The Sustainable Food Trust Podcast

Today, Patrick Holden speaks to the Chief Executive of Triodos Bank UK , Bevis Watts, about the ways in which Triodos supports sustainable agriculture. They discuss true cost accounting , the impact of Covid-19 on the banks farming and food producing clients, and finally the role of the public and private sectors in supporting an honest economic system.   

In this week's podcast, Patrick talks to President of the National Farmers Union Minette Batters about what we can learn from coronavirus pandemic in terms of the Agriculture Bill , as well as discussing the potential for re-establishing the local food agenda, the role of livestock in sustainable farming systems, and whether or not food should be considered a public good.

In this weeks episode Patrick is joined by Simon Wright, a restauranteur, food writer and broadcaster living and working in West Wales. Simon's current business, Wrights Food Emporium supplies local and sustainable produce. During the conversation, Simon explains how the current pandemic has affected the business, and shares his commitment to supporting the transformation of the food system in Wal...

This week's podcast features Patrick in conversation with journalist and broadcaster John Humphrys. Patrick and John have known each other for more than 30 years, initially through John's involvement with organic dairy farming in West Wales, during which time they have had an ongoing dialogue, both public and private, about the need for changing our food systems and the reasons why it isn't happen...

In this episode, Patrick speaks to regenerative farmer Will Harris, based in the United States, in Bluffton, Georgia. At White Oak Pastures , Will farms livestock including cows, pigs, chickens and sheep under a rotational grazing system. An independent carbon footprint evaluation demonstrates the amount of carbon sequestered each year at the farm, and the environmental benefits this way of farmin...

In this episode Patrick speaks to American farmer and pioneer in regenerative agriculture, Joel Salatin , about local and resilient food systems.  Joel raises livestock at  Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. Meat from the farm is normally sold by direct marketing to consumers and restaurants, however the farm's direct sales method has had to adapt to the challenges caused...

In the second episode of the Sustainable Food Trust podcast, Patrick Holden speaks to ffinlo Costain and Roland Bonney about how to develop more transparent, welfare-friendly and sustainable livestock farming systems. ffinlo has worked on farming, land use, food, and sustainability policy for over fifteen years. He is now director of Farmwel, an organisation working to generate momentum towards su...

In this episode, Patrick speaks to Green Party politician Caroline Lucas. Caroline has twice led the party and has been the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion since the 2010 general election. The coronavirus has exposed the "intense fragility of our current food system" says Caroline. Reflecting on the impact that the coronavirus is having across the UK, Patrick and Caroline discuss the UK...

In the first episode of our podcast we begin with an issue that has sparked much debate in recent months: What constitutes a sustainable diet? And in particular, what is the role of livestock in sustainable farming systems? Our CEO Patrick Holden speaks to journalist and author George Monbiot about the future of farming in the UK, and the meat versus plant-based diet debate. This conversation was...