July 2024: Farmer-led Working Group

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In July, our Farmer Advisory Board explored a crucial question: what is the role of information and transparency in valuing our food, and how do we bring everyone into a regenerative food system?

The session brought together farmers, campaigners, NGOs, retailers, manufacturers and processors to tackle the disconnect between farming practices and consumer understanding.

Farmers shared updates on both progress and challenges, from Anna Jackson's shift away from regular nitrogen to foliar applications and her successful pasture-fed lamb certification, to Jack Pearce's contract renegotiations that saw some business lost while trying to win others back.

The group recognised that behaviour change is essential across the entire UK food system, calling for businesses to shift mindsets, break language barriers, empower consumers to make informed choices, and rebuild trust in supply chains.

As Anna Jackson powerfully expressed, for younger farmers regenerative agriculture represents exciting change where "we can work with nature, not against it."

The message was clear: every function must drive demand for healthier, more sustainably farmed goods, processors must better support farmers with data tools, and retailers could encourage farmers to start from where they are rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions. Without this collective effort to prioritise transparency, rebuild trust and recognise the true value of food, the transition to a regenerative system will remain out of reach.