Plant Powered Planet Magazine

Coming in the same week as
the National Food Strategy,
which called for 30% more
fruit and veg in our diets (on
prescription of those who
need them most!), and a
30% reduction in meat consumption,
it’s heartening to
see how many mainstream
positions are adopting this
direction of travel towards
plant-based foods.
Our Vegan Society report—
Planting Value in the Food
System—goes further, and
is fairer. A food system
cannot be fair unless it is
fair for everyone—including
animals. With the National
Food Strategy requiring a
response from government
by January 2022, this is the
best opportunity in the last
75 years to get food done
right.
Here in the UK, we need to
increase two things within
the system:
1) the value, and
2) the fairness, with which
we produce food in this
country.
In fact, three things, because
we
3) need to invest in our fruit
and veg production. We
grow a tiny proportion of the
fresh food we eat, importing
the rest.
As the author of that report,
I needed to know what challenges
and obstacles farmers
face. I could only do that
by speaking to all those involved.
This approach is important,
we take a multi-criteria
approach to food and
land use. So I sat round the
table with people across
food and farming, to understand
the issues from their
perspective and work towards
a shared vision.
So, what’s in the report?
There are three proposals
for pieces of legislation.
These are:
1) a new Food Sustainability Bill
2) a Wellbeing of Future
Generations Bill
3) an End to Animal Slaughter Bill
The first two should be implemented
in the next six
years to bring UK food policy
into alignment with legal
commitments to tackle climate
change and achieve
the 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals. The
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