Sustainable Food Trust’s Grazing Livestock Report
Sustainable Food Trust has released its report, Grazing Livestock: It’s not the cow but the how. It brings together the latest research to present a compelling case for the role of grazing livestock in a UK food system transformation.
Pasture for Life’s Chief Executive, Jimmy Woodrow, and Technical Director, Nikki Yoxall, help break down what’s so exciting, surprising, and timely about it.
READ THE REPORT
Why you are, personally, excited about this report?
Nikki: I’m excited that this report hasn’t come from an explicitly livestock-oriented organisation, but rather one that is concerned with food sustainability across all aspects of the supply chain. This is particularly important because it reflects the critical role ruminant livestock have in sustainable and resilient food futures, when we consider them holistically.
Jimmy: To those of us close to this subject, the complexity of it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Life is complex so why do we so often reduce certain subjects to soundbites? What the Sustainable Food Trust have achieved with this report is convey this complexity in a way that is accessible for a wide range of people, without dumbing down. They’re clear about the problem and the solution and it highlights a way forward for the sector that is painted in really positive terms. It’s so important we are positive – it won’t be possible to get farmers to change if we’re negative and patronising – and this vision should be something the food, farming and the conservation sectors should be able to get behind.
What surprised you?
Nikki: I was surprised (in a good way!) about how broad the recommendations are. The six key recommendations reflect the roles many others in the supply chain and those from a policy and finance perspective (not just farmers) need to take if we want to see real, lasting action. This systems approach really is so vital to the agroecological transformation.
Jimmy: I was really encouraged to see how action-oriented it was. The bulk of the report is a synthesis of the available evidence, clearly, but I think the SFT have done a great job of articulating the ‘so what’ for readers and the media.
What does this report articulate in a new or refreshing way?
Nikki: The graphic on p14-15 of the report really helps to bring to life the obvious (to many of us farmers) fact that sheep and cattle play a multi-functonal role in a biologically based food system as long as they are managed thoughtfully and with intention.
If a reader were to take just one thing away, it would be…
Nikki: ‘By converting grass into nutrient dense food, grazing livestock can make a central contribution to a more efficient and resilient UK food system.’
Jimmy: That in order to ‘buy into’ this vision, they need to be looking for Pasture for LIfe certified products. In the UK, ‘grass-fed’ means 51% and above so looking for the generic ‘grass-fed’ term is not going to drive change. The public need to be asking more questions around how much of the diet is grass and forage and become more clued up on this issue.
Why it is timely?
Nikki: In a changing climate we need to ensure we can produce food in resilient farm systems – in the UK we can grow grass, often even when we can’t get crops in the ground…every year is throwing more challenges at us, and this report clearly supports the role pasture fed ruminants have in delivering food security in a changing climate.
Jimmy: A report of this nature was always going to be timely, given the sensitivity of the grazing animals issue and its relationship to climate change, biodiversity loss and our eating habits. Specifically, and as the interest in concept of regenerative agriculture starts to grow exponentially, this report offers a vital grounding in what good looks like for those new to these subjects.
