On Thursday, 30 March, the final Student Council meeting of the 2022-2023 academic year was held.
The meeting saw the discussion and rejection of the motion proposed by the Plant-Based Edinburgh campaign to transition EUSA venues to 100 per cent plant-based by 2026/27.
Many students voiced concerns over freedom of choice, dietary requirements, and concerns from the vet school over university relations with the agricultural sector.
The council had around 250 students present and was chaired by Edinburgh University Student Association (EUSA) President Niamh Roberts.
Roberts stated in the student experience discussion that “the university is dragging its feet in including sustainability in the curriculum”.
Despite EUSA’s commitment to tackling climate change and holding the University accountable for its role in climate change, students expressed concerns over the effects the motion would have on student health and wellbeing.
The most concerned party were students from the Vet school, along with Scottish Rural College (SRUC) students enrolled at Edinburgh.
SRUC students voiced complaints primarily over why students in the school had not been informed of the debate.
Several students in the vet school expressed worries over university relations with partners and suppliers, notably the agricultural sector.
Students in the school, amongst others, were also concerned about the denial of free choice.
One student spoke out about issues surrounding student malnourishment; “vegan options are not as healthy or as suitable for student diets”.
The Edinburgh Farm Animal Veterinary Society published an open letter via social media, further emphasising their stance against the motion, which received some publicity.
Plant-Based Edinburgh rejected the claims against a lack of choice, stating; “the lack of choice is a misnomer, non-vegans can still eat vegan food”.
However, on Monday, EUSA published that the motion had failed, achieving only 19 per cent in favour.
Other motions put forward during the council meeting included an expenditure request and an affirmation of EUSA affiliations for the next year.
The latter caused some controversy over the reaffiliation with the National Union of Students (NUS) due to a recent report finding that Jewish students have been “subject to harassment” within the organisation.
Niamh Roberts explained that NUS Scotland is a separate and distinct entity from NUS UK but welcomes the conversation around EUSA affiliations, which passed with 57 per cent in favour.
Image: “potterrow at night 01” by byronv2 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0