Graham Harvey, Rosamund Young and Philip Lymbery chaired by Francine Stock

Journalist and scriptwriter Graham Harvey, farmer and author Rosamund Young and chief executive of Compassion in World Farming Philip Lymbery 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.

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.

Lymbery is chief executive of Compassion in World Farming and a visiting professor at the University of Winchester. He is author of Farmageddon: The True Cost of Meat and Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were. He has been involved in many high-profile animal welfare reforms including Europe-wide bans on veal crates for calves and barren battery cages for laying hens. He is a winner of the Golden Dove for Peace award for making a significant contribution to the cause of peace.

Discussions are chaired by BBC broadcaster Francine Stock, whose presenting work includes Newsnight and The Money Programme.

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.