The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Farming

Journalist and scriptwriter Graham Harvey, Archers actor Tim Bentinck and farmer and author Rosamund Young discuss good and bad farming practices and what the future holds for sustainable and environmentally friendly food production.

What is the importance of farming to the UK? How well is it doing in providing food to UK citizens and in supporting community cohesion and wellbeing? What about farm waste and pollution including use of pesticides, soil health, use of hormones and impact of farming practices on wildlife and human health? How are the big corporations having an impact on farming? Is it all about the bottom line or do we need the corporations to follow a wider social purpose?

Harvey is a journalist and scriptwriter who has written more than 600 episodes of The Archers. His books include The Killing of the Countryside, winner of the BP Natural World Book Prize for environmental writing, and Underneath The Archers: Nature’s Secret Agent on Britain’s Longest-running Drama.

Bentinck is an actor known for playing David Archer in The Archers. His recent television appearances include in Gentleman Jack, The Nevers, Ted Lasso, The Reckoning and The Crown. He is author of Being David Archer – And Other Unusual Ways of Earning a Living.

Young is a farmer and author. She took over the reins of the family-run Kite’s Nest Farm near Broadway in 2011. She is an advocate for organic pasture-fed livestock farming and believes that what we eat affects all aspects of our lives. Young is author of The Secret Life of Cows and The Wisdom of Sheep and Other Animals. Discussions are chaired by chief executive of Compassion in World Farming Philip Lymbery.

This event is part of a series under the banner Pasture to Plate® that looks at the environmental and health benefits of raising food on pasture and getting it to the consumer quickly through a short supply chain.

In association with Compassion in World Farming.

Photo credit: Unsplash