on the side of our farmers and those that are custodians of our wonderful green spaces.
Please note this is particularly evident in the Environment Act, which you can find more information on here: https://www.mimsdavies.org.uk/government-action-environment
Finally, I have spoken to many local Councillors on how to raise and engage on environmental issues and how we can positively move forward together in terms of legislation and understanding on how to deliver on this important area in the future.