Dr Vincent Walsh is a well known and liked figure in the plant-based sector and fortunately for us is a leading sustainable food and regenerative agriculture expert. We need this kind of expertise to help change the way we farm in the UK. The Plant-based Food Alliance works from farm to fork and so it is very important for us to work on the changes to farming which the Government are taking forward stemming from the Agriculture Act and the ambitions for nature recovery. There is a real need for farmers to shift to more sustainable production in a practical and balanced way. We were pleased to see Dr Walsh’s recent article in Farmers Guardian Insight on regenerative farming which you can read here
The plant-based sector must really get involved with the Government’s vision for farming and show what we can do to not only shift to more sustainable production but also balance food production with the other objectives. We can demonstrate productivity gains which sets us ahead of other food sectors and with the investment from Government at the forefront to change systems through new equipment and training farmers can be supported to change the way they have done things in the past. Plant-based needs to get more inclusion in mainstream farming press and more recognition at Government level for the solutions it can offer farmers. We hope to see more to come from those like Dr Walsh and others who can speak for plant-based in the farming community.