Farm Gate

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. Produced by Farmwel and FAI Farms.

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. Produced by Farmwel.

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. Produced by Farmwel and FAI Farms.

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). Produced by Farmwel.

'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. Produced by Farmwel.

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. Produced by Farmwel.

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. Produced by Farmwel.

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. Produced by Farmwel.

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. Produced by Farmwel.

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. Produced by Farmwel.