In the space of two days, the Vegan Society team met with a government minister and coordinated a day of action in Parliament. Our Public Affairs and Policy Manager, Alistair Currie, reports.
Last week saw Vegan Society supporters and team members literally walking the corridors of power in Westminster and Whitehall, as almost a year of focused political activity came together with a high level meeting on Tuesday and a showery but empowering day of outreach to MPs on Wednesday. Both events were in support of the Ten Point Plan for Plant-Rich Diets, a joint policy proposal to government which The Vegan Society has played a key role in developing and promoting. Now endorsed by more than 60 organisations, businesses and experts, the Ten Point Plan focusses on practical measures that the government can implement to promote plant-based foods and eating in the Good Food Cycle food strategy that it announced last year.
On Wednesday, forty-six Vegan Society supporters and other campaigners came together in Westminster for our Lobby Day. The event was an opportunity for people to talk to their own MPs in Parliament to seek their support for the Ten Point Plan. They did this either by arranging a meeting in advance or “greencarding”, which is visiting parliament and asking for a meeting with your MP there and then. Before heading down to Parliament in the afternoon, we held a social and training session in a nearby venue, with tips about talking to MPs and a background briefing on the food strategy and Ten Point Plan.
We were delighted that so many people were able to join us on the day, with a mixture of those who already had meetings arranged and “greeencarders” – who bravely arrived knowing that a meeting with their MP wasn’t guaranteed. Lobbyists came from as far afield as Manchester and Liverpool. In addition to Vegan Society supporters, the day’s lobbyists included campaigners from Foodrise, Adfree Cities, UK Voters for Animals and Animal Equality, as well as from Bryant Research and plant-based food manufacturers, This.
An empowering day
For many participants, this was their first time visiting Parliament and from the feedback we’ve received, it was a very positive experience. In some cases, MPs gave their constituents much more time than expected and most were very engaged, despite in many cases never having given much thought to the issues previously.
Among other comments, our participants said:
“Time very well spent! Great to meet the Vegan Society team."
“[My MP] seemed happy to endorse the 10 Point Plan and contact Dame Angela Eagle to get her on board with it, so as to put more pressure on the government to make this necessary next step for food and agriculture.”
“Very well organised. Great training for the day. Good to meet other like-minded enthusiastic vegans.”
“[My MP] was very uninformed but seemed open-minded and very willing to chat!”
Although, we are not allowed to share photographs of people meeting their MPs or members of their staff, but at least We’re pleased that at least 18 people met their MPs, or members of staff, and many more whose MPs were unavailable were able to arrange meetings with them in their constituencies. 13 other people who either could not make it or who had been advised that their MPs would definitely not be available on the day have already arranged local meetings. Over the next few weeks many more MPs will be hearing about the importance of plant-based foods to sustainability, health and animals.
Meeting the minister
Many MPs that our lobbyists spoke to on the day agreed to write to the minister responsible for the food strategy, Dame Angela Eagle, which will help to add to political momentum following our positive meeting with her on Tuesday.
Our Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research, Claire Ogley, joined colleagues from other organisations supporting the Ten Point Plan to brief the minister on its proposals, and stress the benefits of a transition to more plant-rich diets. Dame Angela was very engaged and extended the meeting beyond the 30 minutes originally allocated to almost an hour. Our colleagues from Plant-Based Health Professionals and Foodrise spoke about successful schemes to increase uptake of plant-rich food in hospitals and local communities, while Quorn Foods and Hodmedod’s – a supplier of UK-grown food crops to retailers and industry – spoke about the opportunities to support British businesses and farmers supplying healthy plant-based foods.
The minister clearly understood the benefits of increasing consumption of plant-based foods and was very interested in the practical options for doing so. We have followed up the meeting with more information and, of course, are continuing to mobilise political support. The government is expected to announce further plans in the summer.
Many thanks to our wonderful lobbyists and all our partners in this important work.
Take action
As our lobbyists last Wednesday found, speaking to your MP in person is one of the most effective ways of creating political support for plant-rich diets and the Ten Point Plan. MPs hold regular surgeries in their constituencies and if you would like to meet yours, please get in touch with us at policy[at]vegansociety[dot]com and we’ll provide support and guidance throughout the whole process.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with your MP by email to seek their support. You can find your MP’s contact details via the Find MPs function on the UK Parliament website. (Please only write to your own constituency MP.)
Our suggested text is below but please feel free to use your own, so long as your message is brief and polite. If you receive a reply, please do forward it on to us at policy[at]vegansociety[dot]com.
Dear X
I hope all is well with you. I am one of your constituents and also a supporter of The Vegan Society.
Alongside 60 leading organisations from a range of sectors, The Vegan Society has endorsed a joint policy paper, Reaping the Benefits of Plant-rich Diets: the Ten Point Plan, which outlines positive and practical steps the government can take to promote healthy and sustainable plant-based foods as part of its Good Food Cycle food strategy
The paper identifies the benefits to public health, environmental protection, food security and economic growth represented by plant-rich diets, and how those benefits can be realised by affordable policy measures. The government is currently developing the action plan for the food strategy and it is vital that it takes decisive action to address the negative impacts of our current food system, including through supporting farmers, businesses and consumers to promote plant-based foods. I urge you to support this timely collaborative initiative and to contact ministers to encourage them to implement the measures outlined in the proposal.
Thank you for considering this request.
Yours sincerely
X
[Provide your full name, address and postcode]
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