Creating Common Ground:  A Consensus on Food, Farming and Nature

Nature Friendly Farming Network

Join this webinar and help build consensus on the future of food, farming & nature

<p>In January, a group of farmers and environmental organisations met in the margins of the 2023 Oxford farming conferences to forge common ground on a way forward for farming, recognising the vast pressures that farming sectors are currently experiencing. </p><p>From that meeting, a <a href="https://www.foodfarmingnature.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">consensus</a> emerged that outlines the steps that can be taken to secure a vibrant future for food, farming and nature. This interactive session, chaired by Ffinlo Costain of 8.9ha with panellists from three organisations behind the consensus, will discuss the work to date, what it means for the organisations involved and what impact it could have for farmers, businesses and the public.  </p><p>The consensus brings together farmers, crofters, foresters and land managers who believe that working with nature is central to building a food and farming system that tackles the nature, climate and public health crises.</p><p><strong>J﻿oin this webinar to:</strong></p><ul><li>Discuss key themes within the consensus  </li><li>Help create a strong message for policymakers about what needs to be done to actualise ambitious food system change</li><li>Show support for a more resilient, nature-positive and equitable food system that recognises the needs of people and the planet</li></ul><p><strong>P﻿anellists:</strong></p><ul><li>Chaired by ffinlo Costain, 8.9ha </li><li>Helen Browning, CEO of Soil Association </li><li>Beccy Speight, CEO of RSPB</li><li>Martin Lines CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network </li></ul><h3>ffinlo Costain, 8.9ha</h3><p>ffinlo is the Chief Editor of 8point9.com and has worked in farming and food business policy for over 20 years. As Chief Executive of Farmwel (2016-2022), he gave evidence to UK parliamentary committees, advised ministers and the Committee on Climate Change on the role of agricultural climate gases, and worked with FAI Farms to deliver the Regen Dairy project on behalf of international dairy brands. ffinlo has presented at the European Parliament, advised ministers and senior leadership teams in many European countries, and he chaired the Farming in Protected Landscapes funding panel for Cranborne Chase AONB (2021-2023).</p><h3>Helen Browning, CEO of Soil Association </h3><p>Helen has been the Chief Executive of the Soil Association since 2011. She is a Commissioner for the Food Farming and Countryside Commission and sits on the BBC’s Rural Affairs Advisory Committee. Helen has had a number of roles in agri-policy over the years, including the Government’s Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food (‘the Curry Commission’) and as External Affairs Director with the National Trust. Helen runs a large, mainly tenanted organic farm in Wiltshire with dairy, arable, beef, pigs, and also newly established experimental agroforestry. The farm is at the centre of a number of employment-generating rural enterprises, including a mini hotel and restaurant/pub on the farm, and products from the farm are sold through the Helen Browning’s Organic brand in retailers.</p><h3>Beccy Speight, CEO of RSPB</h3><p>Beccy is a passionate conservationist and CEO of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Europe’s largest nature conservation charity. Speight started her career working in local government in Scotland and then with the management consultants, Smythe Dorward Lambert. Since 2000 she has worked in the conservation charity sector. She began working for the National Trust in 2000 and, in 2005, became director for the East Midlands and Midlands regions. She was responsible for the development of the Trust’s sustainable food policy and also the installation of contemporary art. She moved to be Chief Executive at the Woodland Trust in 2014 and led the expansion of the woodland creation charity and also a review of its priorities.</p><h3>Martin Lines CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network </h3><p>Martin is CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), a farmer-led, grassroots organisation that champions farming methods that put nature and the environment at its heart. Martin is a third-generation farmer and contractor who grows mainly arable crops on his family farm and rented land in Cambridgeshire, where he demonstrates first-</p>

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Creating Common Ground: A Consensus on Food, Farming and Nature

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Creating Common Ground: A Consensus on Food, Farming and Nature

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