THE ANTI-MEAT campaign continued this week as Goldsmiths, University of London, banned beef from its campus, in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.

Sparking a fiery debate on social media – people took to Twitter to condemn the move and demand what other measures the university was taking to reduce its footprint which don’t involve ‘villainising the food and farming sector’.

One farmer online accused Goldsmiths of 'greenwashing' and urged them to re-read the IPCC report: “This is #greenwashing at its finest. Will Goldsmiths also ban overseas students, overseas exchanges/internships, trips to neighbourhood fast food outlets etc? I suggest the governing body read the report in depth and differentiate between UK and global farming practices.”

Students at the southeast London university will no longer be able to buy meat on campus as of September and will also be charged 10p on single-use water bottles and plastic cups – all part of their pledge to go carbon neutral by 2025.

The college's new head, Prof Frances Corner, said: "The growing global call for organisations to take seriously their responsibilities for halting climate change is impossible to ignore.

"Though I have only just arrived at Goldsmiths, it is immediately obvious that our staff and students care passionately about the future of our environment and that they are determined to help deliver the step change we need to cut our carbon footprint drastically and as quickly as possible,” she continued.

"Declaring a climate emergency cannot be empty words. I truly believe we face a defining moment in global history and Goldsmiths now stands shoulder to shoulder with other organisations willing to call the alarm and take urgent action to cut carbon use."

The National Faming Union’s Minette Batters took to twitter to call out the move by the university by asking why farming was being labelled the villain above other industries: “Agriculture is the only industry that is both a carbon source and a carbon sink. So why can't everyone focus on the serious challenges like our clothing, technology, cars, holidays, food waste?”

She then challenged major media outlets for their recent coverage of the UN climate change report and the anti-meat messages they have been spreading: “Can you all sleep at night? I represent 50,000 farmers many of which are feeling isolated and terrorised and all because of your deeply flawed approach to tackling climate change.

“And do any of you care? We are the only industry that has committed to try and beat the government target for Net Zero. But that hasn't made any of you even pause, you just keep going because it's easy and because you can,” she said.