Farm Gate: Recent Episodes
ffinlo Costain
The regenerative agriculture podcast, in search of practical solutions for climate and food security. A co-production from Farmwel and FAI Farms.
We'll hear from Jerry Alford from the Soil Association, Beth Metson from the Soil Association Exchange - and Lauren Baker from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food will tell us that we need to respect farmer experience and indigenous knowledge as much as we do peer-reviewed science.
I'll talk to Neil Nicholas from Coleg Sir Gar about slurry spreading, and Charlie Taverner from the FFCC will tell us what the UK government's got wrong about food security.
First up, I discuss the 'Land squeeze’ report with Nettie Wiebe from IPES-Food.
Nettie Wiebe, IPES-Food - 0' 42''
Lauren Baker, Global Alliance for the Future of Food - 11' 40''
Jerry Alford, Soil Association - 25' 40''
Beth Metson, Soil Association Exchange - 34' 42''
Neil Nicholas, Coleg Sir Gar - 44' 35''
Dr Charlie Taverner, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission - 52' 01''
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Farming at its best - agroecological or regenerative farming - can deliver a broad range of positive environmental and social outcomes. But at its heart, farming is a business. To scale the positives we need to scale the business of regenerative and agroecological agriculture - and for that we need investment.
Pelican Ag is a venture capital business that invests in regen ag technology - I wanted to know more about what venture capital is - how it can help regen ag - and what makes venture capitalists tick?
ffinlo Costain talks to Pelican Ag founder partners, Christopher Ramsay and Simon Evill.
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Six Inches of Soil is the hit UK film that traces the trials and tribulations of three young farmers who are each trying to work regeneratively with their land.
Anna Jackson, farms an 800 acre mixed farm in Lincolnshire with her dad, Andrew - (0'50")
Beef farmer Ben Thomas has 75 acres of field and agroforestry in Cornwall - (16'24")
And Adrienne Gordon produces veges, salad and edible flowers in around four acres of market garden in Cambridgeshire - (29'36")
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What exactly do the Soil Association mean by a Worm Hunt, and why do they want us to dance for these wriggly ecosystem warriors? Can venture capital really help to scale the transition to regenerative agriculture? Why has deer management become such a divisive issue in Scotland? And the latest UK Peatland Code revision is now open for consultation.
Interviews with:
Dr Renée Kerkvliet-Hermans from the IUCN UK Peatland Programme - 0'25''
Alex Burton, Head of Worms at the Soil Association - 7'57''
Simon Evill from Pelican Ag - 12'51''
Tom Turnbull from the Association of Deer Management Groups - 22'13''
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Do we seriously need to chop down more trees to address the climate crisis?
What about food? Is it possible to make a living from a third of an acre of land?
In a world struggling with antimicrobial resistance - what's the WHO doing downgrading a whole class of antibiotics?
And what about my farm - regenerative agriculture - it's a great idea, but it'll never work here!
I speak to regenerative farming advisor, Tim Williams - 0'40''
Paul Brannen, the author of Timber! How wood can help save the world from climate breakdown - 12'50''
Dr Laura Higham a veterinary consultant for FAI Farms - 25'15''
And Ben Hartman the author of The Lean Micro Farm - 37'10''
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) discuss the week’s land use news - including:Government must deliver promised flood support, says CLA
“Slurry pollution as damaging as sewage”
NFFN unveils UK general election manifesto
Farmers demand Universal Basic Income
Research finds ten times more pests in insecticide-treated corn fields
In-field crop diversity could deliver ecological resilience
Urgent need for new approach to combat global grassland degradation
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Five interviews today - on topics ranging from the constant struggle for tenant farmers to dangers of slurry pollution.
1'08'' Martin Lines from the Nature Friendly Farming Network discusses the NFFN's general election manifesto, which includes a call for a fit-for-purpose farming budget
12'29'' Peter Powell from the Welsh Dee Trust talks about the terrible impact farm slurry can have on rivers
20'34'' Vicky Vanderstichele from North Star Transition tells me that scale is critical when it comes to financing nature-based solutions
32'09'' George Dunn, the chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, tells me about the often poor relationship between tenant farmers and their landlords
42'35'' And finally, Robin Walter from the Soil Association, makes the case for regenerative forestry.
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Wheat from the Chaff: Wye chicken? Unlocking nature finance - And special guest: Rob Yorke
Class-action-style claim takes on chicken giant, Avara
Report focusses on unlocking finance for nature
Updated carbon offsetting principles aim to combat greenwashing
SPECIAL GUEST: Rob Yorke
Welsh Government: New Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs confirmed
“Where is the Land Use Framework?” asks EAC
Questions remain over England’s plan for improving soil health
Government caps land area used for six key SFI payments
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Four conversations today - first, I'll meet David Wright, the Chief Executive of Ecometric, to find out about how exactly soil carbon is measured - then after that I'll talk to Chris D'Agorne from Life to Land about an analysis that shows that the non-native sycamore is now the UK's third most populous tree species. Later I'll discuss the benefits of having more trees on farms with Huw Evans from Three Pools, and we'll round up the programme with a conversation about the Westminster government's proposals for mandatory method of production labelling with Peter Stevenson and Catherine Jadav from Compassion in World Farming.
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ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) and Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss the week's land use news - and meet special guest, Chris Smaje, author of "Saying NO to a farm-free future"
This is a re-edit of the original podcast, which contained inaccuracies in the first section (soil carbon intro).NEWS ARTICLES DISCUSSED:New paradigm in soil science shows vast potential for carbon storageGood soil management reduces the “high risk of conventional grazing”White paper connects regenerative agriculture with nutrient density"They belong to this land" - The Reindeer ChroniclesINTERVIEW: CHRIS SMAJE“Cities, like feedlots, need to import food and water from afar"THIRD SECTIONNo single stretch of river in England in “good ecological health”Hedgerow regulations will be brought into English lawFarmers look to help rivers by cutting plough use in maize trialsRiver restoration key to saving Scotland’s disappearing salmon
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ffinlo Costain meets Judith D Schwartz - the author of Cows Save the Planet, Water in Plain Sight and The Reindeer Chronicles.
Western civilisation has, for generations, sought to extract itself from its dependency on the natural world. Indigenous knowledge has been devalued and lost. And even now, as our monumental folly becomes clearer with each passing day, those who lead us have little real conception of our innate dependency upon an interconnected natural world.Judith D Schwartz has collected evidence of landscape-scale recovery led by visionaries who have reconnected themselves with nature.
ffinlo and Judith discuss what we can learn from reindeer, green colonialism, prey and predator cultures, donkeys in Western Australia, natural capital and economic growth, and the transformation of the Loess Plateaux.
Find Judith at https://www.judithdschwartz.com/ and on X
Buy Judith's book, The Reindeer Chronicles, here.
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) discuss the week's news - and are joined by special guest, farm business and succession adviser, Heather Wildman.
News stories Phil and ffinlo discuss:
Scottish Forestry rejects findings of Royal Society of Edinburgh tree report
Non-native Sycamore is third most common British tree
European Parliament votes to criminalise ecosystem destruction
Government policy “inconsistent” and failing to deliver on farm antibiotic use
Food and farming policies “fettered by neoliberal economics” says SDP
And,
NFFN Cymru unveils five-point plan for Welsh Government
Special guest Heather Wildman is from Saviour Associates - visit her website
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ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) and Phil Carson catch up on the week's land use news - and meet forestry expert, Andrew Heald.
News items they discuss:
Highland estate to generate biodiversity credits with SLR and RePlanet
https://8point9.com/highland-estate-to-generate-biodiversity-credits-with-slr-and-replanet/
How will BNG affect the UK biodiversity credit market? Max Bodmer, RePlanet
https://8point9.com/how-will-bng-affect-the-uk-biodiversity-credit-market-max-bodmer-replanet/
Call for “radical rethink” to reap benefits of UK organic market for farmers
https://8point9.com/call-for-radical-rethink-to-reap-benefits-of-uk-organic-market-for-farmers/
40 projects to benefit from £25 million funding for natural flood management
https://8point9.com/40-projects-to-benefit-from-25-million-funding-for-natural-flood-management/
African Development Bank policies “undermining biodiversity”
https://8point9.com/african-development-bank-policies-undermining-biodiversity/
“China and Brazil can lead harmonised criteria” for green agriculture
https://8point9.com/china-and-brazil-can-lead-harmonised-criteria-for-green-agriculture/
SPECIAL GUEST
Is the UK facing a timber crisis?
https://8point9.com/is-the-uk-facing-a-timber-crisis/
Wood-based construction can reduce emissions and store carbon long-term
https://8point9.com/wood-based-construction-can-reduce-emissions-and-store-carbon-long-term/
LONGER CONVO -
Liberal Democrats promise £1bn extra for English farmers
https://8point9.com/liberal-democrats-promise-1bn-extra-for-english-farmers/
Prime Minister “needs to map a realistic future for farmers”
https://8point9.com/prime-minister-needs-to-map-a-realistic-future-for-farmers/
Welsh Government says “We are listening”
https://8point9.com/welsh-government-says-we-are-listening/
AND Embrace the canopy – Wales’ Sustainable Farm Scheme
https://8point9.com/embrace-the-canopy-wales-sustainable-farm-scheme/
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Interviews with:
Max Bodmer from RePlanet - 1'05''
Elina Body from Vet Sustain and The George Farm Vets - 14'45''
Dr Kelly Hemmings from RAU - 24'50''
Navaratnam Partheeban from IVC Evidensia Farm Vets - 30'50''
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) are joined by regenerative farming expert, Niels Corfield.
Stories discussed:
Fluke control & prevention, beyond testing & treatment
River Action taking government to court over River Wye pollution
First Milk announces acquisition of BV Dairy
Cost of living crisis causing loneliness epidemic for young people
New housing developments to deliver a boost for nature in landmark move
Labour pulls ahead in crucial battle for the countryside vote
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) chew through the week's land news, and talk to special guest, Rachel Jones (Sustain), about local food.
News topics discussed:
Scotland: Yousaf to continue 70 per cent direct funding, dependent on greening
https://8point9.com/scotland-yousaf-to-continue-70-per-cent-direct-funding-dependent-on-greening/
Survey reveals bleak relations between landlords and tenant farmers - FFINLO
https://8point9.com/survey-reveals-bleak-relations-between-landlords-and-tenant-farmers/
“Hidden” record of UK’s historic biodiversity to be digitised - PHIL
https://8point9.com/hidden-record-of-uks-historic-biodiversity-to-be-digitised/
UK-wide exhibition spotlights regenerative food producers - FFINLO
https://8point9.com/uk-wide-exhibition-spotlights-regenerative-food-producers/
Traceability markers to deliver transparency in recycled cotton supply chain - PHIL
https://8point9.com/traceability-markers-to-deliver-transparency-in-recycled-cotton-supply-chain/
Cairngorms awarded £10.7 million to become first net zero UK National Park
https://8point9.com/cairngorms-awarded-10-7-million-to-become-first-net-zero-uk-national-park/
National Parks must work for everyone
https://8point9.com/national-parks-must-work-for-everyone/
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Four interviews today:
- Rowan Phillimore from The Gaia Foundation about the We Feed The UK arts project
- Pete Ritchie from Nourish Scotland about the country's progress towards being a Good Food Nation
- Jon Parker from the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission in Wales talking about Welsh farm policy
- And Ignas van Schaick, the co-producer of a new movie, Planet Soil, which delves deep into the earth, turning invertebrates into stars.
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ffinlo and Phil talk through the week's land use news and are joined by special guest, Rhys Evans, from the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Wales.
News stories discussed:
High-tech aerial mapping reveals England’s hedgerow landscape
Economists calculate multi-trillion dollar opportunity to fix global food system
UK-Canada trade talks halted over safeguarding British food standards
“Deep concerns about biosecurity” at new GB border
Soil Association pushes back against criticism of organic salmon
A big win for grassland, but farmers need more
Farming risks being “lured” by far-right rhetoric
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Regular hosts Phil Carson and ffinlo Costain are joined by Stephen Alexander from the Nature Friendly Farming Network in Norther Ireland.
News we discuss:
NFU and AHDB to commission independent review of farm assurance
Scottish Government publishes long-awaited Good Food Nation plans
Supermarkets accused of “acting like a cartel”
Farmers aim to save Long Compton Abattoir from closure
Northern Ireland: Four-point plan to back nature-friendly farming
NI faces a “public health emergency” unless permanent access to vet medicines is secured
Future Amoc collapse linked to Greenland ice loss could have “profound impacts”
Research says human behavioural crisis at root of ecological breakdown
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A bumper programme, with five interviews covering everything from natural capital markets available to farmers to the fact that climate change is happening faster than predicted in Scotland. We'll hear from the Food Ethics Council about their proposals for UK dairy, from the head of the RSPB's Fair to Nature, and from a farmer who's successfully introduced hemp as a break crop.
Helen Avery from the Green Finance Institute
Abi Williams from the Food Ethics Council
Christy York from the Hutton Wandesley Estate
Mark Varney from Fair to Nature
And Dr Mike Rivington from the James Hutton Institute.
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Breed is critical to any livestock operation and an active breeding programme helps farmers to develop their herd around particular beneficial traits.
In the run up to the British Cattle Breeders Club conference this January, we've been taking an in-depth look at how the traits and characteristics needed for regenerative farming differ from mainstream cattle production.
We'll hear from three farmers with active on-farm breeding programmes - Sophie Wilson from Starveall Dairy - Silas Hedley Lawrence from FAI Farms - and Phyllis van Amburgh from Dharma Lea in the USA. We also hear from Rob Havard, who runs the breeding farm, Phepson Angus.
From 8point9.com
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This week Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) are joined by Rob Havard from Phepson Angus.
Links to news stories discussed:
Up to £25,000 for farmers affected by flooding
Nuffield report investigates carbon farming and soil carbon markets
A whole-sector approach needed to create resilience in UK dairy sector
Over half of adults want UK farmers to prioritise nature-friendly farming
8.9 TV: Regenerative beef breeding: Rob Havard, Phepson Angus
Flexible approaches needed to bring new entrants into small farming businesses
New Toolkit will empower farmers to assess nature market opportunities
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ffinlo Costain (8.9) and Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss the week's news - and welcome special guest, Clare Hill from Planton Farm. Links to topics discussed: First Milk farms revolutionising biodiversity and soil health assessmentChanges to Woodland Carbon Code threaten UK timber suppliesWoodland regeneration increases by 25% at Highlands National Nature ReserveWhy nature-based solutions are essential in the carbon marketRoots to Regeneration: a year-long transition programme for farmers and food professionalsCash boost and new incentives for nature-friendly farming welcomedWildlife at risk on farms as vital hedge and river rules vanish--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmgate/message
In Field, Fork, Fashion, Alice V Robinson takes readers on a journey into the afterlife of Bullock 374, to help people understand the origin story of leather and its intrinsic connection to food and farming.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Alice V Robinson - and by Sara Grady - who, with Alice, recently established British Pasture Leather, which sources and processes cattle hides from Pasture for Life farms for the UK fashion industry.
You can buy Field, Fork, Fashion here: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781645021193
And visit British Pasture Leather here: https://britishpastureleather.com/
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ffinlo Costain (8.9) and Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss the week’s land use news.
Tree equity map shows less affluent areas have lower tree cover
Commoning and pastoralism central to Dartmoor land management
British Sugar fails to deliver on 3 year plan to end use of banned neonicotinoids
OF&G white paper highlights benefits of 10% organic English farmed area
Patrick Holden, COP28, Reflections from the inside
AIIB proposes defining nature as infrastructure
Final consultation opens for Welsh Sustainable Farming Scheme
Grass measuring reduces input costs by £20,000 for Welsh Dairy farmer
Sheep farmer trials peas and beans as soya alternative
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Interviews with:
Lesley Lambert from the Sustainable Food Trust - in advance of COP28 - talking about the opportunities
Andrew Mahon from the Bromborough Estate Company on agroforestry
Amy Bateman, the photographer behind Forty Farms - and coffee table book and now a farm trail photography exhibition
Patrick Holden on COP28 - his reflections from the inside.
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ffinlo Costain (8.9) and Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss the week's land use news.
Clash of world views:
Parliamentary push back against regen farming based on “outdated world view”
Green Alliance: Failure to support farmers to cut carbon could cost £100 billion by 2050
Cost of poor food policy:
Annual cost of UK obesity soars to £98 billion
Cost of living crisis results in lowest vegetable purchases for 50 years
COP28:
The Elders’ calls to action for COP28
Exploring the benefits of shade and shelter
Andrew Mahon, Bromborough Estate Company, Agroforestry
UK food basket at risk from extreme weather
Policy:
Welsh farming and environment groups call for rural budget to be maintained
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) chew over the week’s news.
News picks from our discussion:
Upland farms worse off under current ELMs offer
Farmers treating insects as “livestock” in trial to fight pests
More research and innovation needed to make insect farming a success
Virgin flies world’s first transatlantic “100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel flight”
Cargill’s commitment to ending deforestation in South America is an “important but incomplete step”
King Charles calls for investment in regenerative agriculture at opening of COP28
Nicole Pita, IPES Food, Cities lead on real food and climate action
Food loss and waste represent half of GHG emissions from food systems
African food system leaders say, “Put people, nature and livelihoods at forefront of climate action”
Three steps towards real action on food at COP28
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Interviews with:
Nicole Pita from IPES Food (cities and regions leading the way on climate and food systems),
Xander Mahony from Tilhill (learning to love Sitka),
Jo White from Human Behaviour Change for Life (benefits of switching from a trade in live animals to a trade in meat),
And Dominic Elsworth from Whistlebare farm (Britain's wool trade).
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) chew over the week’s news.
SHORT PICKS
Adapting to climate change needs our "urgent, unswerving attention" says National Trust
Cities and regions lead the way on real food and climate action
Forestry leaders must improve public perception of Sitka
LONGER CONVERSATIONS
Buried Environment Agency report shows toxic sludge is being spread on UK farmland
Landmark ruling has far-reaching implications for UK’s polluted rivers
Conflict over land will increase unless global demand is reduced
Scientific censorship is often self-inflicted and it’s on the rise
POLICY
Efra Committee criticises incoherent approach to food policy across government
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Features interviews with:
John Willis from Planet Tracker,
Chris Uttley from Stroud District Council,
And Tom Munro from Dorset National Landscape.
More land news at 8point9.com
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Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) chew over the week's news.
PHIL'S PICKS
Higher consumption of UPFs increases the risk of cancer and long-term heart conditions
https://8point9.com/higher-consumption-of-upfs-increases-the-risk-of-cancer-and-long-term-heart-conditions/
Investigating the “halo effect” of food claims
https://8point9.com/investigating-the-halo-effect-of-food-claims/
Nitrogen fertiliser production outstrips global needs and exceeds planetary boundaries
https://8point9.com/nitrogen-fertiliser-production-outstrips-global-needs-and-exceeds-planetary-boundaries/
FFINLO'S PICKS
Diverse forests hold huge carbon potential if well managed
https://8point9.com/diverse-forests-hold-huge-carbon-potential-if-well-managed/
GetFairAboutFarming petition hits 75,000 signatures
https://8point9.com/getfairaboutfarming-petition-hits-75000-signatures/
THE BIGGER STORIES
Ruth Chambers, Green Alliance, New Defra Secretary
https://8point9.com/ruth-chambers-green-alliance-new-defra-secretary/
Patrick Holden, A farmer’s view, New Secretary of State
https://8point9.com/patrick-holden-a-farmers-view-new-secretary-of-state/
AIC calls for independent committee to boost sustainable food security
https://8point9.com/aic-calls-for-independent-committee-to-boost-sustainable-food-security/
The Wildlife Trusts lists the UK’s Government’s broken promises to nature
https://8point9.com/the-wildlife-trusts-lists-the-uks-governments-broken-promises-to-nature/
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Interviews with:
Ruth Chambers from the Green Alliance.
Patrick Holden from the Sustainable Food Trust.
And Leonardo Gava from the Climate Bonds Initiative
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Phil's choices
UK must double fruit and veg production to divert from “bleak” future
https://8point9.com/uk-must-double-fruit-and-veg-production-to-divert-from-bleak-future/
Genetic discovery promises high-iron vegetables and cereals
https://8point9.com/genetic-discovery-promises-high-iron-vegetables-and-cereals/
Milestone reached in evidencing sustainability credentials of Welsh upland farms
https://8point9.com/milestone-reached-in-evidencing-sustainability-credentials-of-welsh-upland-farms/
ffinlo's choices
Government communication hampering avian flu control measures
https://8point9.com/government-communication-hampering-avian-flu-control-measures/
Free comic book features flood management
https://8point9.com/free-comic-book-to-engage-young-people-around-flood-management/
Government complacent over rural mental health
https://8point9.com/government-complacent-over-rural-mental-health/
Main conversations
Landmark report shifts focus from food system emissions to fossil-fuel reliance
https://8point9.com/landmark-report-shifts-focus-from-food-system-emissions-to-fossil-fuel-reliance/
Historic herbivore densities could be substantially higher than thought
https://8point9.com/historic-herbivore-densities-could-be-substantially-higher-than-thought/
Experts predict “catastrophic ecosystem collapse” of UK forests within 50 years
https://8point9.com/experts-predict-catastrophic-ecosystem-collapse-of-uk-forests-within-50-years/
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In 8.9 Newsweek:
Interviews with Patty Fong from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food & Sara Grady from British Pasture Leather.
And a discussion about Patty's new report, Power Shift -Why we need to wean industrial food systems off fossil fuels.
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In Wheat from the Chaff (WFTC) ffinlo Costain (Editor-in-Chief of 8point9.com) and Phil Carson (UK Policy Lead for the Nature Friendly Farming Network) talk through the week's news on 8.9ha.
SHOW LINKS - PHIL'S PICKS:
Strength in diversity – mapping healthy microbiome relationships
M&S Food donates one million meals in new partnership with FareShare
Transformational impact of Farms for City Children highlighted by Harper Adams research
FFINLO'S PICKS:
Nuffield report calls for increased support for Black and People of Colour in agricultur
Red Tractor says “sorry” and puts Greener Farms Commitment on hold
Green walls flourish at Dutch Design Week
MAIN CONVERSATIONS:
Petition calls for the proposed EU Soil Health Law to be supported, but tightened
The Guardian questions motives of Dublin Declaration authors
Demand for sustainable fabrics could exceed supply by 130m tonnes by 2030
FURTHER LISTENING:
Farm Gate: Diversity in agriculture & animal sciences
Farm Gate: What does less and better mean?
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In this week's programme we hear:
INTERVIEW: With Dr Antje Ahrends from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh about ground-breaking research that shows that rubber is driving deforestation three times faster than previously thought.
DISCUSSION: A new report has warned that demand for sustainable fabrics could exceed supply by 130m tonnes by 2030. To discuss how we meet the rising demand for sustainable fashion, ffinlo Costain is joined by Dr Alana James from Northumbria University - Zoe Gilbertson from the UK Bast Fibre Network - and by Alice Robinson, author of Field, Fork, Fashion, and co-founder of the company, British Pasture Leather.
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In Wheat from the Chaff (WFTC) ffinlo Costain (Editor-in-Chief of 8point9.com) and Phil Carson (UK Policy Lead for the Nature Friendly Farming Network) talk through the week's news on 8.9ha.
This is a new format - please bear with us - any feedback welcome!
SHOW NOTES:
Red Tractor’s voluntary environment module available from next April
https://8point9.com/red-tractors-voluntary-environment-module-available-from-next-april/
Budget cut adds to “unprecedented challenges” for Welsh farming
https://8point9.com/budget-cut-adds-to-unprecedented-challenges-for-welsh-farming/
Nature charities publish Nature Markets Principles to help combat greenwashing
https://8point9.com/nature-charities-publish-nature-markets-principles-to-help-combat-greenwashing/
Experts warn of risk of civil unrest in UK due to food shortages
https://8point9.com/experts-warn-of-risk-of-civil-unrest-in-uk-due-to-food-shortages/
World entering uncharted climate territory – Earth’s conditions may be unliveable for half the world’s population by 2100
https://8point9.com/world-entering-uncharted-climate-territory-earths-conditions-may-be-unliveable-for-half-the-worlds-population-by-2100/
Rubber drives deforestation three times faster than previously thought
https://8point9.com/rubber-drives-deforestation-three-times-faster-than-previously-thought/
8.9 TV:
David Webster, Chief Executive, LEAF Marque
https://8point9.com/david-webster-leaf-marque/
Antje Ahrends, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Rubber deforestation
https://8point9.com/antje-ahrends-royal-botanic-garden-edinburgh-rubber-deforestation/
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This week ffinlo is joined by four of the new 2024 Nuffield Scholars - by Saba Amir, an academic at Aberystwyth University - Lucy George from Peterston Tea, based in the Vale of Glamorgan - Sophie Gregory, an Arla organic dairy farmer from Dorset - and Dan Jones, a sheep farmer from Great Orme in North Wales.
We also hear interviews with David Webster, the new Chief Executive of LEAF Marque - and with Tim May, from the Kingsclere Estate and the Pitch Up! initiative.
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An interview with plant ecologist Dr Ruth Mitchell from The James Hutton Institute about visible and invisible forest diversity.
And this week's 8.9ha Discussion is on Labour party policy on land use, trade and agriculture.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Phil Carson, the UK Policy Lead for the Nature Friendly Farming Network, and by Vicki Hird, author of Rebugging the Planet, and Strategic Lead on Agriculture with The Wildlife Trusts.
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The Scottish Government has unveiled its long-awaited Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill. This will replace the Common Agricultural Policy and aims to deliver the adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. To discuss the bill, I’ll be joined later in the programme, by Nikki Yoxall, a member of Scotland's Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board - by Andrew Connon, the vice president of the National Farmers Union, Scotland - and by Denise Walton, the chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network Scotland.
Before that we’ll hear from Elsie Blackshaw from the Rewildling Law Hub, and from Anna Woodley from Trinity Natural Capital Pro Council.
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Torpenhow Farmhouse Dairy is a regenerative farm that has undergone total transformation - from 365 days a year indoor to fully regenerative.They were also the hosts of this summer's Down To Earth regen farming conference in the north of England, put on by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers.ffinlo Costain is joined by Jenny and Mark Lee from Torpenhow Farmhouse Dairy, who tell him about what they've achieved and why they've made the transition.Online: https://torpenhoworganic.co.uk/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torpenhow.cheese.co/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torpenhoworganic--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmgate/message
Today we have two interviews, followed by a fantastic discussion about regenerative agriculture and the use of glyphosate.
INTERVIEW 1: The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission has unveiled research, which shows that the British public reject “nanny state” excuses and instead overwhelmingly back state intervention to tackle our health, climate and nature crises.
Dr Courtney Scott is the Director of Policy and Research at the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission – ffinlo Costain asks her whether politicians are more interested in the so-called “nanny state” than citizens?
INTERVIEW 2: The Global Terrorism Index 2023 shows that the ten countries most impacted by terrorism are also experiencing poverty, weak governance and conflict. Food and water scarcity - in part linked to climate change - act as a threat multiplier, accelerating instability.
David Wells is an independent global security consultant and former head of research and analysis for the Counter-Terrorism Directorate of the United Nations. ffinlo asks him how climate change is affecting terrorist recruitment globally?
DISCUSSION: This week's debate on 8point9.com has been centred on whether glyphosate is critical to regenerative farming. There are plenty of passionate farmers on both sides of this argument - but we invited Attila Kökény, a regenerative agriculture consultant from Hungary, and Marcus Link from New Foundation Farms to address this question in a series of articles. In this programme the debate becomes a conversation.
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Discussion - Is low carbon beef an out-of-date answer to the wrong question?Interviews with Jo Raven from FAIRR, Professor Imke de Boer from Wageningen University & Research, and Dr Michelle Cain from Cranfield University.
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ffinlo Costain, the Editor-in-Chief of 8point9.com, is joined by Jamie Evans-Freke from Knight Frank and Gabriel Connor-Streich from Greenshank Environmental.
The discussion is on nutrient neutrality - and what on earth happened in the UK Parliament this week when the government tried to scrap existing rules and force through a new, under-considered system, using an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
Well - spoiler alert - they failed - but why, what next and how did the markets react?
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In part one we hear three interviews. With:
- David McCulloch from Tilhill on the urgent need to increase productive UK forestry for wood
- Niamh Carr from The James Hutton Institute on proposals for a green hydrogen powered farm
- And Stéphanie Mielnik from the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute about the risk to investors if they buy bonds from companies with links to illegal deforestation.
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This episode of 8.9 Newsweek features interviews with Professor Sir Dieter Helm, and Sofía Condés, Head of Investor Outreach at the FAIRR Initiative.
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Welcome to News Week from 8point9.com - I'm ffinlo Costain. We've got two great interviews for you, each about really important subjects.
Now, you may noticed that the normal Farm Gate podcast has become a little more intermittent while we've been getting 8.9 hectares up and running - please do stay subscribed as we have some fantastic interviews and discussions planned for the coming weeks and months.
But - to make life easy - our News Week programme and Farm Gate will both be available for you on the same channel.THIS WEEK - Glastir Organic funding - Patrick Holden - and nutrient neutrality - Dr Gabriel Connor-Streich.
MORE NEWS AT 8point9.com
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This is the audio version of a webinar in which the chief executives of RSPB, Soil Association and Nature Friendly Farming Network discuss the Consensus for Food, Farming and Nature - hosted by Farm Gate, which is now part of 8point9.com
Panellists:
Helen Browning - Chief Executive, Soil Association
Beccy Speight - Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
Martin Lines - Chief Executive, Nature Friendly Farming Network
Panel chair - ffinlo Costain, Editor, 8point9.com
Find out more about the Consensus - https://www.foodfarmingnature.org/
Poll results from webinar
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Ecological security is essential for food production, human wellbeing & prosperity
Results: 100% agreement with 91% Strongly Agree and 9% Agree
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: New technology will have the most important role in helping the agriculture sector meet net zero
Results: 5% strongly agree 19%agree 32% neutral 32% disagree 12% strongly disagree
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The UK Government has overlooked the link between food and a resilient society
Results: 66% Strongly agree 24% agree 7% neutral 4% disagree
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An investigation by Lighthouse Reports has targeted the powerful European farming lobby group, Copa-Cogeca, which they say “is losing legitimacy even as it stymies the EU’s green agenda and hoovers up public funds.”
In this programme we'll explore issues raised by the Lighthouse Reports investigation - and think about the legitimacy and the policy role of the National Farmers' Union, the largest farmers' organisation in the United Kingdom.
ffinlo Costain is by Thin Lei Win, a co-author of the report - and by Jimmy Woodrow, the executive director of Pasture for Life in the UK.
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ffinlo Costain talks to Chris Smaje about his new book, Saying NO to a farm-free future.
Smaje's response to George Monbiot's Regenesis is a well-mannered treatise that outlines coolly and specifically why the Guardian columnist's prescription for the food system is just completely wrong.
Smaje, an academic, farmer and author of A Small Farm Future, is one of the few voices to publicly challenge Monbiot on the future of food and farming (and the restoration of nature).
Responding to Monbiot’s portrayal of an urban, high-energy, industrially manufactured food future as the answer to our current crises, and its unchallenged acceptance within the environmental discourse, Smaje was compelled to challenge Monbiot’s evidence and conclusions. At the same time, Smaje presents his powerful counterargument – a low-carbon agrarian localism that puts power in the hands of local communities, not high-tech corporates.
Saying NO to a farm-free future is a defence of agroecological, small-scale farming and a robust critique of an industrialized future, and is released in the UK on the 28th of June.
Farm Gate is now part of the 8point9.com news channel.
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In this panel session we discuss a new report, Natural Capital: what farmers and policy makers need to know, which seeks to understand how new and emerging markets in natural capital fit into a changing landscape for farmers. The report was commissioned by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission – it was written by Professor Fergus Lyon and Dr Amy Burnett from Middlesex University – and it was supported by the Prince’s Countryside Fund.
ffinlo Costain, Chief Editor of 8point9.com, is joined by:
Professor Fergus Lyon – author of the report – and director of the Centre for Enterprise, Environment and Development Research at Middlesex University.
Lucy Bates -co-lead for the Farming Transition Programme at the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
And Charlie Davis, a partner at Sylvestris Land Management, a land and rural business consultancy specialising in environmental land management.
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At the UK prime minister’s summit this week a package of measures to support British farming was unveiled. But the summit failed to address the enormous existing and future fragility in Britain’s food system – or its impact on the natural world, public health, global supply chains or indeed the wellbeing of those actually living and working in the countryside.
What should have been on the table at the prime minister’s Downing Street Food Summit?
Our panel:
Martin Lines, Chair, Nature Friendly Farming Network
Phil Stocker, Chief Executive, National Sheep Association
Natalie Bennett, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, Green Party
Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive, Food, Farming & Countryside Commission
Rebecca Mayhew, Old Hall Farm, Pasture for Life
Ben Reynolds, Deputy Director, Sustain
Dan Parker, Chief Executive, Veg Power
Chaired by ffinlo Costain, Chief Editor, 8.9ha
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George Eustice has been the Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth since 2010. He was a Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2015 to 2020 - and served as the Secretary of State at Defra from 2020 to 2022.
Mr Eustice has been the longest serving minister at Defra in the post-referendum period, providing a relatively rare point of consistency and stability in what was a time of substantial disruption in British politics.
In this podcast Mr Eustice discusses his time in government, with the Chief Editor of https://8point9.com, ffinlo Costain.
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Former Defra Secretary, George Eustice, says debate is “raging” at Defra over future direction of farming - we also talk about his proposal for a Coronation fund to protect rare and native breeds
Watch 8.9ha TV News now: https://youtu.be/8jFC_0cMzMc
More at: https://8point9.com/
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Outwintering your cattle herd in an agroecological farm system can reduce both costs and environmental impacts - but while ever more producers are taking this approach it's still far from common place. In this programme we discuss how to design an outwintering system that maintains productivity and ensures good cattle health and welfare.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Silas Hedley-Lawrence and Clare Hill from FAI Farms in Oxfordshire.
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8.9ha News (Audio version) - What is 8.9ha?
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Our first 8.9ha TV News is now also available on our website https://8point9.com/ and on YouTube. Watch now for our news headlines, and my interview with Julie Cleijne, from Sustainable Kitchen Consultants.
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Thanks so much for listening to Farm Gate over the last couple of years. I've thoroughly enjoyed the wide-ranging conversations we've had about sustainable food systems, and it's been a privilege to share those conversations with you.
But the Farm Gate channel is changing because the podcast has become part of a bigger family. Farm Gate will be produced as usual, but we're adding a whole heap of extra content.
8.9ha is a multi-media news channel supporting knowledge transfer for people working in land-based sectors and linked supply chains from food to fashion—people who actually have the ability to deliver food and fibre production integrated with climate mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity regeneration. 8.9ha is the only news channel designed and curated specifically to assist practical, investable and inclusive change across land-based industries, land policy and land investments.
On our website - 8point9.com - you'll find articles, webinars, podcasts, and week daily TV News. And that's why I wanted to talk to you today.
In addition to Farm Gate, this channel will also host the first few episodes of the 8.9 Hectares TV News, which can also be found on YouTube - at the 8.9 H A Channel - and on our website 8point9.com
I hope you'll take a moment to watch our news broadcasts, and to subscribe to other 8.9 Hectares content.
Thanks so much for listening - our next Farm Gate podcast - on outwintering cattle - will come out on Friday the 21st of April.
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While regenerative agriculture itself isn't new, popular interest and the increasingly widespread deployment of regenerative principles, is a product of a global conversation that has taken place largely within the last decade. Despite that, regenerative farming has already become mainstream, with large businesses and corporations investing in research and embedding ambitious regenerative targets, and even government ministers urging producers to take up regenerative methods.
So what happens next - what does the next decade look like for regenerative agriculture?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Caroline Grindrod, founder of Roots of Nature, Sue Pritchard, chief executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, and by Jonty Brunyee, the Head of Farming and Food at FarmED.
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Wilder Doddington is at the start of a hundred year project to bring more nature back to the Doddington Estate - working to restore ecosystems to benefit people and nature. In this programme ffinlo Costain is joined by Wilder Doddington's Isobel Wright and the independent farm advisor, Liz Genever, who's working with Isobel and advising on cattle management. The conversation ranges from the exciting activity at Wilder Doddington to a discussion about some of the more controversial aspects of the rewilding movement.
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Environmental breakdown and global population rise have led to a strong focus on food supply chains, but the way that we produce fibre is equally important. At least 60% of our clothes are now made using synthetic, petrochemical-based fabrics - all of which need to be replaced. Natural animal or plant-based fibres will become resurgent on the cat walks and on the high street - so the need to reform and integrate food and fashion supply chains is urgent.
ffinlo Costain talks to Cate Havstad-Casad, farmer and founder of Range Revolution, an Oregon-based company which produces luxury leather products from certified regenerative ranches.
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The world of glamping may seem remote from the every day toil of working with crops and livestock, but for six months of the year it can provide a hugely important source of income that can be used to underpin other aspects of farming life.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Hannah Jefferson from Woodfrys Farm in Dorset and Jessica Allen-Back from Home Farm Glamping in Elstree.
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This is the final programme in our Regen Dairy mini-series. Today we're visiting Germany, and ffinlo Costain talks to two regenerative dairy farmers - Anja Hradetzky, who farms at Hof Stolze Kuh in northeast Brandenburg, and Annabelle Gerard who farms at Hof Tangsehl in Lower Saxony.
Regen Dairy is a partnership project of Farmwel and FAI Farms, in collaboration with Arla Foods, Barry Callebaut, Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, and Woolworth South Africa - you can find out more about the project at regendairy.org
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One of the greatest challenges for global transformation is mindset shift - and because, in terms of food systems, this transformation needs to happen in so many places at once, it can be very difficult for individuals to feel that they're actually making a difference. The Inner Development Goals framework has been developed to support and foster the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Alongside this, the UN Development Programme has established the Conscious Food Systems Alliance.ffinlo Costain talks to Thomas Legrand, author of Politics of Being, and Lead Technical Advisor to the Conscious Food Systems Alliance - and Klaudia Shevelyuk, a sustainability consultant and communications manager for the UN's Inner Development Goals.Klaudia also talks about her harrowing experience of conflict in Ukraine, and explains how the IDGs helped her to cope.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/farmgate/message
ffinlo Costain speaks to Jayne Buxton, author of The Great Plant-Based Con. Jayne has written novels and non-fiction, published articles in The Independent and The Guardian, and has been an ambassador for the Real Food Campaign and the Public Health Collaboration.
The Great Plant-Based Con, explains why eating a plants-only diet won't improve our health or save the planet - and it's available from all good book stores on-line or on-the-street.
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COP27 is over. Temperatures continue to rise. There's still no consensus about the role of land use and agriculture. Did anything good emerge from Sharm El-Sheikh in terms of food systems & climate change?
ffinlo Costain is joined by three experts:
Patty Fong, Program Director, Climate and Health and Well-being, Global Alliance for the Future of Food,
Adele Jones, executive director, Sustainable Food Trust,
Chantal Wei-Ying Clement, deputy director, IPES Food.
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This is the third programme in a series in which I talk to regenerative dairy producers from around the world. ffinlo Costain speaks to Phyllis Van Amburgh, who farms at Dharma Lea in Sharon Springs, New York, USA, about epigenetics and vertical real estate - and to Charlotte and Russell Heald, from Dunkeld Farm in the Tararua region of the north island in New Zealand, about food forests and circular farming systems.
The Regen Dairy project was set up by FAI Farms and Farmwel, in collaboration with Unilever, Barry Callebaut, Arla Foods, Woolworth South Africa and Ben & Jerry’s. This programme was roduced by Farmwel and FAI Farms.
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ffinlo Costain talks to Sir Dieter Helm CBE. Dieter is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford and Fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford. He was the Independent Chair of the UK's Natural Capital Committee, and was awarded a knighthood for services to the environment, energy and utilities policy.
This discussion is a masterclass for people aiming to influence UK Government policy on agriculture and the environment. Helm is hugely engaging as he sets out his influential thinking and establishes sound criteria for support and opposition.
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Carbon tunnel vision is a nasty disease that can create a strongly distorted perspective on agricultural land use and food production. This programme will help to remedy the condition, by showing that land use decisions are complex. ffinlo Costain is joined by Adele Jones, the deputy chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust, and by Ashleigh Bright, a food systems and sustainability scientist, based in New Zealand.
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This is an edited recording of the Regen Dairy round-the-world tour, which took place on 5th October 2022. We were thrilled to host this opportunity to circumnavigate the globe with four very different regen dairy farmers, all of whom are quite exceptional in their own way.
Our panellists were Blake Alexandre is a fourth generation dairy farmer from Alexandre Family Farm near Crescent City, California, USA. Richard Park is from Sizergh Farm, near Kendal in the UK, which has probably been farmed since the Vikings colonised Britain. Mark Anderson is a fifth generation farmer from South Otago, New Zealand. And Annabelle Gérard is a first generation dairy farmer from Lower Saxony in Germany. The webinar was hosted by ffinlo Costain.
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Small abattoirs are essential infrastructure, but they're in serious decline - seen by the UK Government as a 'nice to have' that serves the middle classes, rather than a 'must have' to deliver climate, biodiversity and soil security - and to support rural economies and farming communities.
Another nail was recently hammered into the small abattoir coffin, as Mettrick's abattoir in Glossop closed for business.
ffinlo Costain talks to John Mettrick, Master Butcher and chairman of the Abattoir Sector Group, Simon Doherty, former president of the British Veterinary Association, and Hannah Thorogood, an agroecological livestock farmer based in Lincolnshire.
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Changing the way we manage hydrology is essential if we're to restore ecological security. This programme is the recording of a Food & Global Security Network webinar called, Restoring Water Cycles. It features globally renowned soil microbiologist, Walter Jehne, from Regenerate Earth, and regenerative farming coach, Caroline Grindrod, from Roots of Nature. The discussion is chaired by ffinlo Costain.
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Jyoti Fernandes is from the UK Landworkers' Alliance and well-known as a campaigner working for the rights of small farmers and peasant farmers. Jyoti recently wrote an open letter to the Guardian writer, George Monbiot, whose book, #Regenesis, and the articles he's written to promote it, distort public awareness of regenerative solutions to the ecological crisis.
In this programme, ffinlo Costain asks Jyoti why she felt 'duty bound to intervene', and why she thinks Monbiot is undermining the agroecology movement, which provides the most compelling future narrative she has found in 30 years of campaigning.
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ffinlo Costain talks to Mark Anderson, from Westridge dairy farm, South Otago, New Zealand, and to Sophie and Dai Wilson from Wiltshire in the UK. Mark sees regenerative farming as an opportunity to decolonialise agriculture and the management changes he's made have put him back in control of his finances. Meanwhile Sophie and Dai have created a low impact model where they outwinter their dairy herd, improving their profitability and giving them more family time.
This is the second in a series in which ffinlo talks to regenerative dairy producers from around the world - as part of the Regen Dairy project, set up by FAI Farms and Farmwel, in collaboration with Unilever, Barry Callebaut, Arla Foods, Woolworth South Africa and Ben & Jerry’s.
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Increased rainfall and storm intensity are hugely important characteristics of global temperature rises and the way land is managed can have an enormous impact on our ability to reduce flood risk. In this programme we're talking about natural flood defences and ways to manage water flows in the landscape.
ffinlo Costain talks to Chris Uttley, the Stroud Valleys Natural Flood Management Officer for Stroud District Council, and Tom Johnstone, the Strategic Climate Change, Green Infrastructure and Catchments Officer for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. (The AONB's landscape and nature recovery report can be downloaded here, and Tom can be contacted at Tom.Johnstone@denbighshire.gov.uk)
https://twitter.com/ffinlocostain
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-uttley-b00996a2/
https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/flooding-and-drainage/stroud-rural-sustainable-drainage-rsuds-project/natural-flood-management
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-johnstone/
https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/
https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Landscape-Nature-Recovery-ENG-Interactive.pdf
mailto:Tom.Johnstone@denbighshire.gov.uk
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This is the first in a series in which we talk to regenerative dairy producers from around the world - as part of the Regen Dairy project, set up by FAI Farms and Farmwel, in collaboration with Unilever, Barry Callebaut, Arla Foods, Woolworth South Africa and Ben & Jerry’s.
In this programme, ffinlo Costain talks to Blake Alexandre, from Alexandre Family Farm, California, USA, and Bryce Cunningham, from Mossgiel Farm in Scotland, about the challenges of scaling regenerative dairy.
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Many governments see farm expansion as the future of agriculture, but there's a grave risk that this will simply embed the challenges inherent in today's food system. Instead we need diversity - and small farms play a critical a role.
ffinlo Costain talks to Chris Smaje, author of A Small Farm Future, published by Chelsea Green.
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What does war in Ukraine, and the global response to conflict, tell us about global food production and food systems more broadly?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Chantal Wei-Ying Clément, deputy director of IPES Food, Joona Mikkola from Soil Watch and Sue Pritchard from the UK's Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
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Most people live in cities, urban conurbations and housing estates rather than in cottages next to farms. How can we shorten supply chains into cities, bring food production to urban areas, and support volunteers and micro business opportunities for citizens, farmers and growers?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Jeremy Iles from the Urban Agriculture Consortium and Rachel Hammond from Edge.
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The war in Ukraine has sparked a food price crisis with devastating impacts being felt around the world - but while Russia lit the touch paper, this crisis was predicted and could have been avoided.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Professor Jennifer Clapp, Thin Lei Win and Margot Gibbs. Jennifer is an expert for Brussels-based IPES-Food and the Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo in Ontario - she's also Vice Chair of the High Level Panel of Experts on food security and nutrition of the UN Committee on World Food Security. Margot and Thin are food system reporters for Lighthouse Reports, a non-profit investigative journalism group, which is based in the Netherlands.
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Our next programme will be out next week, but forgive me if I take a moment to let you know about a Food & Global Security Network panel event that we're running online on Thursday the 7th of July.
It's called Lessons from Ukraine - we have a fantastic panel of experts - there's no charge, and you can book a place through our website at foodandsecurity.net
What does war in Ukraine, and the global response to conflict, tell us about global food production and the structural weaknesses in food systems more broadly? Is this conflict a taste of things to come, as major food and fossil fuel-producing nations begin to strategically reposition their economies? And what does the response to this conflict tell us about the power of the agricultural lobby and the levels of global policy support for an agroecological transition?
I'll be joined by Chantal Clement from IPES Food, Patrick Holden from the Sustainable Food Trust, Joona Mikkola from Soil Watch, Sue Pritchard from the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, and Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin from the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance.
Please sign up to join us for the conversation at foodandsecurity.net
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A regenerative agricultural and environmental transformation depends upon a resurgence of localism - but localism is also championed by far right politicians who pronounce their own vision centred on a tough approach to immigration. How we can safeguard food systems in a more ecologically chaotic world with accelerating human migration? Can we find a popular but inclusive vision of national localism?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Natalie Bennett of the Green Party of England and Wales, and by Sue Pritchard, the chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
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In this programme, we discuss a feature film, Six Inches of Soil, which is currently in production in the UK. The film is being crowd-funded by organisations and individuals, and its producers want to ensure that - even as we are driven towards an ecological precipice fuelled in part by an industrialised food system - we recognise that the dirt beneath our feet is what feeds us and makes our societies strong.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Colin Ramsay, the director of Six Inches of Soil, and by Claire Mackensie, the film's producer.
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In this programme, we're talking about meat, fish and protein alternatives - and the competing claims about sustainability that are made by individuals and vested interests across the food sector and around the world.
IPES Food has released a new report, The Politics of Protein, and to discuss it, ffinlo Costain is joined from the USA by lead author, Phil Howard, and from Brussels by the director of IPES Food, Nick Jacobs.
LINKS:
https://twitter.com/IPESfood
http://www.ipes-food.org/pages/politicsofprotein
https://twitter.com/ffinlocostain
https://twitter.com/NickJacobs11
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Demand for new woodland is growing for everything from timber to carbon sequestration. But forests take up space - and competition for land is increasing. How do we balance the demands of food production, nature, housing and infrastructure, with the need for new woodland and forest products?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Andrew Heald, a consultant specialising in sustainable forests and plantations, and by Martin Lines, the chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network.
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In this programme, ffinlo Costain talks to Rob Percival, author of The Meat Paradox.
We are not wild animals and yet we still kill other sentient creatures and eat them in their billions. Rob charts our relationship with meat, from the scavenging of carcasses on an ancient savannah to the industrialised systems that produce much of the meat we consume today. He finds that emotional conflict has challenged human consciousness for many thousands of years.
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In this programme, ffinlo Costain talks to Josiah Meldrum, co-founder of the successful on-line retailer, Hodmedods. Josiah works with British farms to source top quality beans, pulses and grains - particularly less well-known foods, like the fava bean, grown in Britain since the Iron Age, but now largely forgotten.
We talk about why Josiah thinks of Hodmedods as an agroecological retail business and about the need for strong supplier relationships. We discuss the benefits of scaling out rather than up, and the failure of fellow online food retailer, Farmdrop.
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In this programme we focus on the UK and East Africa and discuss how the carbon market can channel finance from carbon sequestration and storage to help fund broader land regeneration.
ffinlo Costain speaks to Thomas Gent, the founder of Gentle Farming who works with the Agreena carbon payment platform, and Joona Mikkola, a regenerative agriculture specialist based in Uganda who founded Soil Watch, which monitors carbon levels and soil health using satellite data.
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Carbon farming is on the rise - but how does the carbon market work, and how does carbon sequestration and storage help to finance the delivery of other ecosystem services.
ffinlo Costain is joined from Scotland by Charlie Davis, a Natural Capital Advisor specialising in the management of natural assets for Savills, the farms, estates and agricultural land agents.
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Despite the absence of food systems, soil and agriculture from the top negotiating table at COP26, these subjects did, at last, emerge as key themes at side events inside the COP conference village. The Glasgow Food & Climate Declaration - initiated by Nourish Scotland and IPES Food - was a key factor in pushing this focus on food systems up the policy agenda.
ffinlo Costain discusses the purpose, legacy and future of the Declaration with Pete Ritchie, Executive Director of Nourish Scotland, and Chantal Clément, Deputy Director, of IPES Food.
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Was COP26 in Glasgow a success? In this programme we do a stock take. What was achieved at COP26 – in terms of global warming and agricultural land use? What was missing? What was fundamentally misunderstood at the top table? And what do we need to do next, to ensure that an agroecological transition is lifted firmly onto the negotiating table at COP27 and beyond?
ffinlo Costain, the founder of the Food & Global Security Network, is joined by Sue Pritchard, the chief executive of the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission, and Patrick Holden, the founder of the Sustainable Food Trust.
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ffinlo Costain talks to Vicki Hird - a farming expert and author who's been at the heart of environmental, food and agricultural policy discussions for over 30 years. Her new book, Rebugging The Planet, is set to be the must-buy stocking filler for Christmas this year.
We discuss the new book, which shows us that bugs are beautiful, charismatic and economically valuable. We also discuss food and farming policy, and how the new post-Brexit farm payments will affect agricultural land use in England.
Vicki Hird is also head of sustainable farming at Sustain.
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Do farm animals experience emotions, or are the behaviours people perceive as emotions purely an instinctive response? Do cows, for example, feel happy or depressed? And should a farm animal's ability to react instinctively, or to respond emotionally, affect the way that we care for and handle livestock?
ffinlo Costain, the chief executive of Farmwel, is joined by Professor David Main from the Royal Agricultural University, and by Rachel Horler, a cattle farmer from Maundrils Farm in Somerset, UK.
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The best solutions for land use deliver multiple outcomes - especially in places where land is relatively scarce and expensive. What if we could combine the farming of electricity from the sun with land management that regenerates the soil and produces high quality nutrition?
ffinlo Costain talks to Trent Hendricks and Sophy Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Trent is from Cabriejo Ranch in Missouri, USA, where he produces lamb and beef with certification from the American Grassfed Association and the Allan Savory Land to Market programme. Sophy lives in Wiltshire and provides community engagement and communications advice for the UK solar industry.
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This year's UN Food Systems Summit is being seen by many as an opportunity to define the future of food. The summit may also be the launch pad for a new science & policy interface - what's being described as an 'IPCC for Food'. But do we really need an IPCC for Food? Shouldn't we simply better fund and better utilise the mechanisms we already have?
ffinlo Costain is joined by food systems experts from IPES Food. Jennifer Clapp, from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, is part of the UN's High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. Molly Anderson is a specialist in hunger, food systems, and multi-actor collaborations for sustainability from Middlebury College in Vermont, USA.
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In this programme, ffinlo Costain discusses corporate sustainability and green wash, with Benet Northcote and Ed Gillespie. Is it possible for large companies to become genuinely sustainable - or will greed always triumph over green?
Benet is a senior adviser at Seahorse Environmental and the deputy chair of the UK's Conservative Environment Network. Prior to that he was the director of corporate responsibility for the John Lewis Partnership, and worked as deputy private secretary to The Prince of Wales.
Ed Gillespie is a facilitator for the Forward Institute and co-founder of the sustainability agency, Futerra. He is also a co-presenter of Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts and a director of Greenpeace UK.
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FAI Farms and McDonald's UK & Ireland have won Compassion in World Farming's prestigious Sustainable Food and Farming Award for their work on regenerative beef. This is a four year project, centred on Adaptive Multi-paddock Grazing. The results have been outstanding - so what are they - how have they been achieved - and what has FAI learned along the way?
ffinlo Costain talks to FAI's Director of Regenerative Agriculture, Clare Hill, and their assistant farm manager, Silas Hedley-Lawrence.
We also introduce new regen ag training, available online at FAI.Academy - and give you a Farm Gate discount code.
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This podcast is about the power and importance of communities. To address the climate emergency, there is an urgent need to cede power to ordinary people so that they can design and deliver the changes necessary in their neighbourhoods.
Poverty remains a significant barrier for all governments in achieving net zero. Community-led projects, for example centred on food, can all deliver carbon reductions, while also rewarding people with a lower cost of living, and the experience and confidence to work together for even greater change.
ffinlo Costain speaks to James Goodman, Director of Partnerships and Learning for the Local Trust, Bryony Boyle from Selby Big Local, and Chris Blake the catalyst behind Project Skyline in the Brecon Beacons.
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The impact of climate change is already being felt by communities, through flooding and droughts. Farmers are the first responders to these impacts, as well as being one of the few economic sectors that can act as a sink, rather than a source, of carbon. So what are farmers doing happen differently on farms, and how can the UK speed this change?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the UK Environment Agency, and Stuart Roberts, the deputy president of the National Farmers' Union.
Land Unlocked features high-level speakers and explores the challenges of delivering real action at this year’s COP26 conference.
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Land Unlocked is a podcast collaboration between Farm Gate and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. This occasional series will feature a range of high-level speakers exploring the challenges of delivering real action at this year’s COP26 conference and other major global events taking place in 2021. Programmes will be broadcast on the Farm Gate channel.
In this programme, ffinlo Costain discusses land use, economics, optimism and story-telling, with Christiana Figueres and Professor Tim Jackson.
Christiana Figueres is an internationally recognised leader on global climate change. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016. Today she is the co-founder of Global Optimism, & co-host of the podcast 'Outrage & Optimism'. Her new book is called, 'The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis', which she co-authored with Tim Rivett-Carnac.
Professor Tim Jackson is an ecological economist and writer. Since 2016 he has been Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, at the University of Surrey. Between 2004 and 2011 Tim was Economics Commissioner for the UK Sustainable Development Commission where his work culminated in a ground-breaking book Prosperity without Growth.
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In this programme we delve into the origins of regenerative agriculture, and what it means to be 'indigenous with the earth'. What is this knowledge? Where does it come from? Can anyone claim ownership over regenerative principles?
ffinlo Costain talks to Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, President of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance. Originally from Guatemala, Regi lives in Minnesota, USA, where he trains farmers in the production of regenerative poultry. Regi's book, In the Shadow of the Green Man, weaves together stories from his upbringing in revolution-torn Guatemala, with his vision for regenerative farming.
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In this programme we visit Sierra Leone. We discuss how this West African country managed to stop Chinese, Russian, Korean and European vessels plundering their fish stocks, how stakeholders built a sustainable fisheries programme, and the challenges for international organisations such as the World Bank. We also address the controversy over Sierra Leone's new Chinese-funded harbour project.
ffinlo Costain talks to Salieu Sankoh, the co-ordinator of the World Bank-funded West African Regional Fisheries Programme in Sierra Leone, and to Phil Gawne, an advisor to the Program, and a former fisheries minister for Isle of Man Government.
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The Marine Stewardship Council is an international NGO working to protect oceans and safeguard seafood supplies for the future. The Netflix film Seaspiracy concluded that sustainable seafood doesn't exist - but the MSC disagrees. Currently, 16% of the world's wild caught fish is certified and carries its blue MSC ecolabel, and the organisation aims to have 30% engaged in its programme by 2030.
ffinlo Costain speaks to George Clark, the MSC's programme director for the UK and Ireland. They discuss what sustainable seafood is, how it's certified, how managed fisheries can restore fish stocks, and why the MSC refused to take part in Seaspiracy.
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The Isle of Man is home to one of the most successful sustainable shell fish fisheries in the British Isles. Developed over a period of 30 years, their Marine Nature Reserve now accounts for 52% of Manx coastal waters, and their Ramsey Bay scallops are the biggest in Britain.
ffinlo Costain talks to Phil Gawne, former Fisheries Minister of the Isle of Man Government, and to Peter Duncan, IOMG's Senior Marine Environment Officer.
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Since 2013 more seafood has been produced globally in aquaculture systems than from wild caught fisheries. The farming of fish at scale has come with costs as well as benefits, and as a relatively young industry, aquaculture has followed a steep learning curve.
ffinlo Costain speaks to Tony Wall, the founder of the Fish Vet Group (now PHARMAQ), who helped to put fish sentience on the map. ffinlo asks where aquaculture came from, how it developed, and how the industry can overcome its current challenges?
Inspired by Seaspiracy, this programme is part of a mini-series in which we're talking about the future of ocean food.
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In the wake of Seaspiracy, we're running a series of programmes about the future of wild and farmed seafood.
The vast majority of wild caught fish are now harvested by industrial-scale trawlers using vast and often indiscriminate nets and bottom trawling. At the same time aquaculture, which has scaled so rapidly, has come under fire for high levels of waste and pollution and for poor welfare.
So, what's next for ocean food?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Ruth Layton who, as a former director of FAI Farms, has spent 25 years studying agricultural and aquacultural systems, and by Ashleigh Bright, an expert in the science of sustainability in global food systems.
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This is the final programme in our recent series about agroecological agriculture. ffinlo Costain talks to David Finlay from The Ethical Dairy in Dumfries and Galloway, and Bryce Cunningham from Mossgiel Farm in Ayrshire. The conversation focusses on building a market for direct liquid milk sales, and on cow with calf dairying.
This series is supporting the 10 Years for Agroecology campaign run by the Soil Association, and the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission's Farming for Change project.
Other episodes focus on beef, mixed farming, vegetables and horticulture, and arable farming.
FarmerAmbassador #agroecology #FarmingforChange
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Do we need a new state-owned Agroecology Development Bank for Britain? The Food, Farming & Countryside Commission thinks so. Their new report, 'Farming Smarter: Investing in our Future', says that an ADB would speed the transition to fair and nature-friendly farming – by filling the current gap in available finance, and building knowledge about agroecological agriculture in the financial sector.
ffinlo Costain is joined by report co-author Tony Greenham, and by George Young, an agroecological farmer from Fobbing Farm in Essex and a former banker in the City of London.
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In this programme we talk about racism and discuss how to improve diversity in British agriculture and animal sciences. We consider how to successfully encourage more of our black, Asian and minority ethnic population to enjoy the countryside.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Navaratnam Partheeban, a dairy vet who co-founded the British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society, and Bushra Abu-Helil, a second year PhD student focussed on poultry health & welfare, and vice chair of the BAME Ecologist Network.
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What's the difference between agroecology and regenerative agriculture? And what about holistic grazing, organic, no-till farming, or adaptive multi-paddock grazing? In this programme we get to the bottom of the terminology.
We also discuss how to get started in regenerative agriculture.
ffinlo Costain is joined by Caroline Grindrod from Roots of Nature, and Kelly Watson from FAI Farms.
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This is the fourth programme in our series about agroecological agriculture. ffinlo Costain talks to Sinead Fenton from Aweside Farm in East Sussex, and to Joe Rolfe, the general manager at RB Organic Ltd in Norfolk.
Sinead and Joe are Agroecology Ambassadors for the Soil Association.
This series is supporting the 10 Years for Agroecology campaign run by the Soil Association, and the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission's Farming for Change project.
Other episodes focus on beef, mixed farming, dairy, and arable farming.
FarmerAmbassador #agroecology #FarmingforChange
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This is the third in our agroecology series. ffinlo Costain talks to George Young from Fobbing Farm in Essex, and Johnnie Balfour from Balbirnie Farm in Fife. George and Johnnie are Agroecology Ambassadors for the Soil Association.
This series is supporting the 10 Years for Agroecology campaign run by the Soil Association, and the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission's Farming for Change project.
Other episodes focus on beef farming, mixed farming, dairy, and horticulture & veg.
FarmerAmbassador #agroecology #FarmingforChange
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This is the first of two programmes investigating the rise of meat alternatives. ffinlo Costain talks to Raychel E Santo, a senior research programme coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Liveable Future. Raychel is the lead author on the research paper, Considering Plant-Based Meat Substitutes and Cell-Based Meats: A Public Health and Food Systems Perspective.
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This is the second in our agroecology series, and in this episode we're focussing on mixed farming. ffinlo Costain talks to Ben Andrews from Broadward Hall in Herefordshire, and Robert Wilson from Cowbog Farm in the Scottish Borders. Ben and Robert are Agroecology Ambassadors for the Soil Association.
This series is supporting the 10 Years for Agroecology campaign run by the Soil Association, and the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission's Farming for Change project.
Other episodes focus on beef farming, arable, dairy, and horticulture & veg.
FarmerAmbassador #agroecology #FarmingforChange
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In the second of Farm Gate's Regenerative Agriculture Question Time podcasts, ffinlo Costain is joined by Clare Hill, shepherd and director of regenerative agriculture at FAI Farms, George Young, a regenerative arable producer from Fobbing Farm, Essex, and Caroline Grindrod from the regenerative agriculture consultancy, Roots of Nature.
Arable #Wheat #Livestock #Ruminants
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This is the first of five programmes in which we showcase farmers who are putting agroecology into practice. In this episode we're focussing on beef production. ffinlo Costain talks to Nikki Yoxall from Howe Mill Farm in Aberdeenshire, and Denise Walton from Peelham Farm in Berwickshire. Nikki and Denise are Agroecology Ambassadors for the Soil Association.
This series is supporting the 10 Years for Agroecology campaign run by the Soil Association and the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission.
Other episodes will focus on mixed farming, arable, dairy, and horticulture & veg.
FarmerAmbassador #agroecology #FarmingforChange
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White Oak Pastures is a 152-year-old family farm in Bluffton, Georgia, USA. In 1995, Will Harris began the transition away from industrial agricultural techniques and started redesigning his farm as a living ecosystem.
Will Harris talks to ffinlo Costain about his life as a commodity cattleman and what made him change the way he farms. He describes the dark early days and reflects on how his success brought his family back home, and breathed new life into his community. He explains why he gets fed up with scientists, who 'bicker and fight all the time' over how to measure carbon, when the benefits are there in the ground for all to see. Will also offers up words of wisdom for President Biden's new Agriculture Secretary.
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In this programme, ffinlo Costain talks to Robyn O'Brien, the best-selling author of The Unhealthy Truth, who in September 2020 was named in the Forbes Impact 50, a list of the top impact investors in the USA. Robyn's TED talks have received over a million views.
The discussion centres on Robyn's new investment fund, RePlant Capital, which is based in the USA and worth $250m. RePlant’s flagship fund, its Soil Fund, is focussed on the transition of US farmland to regenerative agriculture.
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Farm Gate host, ffinlo Costain, interviews Leontino Balbo Junior (Balbo Group), who produces 35% of the world's organic sugar. Speaking direct from Brazil, Leontino explains how he transformed his farm (http://www.canaverde.com.br/) from standard agriculture to a high yield regenerative success story.
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The new UK Trade & Agriculture Commission was set up by the Department of International Trade to guide ministers as they develop a policy that balances the need for independent trade deals with the ambitions of the new Agriculture Act and the coming Environment Bill.
In this podcast we ask, is a progressive UK trade and agriculture policy possible?
ffinlo Costain speaks to Tom West, UK Environment Lead at Client Earth, and Angela Francis, WWF UK's Chief Advisor on Economics and Economic Development.
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It's World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, so we're doing our bit. What is antimicrobial resistance - why is it a problem - what are the drivers - and what can we do about it?
ffinlo Costain is joined by Laura Higham from Vet Sustain and by Øistein Thorsen the chief executive of FAI Farms.
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Despite the early green ambitions, the new Common Agricultural Policy may end up looking rather like business as usual. But, following policy delays, the CAP will now be delivered under the EU presidency of Ursula von der Leyen. The new Commission has prioritised environmental action, and the Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal.
In this programme I'm crossing the English Channel to find out what's happening with agricultural policy in mainland Europe?
ffinlo Costain speaks to Nick Jacobs, the Director of IPES Food, and to Pierre-Marie Aubert, the Coordinator of the European Agriculture Initiative for IDDRI.
IPES Food's influential 2019 report, Towards a Common Food Policy for the EU, can be found here.
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The UK Agriculture Bill has gone for Royal Assent, but much of the detail remains uncertain. UK producers are also concerned that food imports won't meet British environmental and farm animal welfare standards. So, where are we up to with agricultural policy reform?
ffinlo Costain speaks to Shadow Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner MP, Vicki Hird, Head of Sustainable Food and Farming Policy at Sustain, and to Simon Hoare, Conservative MP for North Dorset.
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This programme is for every farmer who's ever thought about transitioning to regenerative agriculture. It's our first Regen Question Time and in it our experts set out to answer questions submitted by farmers by Twitter, email, and through the Primal Web forum.
Regenerative agriculture requires a complete mindset shift. Instead of rules there are principles, which can make transitioning process seem daunting. To help with this, every six or eight weeks, we'll put your questions to regen experts. Our intention is to help you make decisions about the future of your farm business. (The insights will also be interesting for everyone who wants to know more about regenerative agriculture.)
In this first Regen Question Time, ffinlo Costain talks to Caroline Grindrod and Alex Tomlinson.
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In this programme ffinlo Costain discusses Forum for the Future's new report, 'Growing Our Future', with report author, Lesley Mitchell, Forum's Associate Director for Sustainable Nutrition.
Growing Our Future concentrates on scaling regenerative agriculture in the United States. It describes threats and opportunities surrounding regen and makes a series of recommendations for a successful regenerative transformation. While the report is centred on the USA its findings and recommendations are just as relevant for farmers, investors and policy-makers in other nations.
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FAI Farms has worked with big name global food brands to embed sustainability at the heart of their supply chains for more than 20 years. Recently the FAI brand and business was bought by the management. In this podcast ffinlo Costain talks to Øistein Thorsen, FAI's Chief Executive, and to Carly Scott, their director of sustainable operations.
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Since 2017 the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission has helped to shape the UK's conversation about food - where it comes from, how it's produced, how far it travels, and where and how it gets sold and eaten. In this programme we discuss the FFCC's Wales Inquiry Report - the Wales Field Guide for Future Generations.
Joining ffinlo Costain are Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the FFCC, and Jane Davidson, chair of the Commission's Wales Inquiry, and former Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in the Welsh Government.
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Farm Gate host ffinlo Costain discusses Covid 19 and the crisis in our food systems with Dr David Nabarro, Special Envoy of the World Health Organization Director-General on Covid-19, and Prof Melissa Leach CBE, a member of the Brussels-based International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, otherwise known as IPES-Food. The discussion includes zoonotic spillover, One Health, and the strengths and weaknesses in the global food system.
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In this podcast, ffinlo Costain talks to Carbon Cowboys producer and director, Peter Byck. Carbon Cowboys is series of 10 films about regenerative agriculture and adaptive multi-paddock grazing. They demonstrate the enormous potential of this model of land use and introduce us to some remarkable stories. Peter Byck is a film-maker and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, where he's leading a multi-million dollar research project focused on regenerative grazing, soil health & soil carbon storage.
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Regenerative agriculture has captured the imagination of producers and citizens around the world. But the focus is almost exclusively on land. In this programme we ask whether regenerative farming principles can be transposed to the ocean - and if so, at what scale?
Featuring Dylan Walker, chief executive of the World Cetacean Alliance, and Alex Tomlinson, a vet and regenerative agriculture specialist.
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Regen agriculture for kids
Farm Gate has gone all #homeschool. In this short programme we explain the basics of regenerative agriculture for primary school age kids. We answer questions about the sun, the rain, dandelions and cow poo - and we ask what's the most important animal in the world? There are even a couple of experiments you can try at home.
The programme features Alex Tomlinson - an amazing mine of information who's working on regenerative farming projects right across Britain.
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Coronavirus has generated a monumental response. Political parties philosophically opposed to the Big State have intervened in our lives to an enormous extent.
What can we learn from the way that coronavirus has been communicated and the speed of society's response? How can we apply this knowledge to other public health emergencies, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, which also threaten the existence of human society as we know it.
This programme features Jason Wojciechowski, Creative Director at Corelab and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Impact Communication, and Øistein Thorsen, director of FAI Farms.
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Happy Cow Milk Company, run by Glen Herud, is a cow and calf dairy business based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It opened in 2014, but after a few years the company ran out of cash. What happened next was truly remarkable. Glen's story went viral, and ordinary people from all over the world, chipped in to help keep the business alive. Now following a fundamental and revolutionary redesign of the distribution system, Happy Cow 2.0 is ready to launch.
In this programme Glen Herud tells his story.
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Sheep lameness is a painful symptom that severely reduces mobility. It's regarded by many as endemic - ever present, regardless of the efforts made to curb new infections. But is lameness endemic? Can better monitoring and treatment effectively eradicate it from flocks?
In this episode we discuss how to implement the nationally-adopted FAI Five Point Plan - with Ruth Clements, head of veterinary programmes from Benchmark Animal Health, and by Clare Hill, the farm manager at FAI Farms.
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Coronavirus has led to lock down, the loss of work, jobs and income - it has forced people with little or no savings to turn to charities and institutions - just to be able to eat. Food aid providers, already working to capacity, have had to swiftly adapt their service models to cope with the influx of new, fearful, hungry, and potentially infected, people.
In this programme, Farm Gate speaks to three people working to provide food at the front line of the social crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic: Dee Woods from Granville Community Kitchen (Kilburn, London), Greg Silverman, Executive Director of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger (New York City), and Mark Game, Chief Executive of The Bread and Butter Thing (Greater Manchester, UK).
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'Food security' is suddenly on the agenda - but what is it? Was it ever about calories & cheap food for the masses? And if it was, isn't it time that we redefined food security for the modern world - recognising the essential role that land use, food system resilience, and nutrition play in ensuring that all citizens can eat, and eat well.
This programme features Vicki Hird from Sustain, Professor Tim Benton from Chatham House, and Patrick Holden from the Sustainable Food Trust.
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In this programme we're looking at the psychology of panic buying - and asking the question, is our food system resilient enough to cope?
The media has been full of food jeopardy & empty shelves, but isn't panic buying an entirely reasonable response to crisis? We've been watching this modern-day plague unfold since the start of the year, and the dramatic lock downs were trailed for weeks before they were enacted. Despite the abrupt shift in consumer behaviour (we're all eating at home now) supermarkets are generally well-stocked, and farm shops are doing a roaring trade.
I'm joined by Jo White from Human Behaviour Change for Animals - and by Roland Bonney, a co-founder of FAI Farms.
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The term Less & Better is frequently used by NGOs when trying to address consumption patterns to deliver sustainable meat and dairy. But what does Less & Better mean? And is it really as unifying as the NGOs would like to believe?
This programme features Dr Sara Place, Chief Sustainability Officer at Elanco Animal Health, and former senior director for the United States National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and by Øistein Thorsen, the director of global sustainable food systems consultancy FAI Farms.
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Why are facts no longer enough to change attitudes & behaviours? How can we communicate new ideas & information in the modern world? How can we persuade people to make the changes necessary to combat environmental & supply chain challenges? In this programme we look at the psychology of Human Behaviour Change.
We're joined by Jo White & Suzanne Rogers from Human Behaviour Change for Animals, & by Ruth Layton, a vet & co-founder of FAI Farms.
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Farmers from across the world have issued a Joint Statement calling for governments to recognise the importance of the metric GWP*. Signatories include the National Farmers' Union, CLA, National Sheep Association, and Beef & Lamb New Zealand. While recognising that climate change is one of the most urgent challenges we face, farmers leaders are calling for the role of agricultural methane to be accurately recognised in policy and accurately accounted for in the foot-printing of agricultural emissions.
ffinlo Costain speaks to Andrew Morrison the chairman of Beef & Lamb New Zealand, and to Phil Stocker, the chief executive of the UK's National Sheep Association.
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It's widely accepted that climate change can impact on food availability in developing countries, potentially leading to conflict. But what about developed nations such as the UK or the USA? Could our own food supplies be threatened by climate change? Could the complexity of our supply chains make us more vulnerable than we realise?
ffinlo Costain speaks to Caitlin Werrell, the co-founder of the Washington-based Centre for Climate & Security, which works closely with the Pentagon, and to Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, the UK's former Climate, Energy & Security Envoy.
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Signatories to the European Chicken Commitment must move from standard intensive indoor production systems for rearing meat chickens, to more humane, extensive indoor systems by the 1st of January 2026. The Commitment has attracted widespread attention from broiler producers, and several major brands have already signed up - including KFC.
How will the Commitment improve the lives and deaths of chickens reared for meat? What are the practical implications of delivering the required standards, within the established time-frame?
In this programme ffinlo Costain talks to Jenny Packwood, Director of Responsibility & Reputation for KFC UK & Ireland, and to Annie Rayner and Kelly Watson, experts in broiler systems and behaviour, working at FAI Farms.
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Dominic Cummings, the UK Prime Minister's strategist-in-chief, has said that he wants to shake up Government. He's asked for ideas - and it would be churlish if we didn’t offer to help. ffinlo Costain has spoken to five big beasts of the UK food & farming community: Patrick Holden (Sustainable Food Trust), Mark Bridgeman (CLA), Sue Pritchard (RSA Food, Farming & Countryside Commission), Guy Smith (NFU), & Vicki Hird (Sustain). Each has two minutes to pitch their reforms, followed by a conversation about their ideas. The podcast is bursting with grand plans - and it's the perfect length for Dominic Cummings to listen to on his commute.
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FAI Farms runs a beef and sheep operation near Oxford, UK, which is currently undergoing a transition from an organic to a regenerative system. With baseline carbon and nature foot-printing in place, progress will be closely monitored. Input costs have already reduced, with livestock now wintering outside on grass. FAI anticipates increasing its herd/flock size while also becoming global warming neutral and boosting biodiversity. In documenting and showcasing the transition in progress, they hope to inspire other farmers and companies to join the regenerative agriculture movement. Farm Gate presenter, ffinlo Costain, talks to farm manager Clare Hill, and regenerative farmer and consultant, Caroline Grindrod, from https://www.rootsofnature.co.uk/
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A farming life is generally a good life but it can be demanding & stressful. It's hardly surprising that farmers can feel isolated, depressed, or unable to cope.
ffinlo Costain talks to Graham Morgan MBE, about farming, mental health, & mental illness. Graham works for the Mental Health Commission for Scotland & volunteers with HUG action for mental health. Graham's book, Start, describes his life, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. It is fresh, unguarded, rather joyful, and surprisingly funny.
Graham recently spoke about mental illness to a conference organised by the National Farmers' Union of Scotland.
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Sam Hall is the director of the highly influential Conservative Environment Network. With nearly 60 MPs making up its parliamentary caucus, CEN is the most important and influential network of environmentally-motivated Conservative activists and politicians in the United Kingdom.
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I'm talking to Professor Myles Allen & Dr John Lynch (University of Oxford), & Roland Bonney (farmer, & co-founder of FAI Farms & Benchmark Holdings).
Although cattle and sheep produce methane almost constantly, the focus on their emissions is misleading – it’s the warming impact of those emissions that actually matters. Far from being unsustainable, as many people continue to argue, well-managed grass-based cattle and sheep systems can become rapidly climate neutral and help to restore biodiversity and soil health. Research by a global team of scientists based at the University of Oxford has established a new way of measuring the impacts of methane - a metric known as GWP*. This metric allows us to accurately assess the impact of ruminant methane for the first time.
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Dr Tara Garnett (FCRN) and Caroline Grindrod (Primal Meats) join ffinlo Costain to discuss whether 'vegan' has become a dirty word?
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In this panel discussion, ffinlo Costain is joined by Gudrun Ravetz (former president, British Veterinary Association), and Laura Higham (Vet Sustain). We discuss the link between animal welfare, and good environmental management and farm performance.
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Farm Gate host, ffinlo Costain, talks to Laura Higham (FAI Farms/Vet Sustain) and Simon Doherty (British Veterinary Association). We ask how vets contribute to sustainability - and what’s the link between animal welfare, and good environmental management and performance on farms?
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