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Nov 5, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost |Megan Perry
While the importance of smaller abattoirs has begun to be recognised for their essential role in producing local meat, food security and high animal welfare, what happens to the by-products in such a system is little talked about. Rendering, tanning and incinerating are not generally hot topics of conversation! Yet the world of animal by-products (ABP) has a direct bearing on the local meat supply chain.
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Sep 3, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
SFT: Many people are aware of the leadership that Neal’s Yard Dairy (NYD) have shown not only in convening the artisan cheese making community of the UK but also in developing markets for named artisan cheeses based on the story behind their production – not just in the UK but throughout the world. What are the motivations that inspire you and your team to do this work?
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Aug 6, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
Tir: The Story of the Welsh LandscapeCarwyn GravesReviewed by Isabel EatonFor many people, the jagged mountains, deep valleys and pony-dotted hillsides of Wales represent a place in which to connect with nature and unwind. For others, however, the Welsh countryside is a stark reminder of the damage that humans have wreaked upon the land through intensive farming and industry.
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Aug 5, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
The current food system doesn’t work for everyone, and, as we’re increasingly recognising, it certainly doesn’t work for the environment. Industrial farming has turned agriculture into a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution and is driving the extinction of species. But that isn’t all – not only do we produce food in a way that is damaging to nature and to ourselves, but we also waste almost a third of it, while nearly 10% of the world’s population go hungry.
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Jun 28, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
Yesterday at Groundswell our panel of small abattoir experts shared exciting news, inspiring stories and key asks for a new government. The session was opened and Chaired by Sustainable Food Trust Executive Director Adele Jones, who set the issue in the context of the upcoming general election, Adele highlighted Labour’s pledge to reach 50% local food procurement which would be impossible without small abattoirs.
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Jun 5, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost |Alicia Miller
SEKEM is such an amazing project, and it has achieved so much in terms of realising meaningful sustainability in a broad-based way, but as we face a rapidly changing climate, what do you feel is most important to be doing to preserve a liveable world? “Since 1977, we have been pioneers in sustainable development, promoting organic and biodynamic farming as a key solution to global challenges including food security and climate change. As the climate crisis intensifies, we need to act quickly.
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Jun 5, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
In 2023, the current Conservative Government passed the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, which created an entirely new and fictitious class of genetically modified organisms – the ‘precision bred organism’, or ‘PBO’. This sneaky, undemocratic attempt to force genetically modified organisms (GMOs) onto our plates – unlabelled – has been launched by our Government, working hand-in-hand with the biotech industry, research establishment and pro-GMO ‘think tanks’.
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Jun 5, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
Camels have been domesticated for some 4000 years, but they are not a conventional farm animal. In fact, until very recently they were not kept on farms at all. Fitted out with long legs and a digestive system that thrives on fibrous, spiky, thorny and salty plants, they are designed for those parts of the world too dry for crop farming, places like the Gobi and Sahara deserts.
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May 15, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
Defra is set to provide £3 million to support the creation of new and mobile abattoirs in England through the Farming Investment Fund, announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at this week’s Farm to Fork Summit[1]. This funding is in addition to the existing £4 million Smaller Abattoir Fund announced in December 2023, which runs until 30th September 2024 and provides 50% grants to support the existing network of smaller abattoirs across England.
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May 9, 2024 | 
sustainablefoodtrust.org | Alice Frost
The British supermarket, Waitrose, has recently announced that by 2035 all its UK-produced meat, milk, eggs and fruit and vegetables will come from farms that use regenerative practices. The Sustainable Food Trust applauds this bold step by Waitrose. The supermarket’s Executive Director, James Bailey, highlighted the decision as being essential for safeguarding the health of people, nature and our soils, as well as in responding to climate change.
