Go Vegan Scotland and The Vegan Society have been invited to speak to the Scottish Parliament Petitions Committee, in support of our petition for guaranteed plant-based options in all of Scotland’s state entities, including schools and hospitals.
We will attend on the morning of Thursday 6th December, in the Scottish Parliament Building. The Committee begins at 9:30am, and we will be notified of the timing of our half hour slot shortly. The Committee hearings are public (to view only, you won't be able to participate), so if you wish to attend you should go to the Parliament as a visitor in good time to be shown to the room where the Petitions Committee will be sitting.
The sessions are filmed and the recording will be shared on the Scottish Parliament’s web site afterwards. https://www.scottishparliament.tv/
The Petition
In our petition we call for legislation to guarantee plant-based options on every public sector menu every day, to protect the rights of vegans and for our health, the environment and animals. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/cateringforeveryone
Our Background statement explains why we should have plant-based options, suitable for vegans in every state entity, every day: http://www.parliament.scot/gettinginvolved/petitions/PE01700-PE01799/PE01708_BackgroundInfo.aspx
We had only six weeks to collect signatures. A total of 8,205 signatures were collected, on and off line. Thank you to everyone who signed, shared and collected signatures for this petition.
Scottish Parliament’s Briefing Note
Since the petition closed a researcher at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre has prepared a briefing paper which the Committee will consider along with the petition: http://www.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefingsAndFactsheets/Petitions%20briefings%20S5/PB18-1708.pdf
On the whole the briefing note is not unhelpful, but we are keen to provide the Committee with clarification and further information on a number of points. Thursday’s session will be our opportunity to do so.
For example, the briefing note does not mention that it is ultimately the Scottish Government’s responsibility to ensure that Human Rights and Equality laws are complied with by Local Authorities, individual public entities and caterers.
It is not sufficient for the Scottish Government to confirm that these entities should be providing for vegans. The fact is that they are not doing so across the board with any consistency, and many are refusing to provide even where pressed to do so.
Moreover, given the Scottish Government’s professed commitment to tackling climate change, improving sustainability and promoting good health, it must take steps to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious, delicious, plant-based foods every day in every state entity.
Further updates will be provided as consideration of the petition progresses.
Thanks for reading and for your support.