Staying Safe
An invader is detected and deemed dangerous. Evidence is delivered to multiple locations, where it will first be used to identify the foreign agent’s unique weaknesses; then to design and manufacture special weapons to exploit those weaknesses. The weapons are designed to work within the conditions and constraints of the location being infiltrated, effectively targeting the invader while avoiding collateral damage. As supplies increase and weapons are deployed, the invader is disabled, captured and finally removed. But the story does…
Certified Regenerative by AGW Pilot Farms Selected
Following the recent launch of our newest label, Certified Regenerative by A Greener World (AGW), we are thrilled to select over 50 farms to join the programme’s pilot phase. Building on our successful family of leading labels, the new certification will provide a whole-farm assurance of sustainability, measuring benefits for soil, water, air, biodiversity, infrastructure, animal welfare and social responsibility. Key features of the programme include transparent, rigorous standards; high animal welfare; a holistic, farmer-led approach; early and broad access to regenerative markets;…
Oxford Student Beef Ban: Let’s Choose Facts Over Fashion
News that the Oxford University Student Union has voted to ban beef and lamb from campus canteens in a misguided effort to tackle climate change will no doubt dismay many British farmers—particularly those who are doing their best to farm sustainably. The vote follows similar initiatives to ban the sale of beef at Goldsmiths, University of London and the University of Cambridge, in the half-baked belief that a reduction in the consumption of beef lowers an individual's carbon footprint. The…
UK Farmers ‘Collateral Damage’ in Post-Brexit Trade Deal Considerations
UK farmers will have woken up this morning to the news that measures in the Agriculture Bill 2020 to ensure future trade deals will meet UK animal welfare and food safety rules were rejected by the government. Ministers have ruthlessly and serially reneged on pre-Brexit and pre-election manifesto promises to protect food and farming standards around food safety, environment and animal welfare. Instead, we have another empty and equally unbelievable comment from Defra’s Victoria Prentis that the government is “absolutely…
Is the National Beef Association missing the point?
Farmers across the world could be forgiven for feeling somewhat unloved at the moment – and it’s probably fair to say that those with cattle have been unfairly singled out as being solely responsible for the climate emergency. Against that backdrop the UK beef industry’s self-proclaimed representative body, the National Beef Association (NBA), appears to favour the further intensification of beef production in the UK (at the expense of sustainable, grass-fed systems) as the most ‘climate friendly’ solution looks frankly…
