🚨 Wales is on the brink of losing a vital part of its local food system.
A coalition of farming & conservation groups — including @PastureForLife@RSPBCymru@NFFNUK@RBSTrarebreeds & @SusFoodTrust — is calling for urgent action to save small abattoirs. Only 5 remain in Wales.🧵
Our new paper, based on data from 1,705 studies, shows that pesticides are toxic to organisms they are not intended to harm, including fungi, microbes, plants, insects, & vertebrates such as ourselves. Questions the wisdom of applying over 3 million tonnes of them every year...
The SFS will need to do more than make small steps towards Sustainable Land Management and statutory targets if it is to secure its budget against competing priorities.
More words here:
https://t.co/4hPOY9sWmh
6/6
The Sustainable Farming Scheme will be a big change in farm support in Wales.
Is the revised Scheme Outline a tentative step forward for sustainable farming, or a sell-out for nature + climate (and ultimately farming)?
https://t.co/YWM8MkTOcn
1/6
…and seriously scale up farm advice and farmer-to-farmer working to help turn plans and farm data in Universal into actions and value in Optional and Collaborative.
In short, an SFS designed to encourage entry to these layers.
5/6
For me, the government reforms of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) miss two big opportunities
1. The political opportunity Labour had coming in to win over more farmers & ‘deep rural’ voters
2. The policy opportunity to use APR more imaginatively
A 🧵 on what I mean…
Government should "ensure that healthier, largely unprocessed and minimally processed foods are affordable and accessible for all" - the over-consumption of ultra-processed foods is "alarming".
Cracking new report from @HLFoodObesity
https://t.co/RIxMemvwMe
"We've not got greedier and lazier over the last 30 years... there's been a total failure to regulate food companies who shape our food environment"
Doctor Xand van Tulleken says "nanny state accusations" prevent government action on obesity
#BBCLauraK https://t.co/2tvra1zpxX
The figures around diabetes in Wales are pretty staggering
With huge implications for the NHS.
My piece for the @guardian ✍️⬇️
[⚠️ graphic medical content in 🧵]
https://t.co/dE5IVEgPKg