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Getafe becomes the fifth city in Spain to endorse the Plant Based Treaty

The city will develop a Local Action Plan to reduce food emissions and promote sustainable diet

Getafe, Spain, March 25, 2026 – Getafe has become the fifth Spanish municipality to support a shift towards plant-based food systems. It joins 68 cities, including Mataró, Parla, El Masnou, and Alcorcón in Spain, as well as major European capitals: Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Momentum is building across Europe, with Strasbourg, a recognised European capital and the official seat of the European Parliament, endorsing the Plant Based Treaty in December 2025.

Getafe’s Plant Based Treaty endorsement, took place on March 24th at the city hall during a motion session. The proposal was introduced by the councillor Jesús Pérez from the political party Más Madrid, who is also the delegate for the Ecological Transition and Environmental Affairs. Among the different commitments adopted, Getafe commits to develop a Local Action Plan as a first step in mobilizing efforts and resources that align the food system transition within the planetary boundaries.

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Media Files: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1NmfuiroWN2Y_UgfxXaNNBQXSMcHEjVNB

Media Contacts:

Media Files: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1NmfuiroWN2Y_UgfxXaNNBQXSMcHEjVNB

Getafe, Spain, March 25, 2026 — Getafe has become the fifth Spanish municipality to support a shift towards plant-based food systems. It joins 68 cities, including Mataró, Parla, El Masnou, and Alcorcón in Spain, as well as major European capitals: Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Momentum is building across Europe, with Strasbourg, a recognised European capital and the official seat of the European Parliament, endorsing the Plant Based Treaty in December 2025.

Photo taken minutes after the Plant Based Treaty motion was passed in Getafe. From left to right: Alodia Pérez, General Coordinator of Ecological Transition in Getafe; Juan Casadiego, City Campaigner for the Plant Based Treaty; Jesús Pérez, Councillor for Ecological Transition and the Environment; and Ana Isabel González Mariscal, Third Deputy Mayor and Head of the Department of Citizen Participation and Neighborhood Action.

 

Councillor Jesús Pérez Gómez from the political party Más Madrid, who led the initiative within the city hall said: We put forward this proposal because in such a critical time, nothing is more important than what we eat. It’s part of who we are: to look at the global picture but act locally. The climate crisis isn’t solely due to fossil fuel emissions; it has multiple sources, and it’s essential to address the problem globally and across all sectors, implementing measures in all emitting industries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Getafe’s statement reads that it will establish a commission that “will be responsible for developing, within a maximum period of 6 months, a basic action plan that establishes priorities, a timetable, and monitoring indicators.”

The agreements are:

  1. Promote a more plant-based, sustainable, and healthy diet based on scientific evidence.
  2. Support the fundamental role of small-scale farmers in food production.
  3. Promote diversified, ecological, and organic agriculture.
  4. Design information campaigns to raise awareness about the environmental advantages and health benefits of consuming fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
  5. Encourage actions included within the framework of Royal Decree 315/2025 on mandatory standards in school cafeterias, which highlights and prioritizes increasing the consumption of plant-based proteins.
  6. Enhance and increase the value of trees and wildflowers, the renaturalization of urban spaces, wildlife corridors, green roofs, local agriculture, and biodiversity.
  7. Improve food justice by promoting access to healthy, fresh, and locally sourced food for all families, regardless of their income and purchasing power.
  8. Inform the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, the Directorate General for Energy Transition and Circular Economy (Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and the Interior), and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of this agreement, urging them to develop policies to promote plant-based protein and food sustainability.
  9. Create a commission responsible for coordinating the implementation of this agreement. This commission will be responsible for developing, within a maximum period of six months, a Basic Action Plan that establishes priorities, a timetable, and monitoring indicators. The Plant Based Treaty team provided technical support and actively participated in drafting this plan. 

Councillor for Urban Planning and Public Space, María Teresa Mellado Suela from the Socialist party (PSOE) said, “From the Socialist group, we support these initiatives that promote balanced diets. It is the obligation of public administrations to support this initiative and plant-based foods and fruits. By supporting this agreement, we also support our small farmers, food justice, and the health of our neighbors. This is a decisive step towards making Getafe a leader in ecological transition and sustainability.”Councilor Carlos Unjuto from Podemos political party ratified the importance of endorsing as the other two neighboring cities, Parla and Alcorcón, also endorsed the Plant Based Treaty in the last year. He said:

“We are three municipalities in the southern part of Madrid that have joined the Plant Based Treaty. It is truly exciting that southern Madrid is leading a movement that aims to create a better society and a more environmentally friendly way of life, leaving no one behind. Thank you so much for the work you are doing.”

Juan Casadiego, Plant Based Treaty Spain campaigner, said, “I hope this is an opportunity not only to be seen as working with the Plant Based Treaty, but also to be recognized as a social movement in which each of us can contribute to meaningful change.” See presentation by Juan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FejknpQCRVo

 

Background Information:

The Plant Based Treaty is modeled on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and since its launch in August 2021, the initiative has received support from 58 cities, more than a quarter of a million individual endorsers, 5 Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, and more than 4000 groups and businesses, including chapters of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.

The Plant Based Treaty has secured high-profile endorsements from celebrities, including Bif Naked, and Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney, who issued a written statement calling for politicians to support the Plant Based Treaty. They said: “We believe in justice for animals, the environment and people. That’s why we support the Plant Based Treaty and urge individuals and governments to sign it.”

Learn more at plantbasedtreaty.org

Resources

See Getafe’s press release: 

https://getafe.es/getafe-se-suma-al-plant-based-treaty-para-una-alimentacion-mas-saludable-y-sostenible/ 

Video of the council meeting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FejknpQCRVo

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