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Food giants unite for global regen effort

THE bosses of a dozen of the world’s largest food companies have formed a task force to make regenerative farming more accessible to farmers around the world.

As part of the initiative, launched earlier this month, the chief executives of McCain Foods, McDonald’s, Waitrose and Partners, Olam and PepsiCo produced a joint action plan detailing how to boost adoption of regenerative farming practices globally, in a bid to reduce the food system’s impacts on climate and biodiversity.

The chair of the new Agribusiness Task Force, Grant Reid, suggested better economic incentives need to be introduced to make a switch to regenerative farming practices a “no-brainer’’ for farmers.

“These are unprecedented times, with supply chains under enormous pressure and the impacts of climate change all too real,” he said.

“Regenerative farming is a critical part of the solution and our report shows all too clearly that – despite pockets of great work – adoption rates are far too slow as the short-term economic case for change is not compelling enough for farmers.”

After assessing the progress and impact of regenerative farming in three specific value chains – wheat in the US, basmati rice in India and potatoes in the UK – the task force set out a number of recommendations for how the approach could be deployed at scale.

Proposals include the creation of common metrics for assessing environmental outcomes, the introduction of measures that ensure farmers can generate income from environmental outcomes, such as the sale of carbon credits, and the creation of finance mechanisms that enable farmers to share the cost of transitioning to new practices with other stakeholders, such as food companies and governments.

Government policies that enable and reward farmers that make the transition and the development of new sourcing models to spread the cost of the transition could also boost takeup of regenerative farming, the plan argues.

The task force, which also includes the bosses of Mondelez, Yara International, Bayer, HowGood and Indigo Agriculture, held discussions with key stakeholders at the recent COP27 Climate Summit that would help drive its work forward in 2023.

Farmers Guardian

These are unprecedented times, with supply chains under enormous pressure and the impacts of climate change all too real.

Grant Reid Agribusiness Task Force

Lab-grown meat gets green light in US

Carmelita Mentor-Fredericks TECHNOLOGY

Food and fibre

THE possibility of food made from cultured livestock or poultry cells on supermarket shelves is one step closer after the US Food and Drug Administration announced that it had completed its first premarket consultation on a human food made from cultured animal cells.

The agency evaluated the information submitted by UPSIDE Foods as part of a pre-market consultation for its food made from cultured chicken cells.

An acceleration in investment comes as more consumers want to know how their food consumption affects the environment as the effects of climate change are felt across the globe.

An estimated one third of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions come from food production and scientists warn it’s nearly impossible to meet climate goals without changing agriculture.

In response, food producers are getting creative when it comes to meeting consumer and government expectations when it comes to climate action and food production, leveraging off advancements in cell culture technology that enable them to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry and seafood in the production of food.

UPSIDE Foods, previously Memphis Meats, was one of the first companies in the cultivated meat space and will produce the cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless steel tanks.

However, before the lab-grown food can enter the market, there are still a few more boxes to tick.

The facility where the cultured meat will be made needs to meet strict US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA requirements.

The FDA’s approach to regulating products derived from cultured animal cells involves a thorough pre-market consultation process.

While this is not considered an approval process, it concludes when all questions relevant to the consultation are resolved. A transition from the FDA to USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service oversight will take place during the cell-harvest stage.

Sharing the news in a joint statement, FDA commissioner Robert Califf and Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition director Susan Mayne said the world is experiencing a “food revolution”, but did not indicate if there are any other cultured meat applications in the pipeline.

In an interview, UPSIDE Foods chief operating officer Amy Chen lauded the FDA approval as “a tremendous moment for the company and the cultivated meat industry”.

“What will be wonderful is that consumers now who may have heard about this and may have dismissed this as science fiction, will see this news and realise that this is coming maybe much sooner than they think,” she said.

It’s expected that UPSIDE will be able to produce more than 22,000kg of cultivated meat products a year.

What will be wonderful is that consumers now who may have heard about this and may have dismissed this as science fiction will see this news and realise that this is coming maybe much sooner than they think.

Amy Chen UPSIDE Foods FUTURE GROWTH: The task force has looked at making potato production more sustainable in the UK.

Two more years of turmoil ahead for UK

FARMERS must brace themselves for two years of turmoil, a leading economist has warned, cautioning that the United Kingdom could quickly be “operating in a recessionary environment”.

HSBC head of economics Mark Berrisford-Smith told delegates at the National Farmers Union (NFU) Cymru conference last week that a combination of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the transition away from European Union policy and dealing with the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic means farm businesses are operating in a “very dangerous world”, with financial conditions “never experienced in our lifetimes”.

He said markets had calmed quickly after the “disastrous mini-budget” announced by former prime minister Liz Truss, but the move had led immediately to interest hikes on mortgages and loans and to the issuing of a further fiscal statement that would, he said, “reveal just how much a price there is to be paid”.

He highlighted the fact the UK stood on the brink of recession, with a 0.3% contraction in UK GDP now expected for 2023 – a downgrade from the 1% growth forecast in summer.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said in order for farmers to survive the current turbulence, it was vital governments across the UK took action now.

Addressing delegates, Jones said: “Farm businesses, like the rest of society, have had to deal with severe inflation. The latest Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] statistics show the price index for agricultural inputs increased by 30.7% in the 12 months to August 2022.

“We are living through a period of unprecedented political instability, but I want to make it clear to politicians in Westminster and Cardiff that commitments made to maintain funding for Welsh farming must be honoured.

“This means we expect, as a minimum, the £374 million [$724m] that is currently provided through the Common Agricultural Policy legacy schemes to be available annually through the Sustainable Farming Scheme.”

His words were echoed by chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association George Dunn, who said: “There will be no escape from the economic headwinds coming our way, but farmers and growers must not be left bearing the brunt of this by retailers and food service providers seeking to hold consumer prices, while protecting their own profit margins by forcing farmers and growers to accept prices below costs of production.”

According to Berrisford-Smith, the biggest challenge for the farming industry and the UK as a whole is the “stratospheric” price of gas, with recent drops not likely to filter through to businesses until 2024. He said it was critical for the government to get the situation under control and hoped it would be addressed by the forthcoming economic statement.

He said: “The best news we can hope for is an end to the war in Ukraine, but without an end to the conflict, economic life for all of us will be tough.”

Farmers Guardian

Finding a future for agri shows after covid

Agricultural shows in the UK have been a key part of the farming calendar for more than 250 years, showcasing the work of British farmers – but with so much uncertainty in a post-pandemic world, how are organisers adapting?

THERE is no doubting the huge role agricultural shows play in the farming world, offering opportunities to see the best livestock and a time for those in the rural community to socialise and exchange knowledge.

Shows also bring value beyond their local communities, by promoting rural tourism and, in some cases, attracting visitors from outside their counties and even from abroad.

Research from the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO) found about 10% of the UK population attend agricultural shows on an annual basis.

And a further study carried out by the University of East Anglia estimated that the Royal Norfolk Show generated $38 million for Norfolk in 2018, including $3.8m spent in the showground alone.

This year saw agricultural shows able to run at full capacity for the first time since the pandemic began and across Great Britain, they were well supported by the number of visitors attending.

But according to the ASAO, about 5% of its members cancelled shows this year.

Additionally, there was a general decrease on 10-15% in trade stands across all sectors at the beginning of the season.

This figure gradually improved during the height of the show season, but did not recover to precovid-19 levels.

The ASAO believes this could be due to the staffing difficulties traders are facing, which it says has been the same for contractors supplying workers, from caterers to car park attendants and volunteer stewards to security companies.

There has also been a drain in knowledge and experience, with many staff members leaving the industry from all types and sizes of shows, both after being placed on the furlough scheme and to source a higher salary.

Some smaller events, including Hawkshead Show in the Lake District, were cancelled again in 2022.

Organisers for that event are set to hold a meeting at the start of next year to decide whether the show will run in 2023.

Representatives said: “This decision has not been taken lightly. Many avenues have been looked at and explored, but unfortunately due to the costs incurred by cancelling several of the previous shows at the last minute and covid-19 restrictions halting any fundraising events, the society could not afford to put on a show this year.

“As the society is a registered charity, it relies heavily on generous donations from sponsors to help with covering the prize monies, for example. In the current financial climate, it was felt that to request monetary donations from businesses would be imposing on their generosity.”

Other shows, however, used the pandemic to their advantage.

The Westmorland Show was able to run towards the end of 2021, creating a two-day show to comply with the UK’s post-pandemic government requirements.

It has continued in this format this year due to popular demand.

Mark Stoddart, financial controller at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which organises the Great Yorkshire Show, also pointed to the positives.

He said: “The last few years have given shows a huge opportunity to try things. The Great Yorkshire became a four-day show.

“We have talked about four days for the last 10 years and whether or not we should do it, but because the council and public health said we could not have full capacity, we had to go to an extra fourth day to make it financially viable.

“Subsequently, in 2022, we have done the same.”

Still, though, the havoc the pandemic wreaked on the agricultural show charitable sector has left a large wound, which the ASAO predicts will take several years for the industry to fully recover from.

Some agricultural shows have set up other events during the year that use the showgrounds to provide a steady stream of income.

One way the Royal Highland Show diversified this year was by hosting a musical festival.

“Big Top” live music concerts took place throughout summer and one coincided with the Saturday of the agricultural show.

Alan Laidlaw, chief executive of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), said: “These concerts and other events which take place at the wider Royal Highland Centre generate vital funds which support the charitable work of RHASS, which works to promote and protect the interests of Scotland’s agricultural and rural sector.

“The concerts this summer are yet another example of how the society is maximising our income so we can continue our charitable work.”

Some farming visitors to the show, however, were not pleased about the concert, claiming the sound posed a welfare risk to the livestock present.

But Laidlaw said: “The concerts themselves had no adverse impact on the experience of show visitors and the two events went ahead in harmony on the day.”

Other shows have also found there is an inherent tension in trying to appeal to both a farming audience and an urban one, which is increasingly disconnected from the land and rural culture.

This year at the Great Yorkshire Show, for example, the parade of hounds was cancelled after animal rights activists put pressure on the show organisers.

Stoddart said: “It is a huge balancing act. The only way you can do it is by putting the agricultural content in there, then that draws the audience that you are wanting.

“But for those who are not necessarily coming for that, you are then doing the education side.”

One other development that has caused controversy is the attempt by shows to advance technologically, whether by urging people to pre-book tickets online or by holding digital events.

There is certainly a positive case to be made for allowing people all over the world to watch livestock showing from the comfort of their own homes, but some agricultural society members have raised concerns that farmers who have poor broadband or are not IT-literate risk being excluded.

David Tite, chair of the ASAO, said: “Reliable broadband coverage will increase across the UK over the coming years and until that time, we as agricultural societies need to be mindful of the challenges posed by poor connectivity to those very people we really want to see at our shows.

“The pandemic showed the industry the opportunities and inclusivity streaming can offer and this now has a future, working hand in hand with the practical running and attendance at our shows.”

ANIMAL ATTRACTION: About 10% of the UK population attends agricultural shows on an annual basis.

The pandemic showed the industry the opportunities and inclusivity streaming can offer and this now has a future, working hand in hand with the practical running and attendance at our shows.

David Tite Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations