Farm Gate Podcast
EPISODE 33, December 17th, 2020:
Regenerative finance: The one with Robyn O'Brien
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.
EPISODE 32, December 2nd, 2020:
Is a progressive UK trade policy possible?
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.
EPISODE 31, November 24th, 2020:
Tackling antimicrobial resistance
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.
EPISODE 30, November 17th, 2020:
How green is the new CAP?
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.
EPISODE 29, November 10th, 2020:
English agriculture policy - Where are we now?
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.
EPISODE 28, October 5th, 2020:
Regen Question Time
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.
EPISODE 27, September 22nd, 2020:
Scaling regenerative agriculture
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.
EPISODE 26, September 10th, 2020:
What's changing at FAI Farms?
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.
EPISODE 25, August 4th, 2020:
What's happening to food & agriculture in Wales?
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.
EPISODE 24, July 7th, 2020:
The one with the WHO & IPES Food
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.
EPISODE 23, June 16th, 2020:
The Carbon Cowboys
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.
EPISODE 22, May 26th, 2020:
Regenerative oceans
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?
EPISODE 21, May 11th, 2020:
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.
EPISODE 20, May 5th, 2020:
Mass mobilisation, coronavirus & climate change
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?
EPISODE 19, April 28th, 2020:
Happy Cow Milk Co. New Zealand
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.
EPISODE 18, April 20th, 2020:
Sheep lameness & the 5-Point Plan
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?
EPISODE 17, April 14th, 2020:
Food at the front line
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.
EPISODE 16, April 7th, 2020:
What does 'food security' actually mean?
'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.
EPISODE 15, March 31st, 2020:
Panic buying - a rational reaction to crisis?
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.
EPISODE 14, March 24th, 2020:
What does Less & Better mean?
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?
EPISODE 13, March 14th, 2020:
Why are facts not enough?
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.
EPISODE 12, March 6th, 2020:
Farmers Unite for a Global Statement on GWP*
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.
EPISODE 11, March 2nd, 2020:
Climate, Food and National Security
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?
EPISODE 10, February 24th, 2020:
The European Chicken Commitment and KFC
Signatories to the NGO-backed 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, Nestle, M&S and Unilever.
EPISODE 9, February 20th, 2020:
Let's help Dominic Cummings! Radical proposals for agricultural reform
Dominic Cummings, the UK Prime Minister's strategist-in-chief, has said that he wants to shake up Government. He wants to break the alleged stranglehold that the civil service has over policy development & delivery. He's asked for ideas - and we want to help.
EPISODE 8, February 11th, 2020:
Regenerative farming - making the transition
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.
EPISODE 7, February 3rd, 2020:
Farming & Mental Illness
On this week's episode host ffinlo Costain talks to Graham Morgan MBE, about farming, mental health, and mental illness. A farming life is generally a good life but it can be demanding and stressful. It's hardly a surprise that farmers and rural workers can feel isolated, depressed, or unable to cope.
EPISODE 5 & 6, January 28th, 2020:
How can farm vets contribute to sustainability?
This week we are launching two episodes asking the question 'How can farm vets contribute to sustainability?' The first episode is interview led, the second is a more free-flowing discussion, featuring three influential UK veterinarians. Veterinarians visit farms every day and can play a critical role in helping to advocate for genuine sustainability on farm - taking into account environmental, ethical and economic dimensions. The concept of OneHealth suggests good animal health is linked to good welfare, which may also go hand-in-hand with improved environmental performance. Looking beyond the farm vets' traditional role these two episodes suggest they can help farmers transition away from the most intensive farm production systems, keep global warming below two degrees centigrade, and re-build biodiversity.
EPISODE 4, January 22nd, 2020:
Regen Rock Star
In terms of land use today there are three things that really matter – high quality food production, climate change mitigation, and nature restoration. A great farm must do all three. In this episode of Farm Gate we are talking to a rock star of regenerative farming, a phenomenally successful sugar producer, an inventor, and philosopher. His sugar farm is a living proof that regenerative agriculture provides the blueprint for the global land use reform we all depend upon, and the transition we urgently need.
EPISODE 3, January 22nd, 2020:
Conservatives and the Environment
With UK's imminent departure from the European Union on the 31st of January, Farm Gate sat down with the Conservative Environment Network to discuss their plans for how to tackle the connected challenges of agriculture, land use and climate change in a post Brexit era. We asked, what are the big opportunities arising from Brexit?
EPISODE 2, January 14th, 2020:
Is Vegan a Dirty Word?
It seems pretty crazy that we've reached the stage where this question is asked - but with food becoming central to the war against global climate crisis people's personal choices about what they eat have become a major battle ground. Do you think you are a better person because you're a vegan; or because you only eat meat from grass fed livestock, or perhaps because you refuse to eat anything that's been produced further than 20 miles away? Or rather than judging each other's food choices, could we instead focus on what each parcel of land, and the landscape around it, could best produce in balance with nature?
EPISODE 1, January 9th, 2020:
Ruminant Methane, GWP* & Global Warming
In our very first episode we investigate the role of ruminant methane in global warming. Research by a global team of scientists based at the University of Oxford provides a new way of measuring the impacts of methane on global warming - a metric known as GWP*. Methane is a short-lived gas and its warming potential should be considered differently from carbon dioxide, a long-lived gas. GWP* allows farmers to accurately measure the impact of ruminant methane and suggests a path for how ongoing ruminant production can be compatible with ambitious climate targets seeking to limit further temperature increases.