PRESS RELEASES | 2025

Nijmegen puts its oat milk where its mouth is with bold Plant Based Treaty action

Media Contacts:

• Lea Goodett, Plant Based Treaty Netherlands campaigner: [email protected], +31 6 10055080
• Lisette Weustenenk, Plant Based Treaty Netherlands campaigner: [email protected], +31 6 55516615

Media Contacts:

• Lea Goodett, Plant Based Treaty Netherlands campaigner: [email protected], +31 6 10055080
• Lisette Weustenenk, Plant Based Treaty Netherlands campaigner: [email protected], +31 6 55516615

September 20, Nijmegen, Netherlands — Building on its March endorsement of the Plant Based Treaty, Nijmegen has taken decisive action to embed the treaty’s principles into its Circular City Implementation Agenda. A motion titled “Put Your Oatmilk Where Your Mouth Is” was introduced by Frank de Gram from Party for the Animals, on 10 September and passed 23 votes to 14.  

The motion ensures that Plant Based Treaty’s goals will shape the city’s Circular City Implementation Agenda (2025–2030). The decision strengthens Nijmegen’s commitment to sustainability by reducing the city’s reliance on animal-based products in municipal purchasing and catering, while simultaneously promoting plant-based alternatives through communication and awareness campaigns. The policy also connects the food transition to nature restoration, with initiatives such as greening projects and food forests. To ensure accountability, the council has requested a detailed report by the third quarter of 2026 on the implementation of these measures.

Lea Goodett, Plant Based Treaty Netherlands campaigner, said, “Nijmegen proves that endorsing the Plant Based Treaty is more than symbolic and has the potential to drive real change. Food accounts for a third of greenhouse gas emissions, and by prioritising plant-based food, we can address the climate and biodiversity crises and improve public health. Nijmegen sets a strong example for other municipalities.”

On 26 March 2026, Nijmegen joined Amsterdam as the second Dutch city to endorse the call for national governments to negotiate a global Plant Based Treaty to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The motion, introduced by The Party for the Animals, included a commitment to ban meat advertisements in public spaces and the launch of the Nimma sandwich, sending a strong message that a sustainable and healthy future requires an acceleration of the protein transition.

A statement from the city of Nijmegen expressing their Plant Based Treaty endorsement says:

“The way we produce, distribute, process, and consume food has a major impact on the health of humans, animals, and the planet and contributes to the climate crisis. The Plant Based Treaty contains three core principles that contribute to a more sustainable food system and a better climate:

• Relinquish: No expansion of intensive livestock farming and slaughterhouses and no more deforestation for grazing/animal feed production.
• Redirect: Active promotion of a shift to a plant-based food system.
• Restore: Reforestation, ecosystem restoration, and landscape restructuring.

The municipality of Nijmegen supports these principles and is actively committed to healthy and sustainable food.”

Bart Salemans, City Council Member, Party for the Animals Nijmegen said, “Last year, we put the Plant Based Treaty on the city’s radar. We urged the municipal board to sign it, and now it has happened. By signing the Plant Based Treaty, Nijmegen is taking a great step toward a more animal-friendly and healthier future for all its residents.”

Background

49 municipalities worldwide, including major cities such as Los Angeles, Edinburgh, and Belfast have endorsed the call for national governments to negotiate a global Plant Based Treaty. In the Netherlands, Amsterdam became the first EU capital to sign in January 2024 followed by Nijmegen in March 2025. Over 4,000 businesses and organizations and more than 250,000 individuals, including IPCC scientists and Nobel Prize winners Klaus Hasselmann and Carlos Nobre, support the call for a Plant Based Treaty.

www.plantbasedtreaty.org