We are facing a climate emergency. A credible response must include rapid and strong reductions in emissions from food and farming; the United Nations has said that no sector can be ignored if we are to hit our targets and we must address the impact of livestock, which policy has neglected for decades.
Our Grow Green campaign aims to change policy to tackle the problems we face with a shift towards plant-based agriculture and other sustainable forms of land management.
Click the relevant button below to find out more about the Grow Green campaign, our reports, and how you can get involved.
Grow Green conference
Farmers, policymakers, and academics descended on the British Library in droves for a conversation on the future of British farming on 11th April 2019.
The one-day Grow Green conference saw 200 delegates discuss the scale of the climate emergency, how farming is key to the solution, and how policy can support sustainable plant-strong farming.
Dr Helen Harwatt of Harvard University launched a fresh report entitled Eating Away at Climate Change with Negative Emissions. It details a vision of a plant-based UK farming system which would reduce emissions and even achieve negative emissions by reforesting a portion of land currently used for animal agriculture.
The UN’s Marcela Villarreal explained how producing more pulses can help fix a “seriously flawed” food system in another keynote. And the final keynote saw Natalie Bennett call for more fruit and veg production to help hit climate goals and health targets. The day saw amicable discussion, much agreement, and some real solutions offered to the challenges we together face.
The Vegan Society and New Economics Foundation launched a ground-breaking report which outlines how climate change can be tackled through plant protein agriculture and what policies could encourage this transition.
Did you know?
The global contribution of animal farming to GHG emissions is agreed to be at least 14.5% - more than emissions from all transport combined.
UK residents currently eat an average of around 50% more protein than recommended in a healthy diet. A YouGov poll held in the UK in 2013 found that a quarter of respondents said they had reduced their meat consumption over the previous year. The poll also identified a higher percentage of people willing to consider eating less meat in the future.
The UK provides good conditions for growing plant proteins for direct human consumption, such as fava beans, peas, hemp seed, or sweet lupin.
According to the WWF, British farmers will have to reduce their production of meat and dairy by a third over the next ten years if they are to meet scientific advice on limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Feedback for the Grow Green Initiative
“I would welcome any proposals to help farmers who want to move away from meat production to crop production” – Steve McCabe MP
“I very much support the Grow Green Initiative aims which seem pretty comprehensive” – Henry Smith MP
Videos
A Grow Green case study. Hear about the reasons why Jay moved from beef farming into growing crops for human consumption.
What would a world of sustainable plant-based agriculture look like? Take a tour around Tolhurst Organic Farm. Find out more about the Vegan Organic Network.
Latest News
- Read our latest policy briefing.
- Read about farmers from across the world who are successfully growing crops for human consumption without animal inputs.
- The Vegan Society launch their second report in their Grow Green series in collaboration with the New Economics Foundation.
- Derbyshire farmer Jay Wilde hears about the campaign and gets in touch, resulting in the first transition from animal to plant agriculture.