Sustainable Food Trust

⬇️ Complete our survey by Friday 21st March ⬇️ Small abattoirs are closing at an alarming rate, putting the future of sustainable livestock farming and provision of local meat at risk. We are looking to understand how farmers, consumers, rural economies, and the environment could be impacted without continued government support for the sector. 🗣️ If you farm livestock, your voice matters. Complete our survey now: https://lnkd.in/eCyfWSrA #SupportLocal #SmallAbattoirs #LivestockFarmer #SustainableFarming #LocalMeat | Pasture for Life The Landworkers' Alliance Soil Association National Craft Butchers

💚 In a few weeks' time, we’ll be taking part in this year’s Big Give Green Match Fund, which means, for one week, we’ll have the opportunity to double your donations and raise a significant amount of money! We’ve set an ambitious target of raising £200,000 for our education and public engagement work, which includes: 🌳 Our Beacon Farms Network, which provides opportunities for people – particularly young people and children – to visit sustainable farms to learn more about food and farming 🐑 A new report which explores the multiple benefits that grazing livestock could deliver as part of a UK food system transformation, coming soon 🥕 The importance of localised food production 💰 How to finance the agricultural transition 🏷️ The need for improved food labelling 🚜 How to feed Britain for climate, nature and health Donations for the #GreenMatchFund will open for one week, from Tuesday 22nd April until Tuesday 29th April. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for more updates over the next few weeks, and find out how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/eDcCWEkC #BigGive #GreenMatch #BeaconFarms #Sustainability

🚨 The latest report from CLEAR The Consortium for Labelling for the Environment, Animal Welfare and Regenerative Farming, out today, reveals an urgent need for reform in UK food labelling.   The study, which is the first of its kind, finds that current ecolabels are not fit for purpose when it comes to meeting their primary objectives, which should be to: 🔵 Function as a tool for food system accountability and transparency in communicating the environmental performance of production methods 🔵 Support food system change, including supporting an agricultural transition to higher farming standards and the achievement of national environmental targets and food sovereignty    🗣️ Commenting on the report’s findings, Adele Jones, Executive Director of the Sustainable Food Trust, said: “It’s clear that more work is needed to ensure citizens have access to high quality, holistic information about the sustainability of the food they buy. The underlying information behind future labels must be honest, robust and comparable, otherwise we risk confusing people even further. Making sure these frameworks are fed by primary data from the farm up will also be critically important. Relying purely on modelled information based on global or regionally average data risks failing to pick up on important variances in impact on the ground.”   Citing the Global Farm Metric’s role as a common framework for defining and measuring impacts at farm level, the report is urging policymakers, industry leaders and ecolabelling bodies to: 🔵 Strengthen the validity and integrity of ecolabelling to reflect the actual environmental, social and economic sustainability 🔵 Develop regulatory frameworks that prevent misleading claims and ensure methodological transparency 🔵 Engage with stakeholders for institutional learning and collaboration to ensure ecolabels are designed to support the transition to higher farming standards and meet national environmental targets The GFM supports the achievement of these aims by serving as a holistic, sector-wide framework for defining and enabling the holistic measurement of farm sustainability. Keep an eye on our social media over the coming weeks when we'll be releasing the results of our latest trials and framework developments.   🔗 The full report and CLEAR’s key takeaways are available to download at: https://lnkd.in/ecUYNZMj Food, Farming and Countryside Commission Pasture for Life Compassion in World Farming Soil Association Friends of the Earth The Wildlife Trusts Common Weal Scotland Biodynamic Association Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Network UK Farms to Feed Us CIC Biodynamic Land Trust Feedback Organic Research Centre Groundswell Agriculture The Landworkers' Alliance The Real Food Campaign Nature Friendly Farming Network RSPCA OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers CIC) Wildlife and Countryside Link The Sustainable Restaurant Association Farm Wilder Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming

👏 The SFT is pleased to be supporting the strategic design of this pilot to explore new financing models for regenerative agriculture. It’s clear that we need to build the business case for regenerative farming, and working this out shouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of farmers. All companies and organisations connected to agriculture must play their part. This pilot will bring together the food company, retail, banking and investment sectors to collate the new financing, training and baselining options available to farmers, with farmers being supported on the journey by The Royal Countryside Fund and Ceres Rural. 🔗 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eEX-WBSy #RegenerativeAgriculture #SustainableFarming #Agribusiness #SMI

✍️ Writing for Speciality Food, our CEO and organic farmer, Patrick Holden, discusses the inaccessibility of ‘good’ food – often organic or sustainability produced – compared to so-called ‘normal’ food which is often cheaper to pay for at the checkout, but costly in other hidden ways. “…we have a distorted economic system where apparently cheap food isn’t really cheap at all, because the costs behind that so-called cheap food include contributing to climate change, destroying nature, having negative effects on river pollution, reducing biodiversity, and also causing social harm including damage to public health.” 🔗 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eGN8fK6J #TrueCostAccounting #TCA #OrganicFood #SustainableFood #UPFs #ClimateChange 📷: Goals House

🚨 Small abattoirs are closing at an alarming rate, putting the future of sustainable livestock farming and provision of local meat at risk. We're looking to understand how farmers, consumers, rural economies, and the environment could be impacted without continued government support for small abattoirs. ➡️ The deadline to complete our survey has been extended to Sunday – have your say here: https://lnkd.in/eCyfWSrA #SmallAbattoirs #SupportLocal | National Craft Butchers Rare Breeds Survival Trust Pasture for Life

This is a story about fixing our broken food system. 👁️ The Big Food Redesign Challenge has shown it's possible to design a food system that allows nature to thrive—but how do we keep the momentum going and ensure our food system is better for nature, people and planet? Launched today, the Foundation’s latest film explores the story so far and what’s next for the future of food. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/ePGCWchn Featured in this trailer: Reniera O'Donnell - Ellen MacArthur Foundation Anna Hammond - Matriark Foods Josiah Meldrum - Hodmedod Sustainable Food Trust Global Farm Metric Hodmedod Matriark Foods Gabanna Foodworks Nestlé Grupo Carrefour Brasil People's Postcode Lottery Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation The Schmidt Family Foundation Wendy Schmidt

⬇️ Complete our survey by Friday 21st March ⬇️ Small abattoirs are closing at an alarming rate, putting the future of sustainable livestock farming and provision of local meat at risk. We are looking to understand how farmers, consumers, rural economies, and the environment could be impacted without continued government support for the sector. 🗣️ If you farm livestock, your voice matters. Complete our survey now: https://lnkd.in/eCyfWSrA #SupportLocal #SmallAbattoirs #LivestockFarmer #SustainableFarming #LocalMeat | Pasture for Life The Landworkers' Alliance Soil Association National Craft Butchers

🥩🔪 The next instalment in our #LearningThroughTheLand series puts a spotlight on the value of skilled labour in the meat processing sector. ✍️️ Our Head of Policy & Campaigns – and lead on our small abattoirs work – Megan Perry, explores the decline in the number of people opting to work in skilled labour roles in the food sector, including slaughtering and butchery. From systemic shocks like #Brexit and #COVID19, which have affected labour supply and demand, to a lack of funding for training, Megan takes a deeper look at the reasons behind this decline and what can be done to protect the future of the UK’s small abattoirs and butchers. Scroll through to find out more 👉 🔗 To read in full, visit: https://lnkd.in/e3xBR6_Y Featured images courtesy of @/M.Kunz. #SupportLocal #Abattoir #Butchers #ButchersOfInstagram #Butchery #LocalMeat

⌛ Defra's decision to close new applications for the #SustainableFarmingIncentive (SFI) has created significant uncertainty for farmers in England. At a time when long-term stability is essential, sudden policy shifts make it harder for farmers to plan and invest in sustainable practices. For many, the SFI provided vital support for improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, and transitioning to nature-friendly farming. The pause means that farmers who were preparing to apply now face delays in accessing the resources needed to adopt regenerative approaches. It also risks undermining confidence in future government-led schemes at a time when greater clarity and certainty are needed. 🌱 However, this moment could also provide an opportunity for a broader conversation about the future of agricultural support. A well-designed SFI reform could ensure that funding mechanisms better align with the needs of farmers and the environment, moving towards a whole-farm approach that rewards long-term sustainability. In his latest LinkedIn article, SFT CEO, Patrick Holden, reflects that, “The withdrawal of support is only going to add to the atmosphere of uncertainty amongst farmers in England, who are already confused about what kind of farming system they should adopt to stay in business. We desperately need reconciliatory interventions to reunite a fragmented and confused food producer community.” To rebuild trust and strengthen the transition to a more resilient food system, we are urging Defra to: ✅ Ensure that future funding prioritises whole-farm approaches that integrate nature and food production, rather than focusing on land-sparing models that separate the two. ✅ Provide clear, long-term policy commitments to give farmers the confidence to invest in sustainable practices. ✅ Work with businesses, financial institutions, and supply chains to develop additional funding streams that reward farmers for delivering climate, nature, and social benefits. ✅ Support the collection of on-farm data using a common framework, such as the Global Farm Metric, to measure the climate, nature and social impacts of farming support schemes, so providing evidence for the effective use of public money. The future of farming depends on policy that is stable, ambitious, and practical. We stand ready to work with farmers, policymakers, and industry partners to ensure that the next phase of agricultural policy supports thriving farm businesses while delivering for people and planet. To read Patrick Holden's opinion piece on the withdrawal of SFI payments, visit: https://lnkd.in/ekem3-9V