BURGERS and lamb chops may soon be off the menu after Oxford students voted to ban meat from the university.

The Oxford Student Union passed the motion banning beef and lamb at a recent meeting.

Students feel the campus ban at canteens, libraries and other university buildings would help the University of Oxford reach its climate change goals.

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The motion read: “As the UK’s premier university, the nation looks to Oxford for leadership, but Oxford has shown a lack of leadership in addressing climate change.

“The banning of beef and lamb at university-catered events and outlets is a feasible and effective strategy to help the university meet its revised 2030 goal.

“A change at the university level will open the gates for similar change at the college level.

“The university has a commitment to anti-racism, and this requires urgent action to minimise greenhouse emissions.”

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The university colleges would have to each individually decide whether to introduce bans on meat products.

Ben Farmer, vice president for charities and community at Oxford Student Union, said: “I welcome the mandate to engage the university on this important issue.

“It is important to recognise that food-based changes may not be possible for every student or staff member at the university.

“Further, food-based changes are just one part of changes we’d like to see the university make to tackle the climate crisis.”

If the ban goes ahead, the university would be following in the footsteps of the University of Cambridge which removed beef and lamb from its menus in October 2016.

Last year, the university reported the move had cut food-related carbon emissions by a third.

A 2018 report by Government advisory body Committee on Climate Change says beef and lamb produce the most farm greenhouse gases.