“Facing Change, Finding Opportunity”

29 Jan “Facing Change, Finding Opportunity”

“Facing Change, Finding Opportunity”

Oxford Farming Conference 2025

Report by Jillian Kennedy

Three SAYFC members, Jillian Kennedy, Fraser Graham, and David Smith, alongside staff member Emily Simpson, had a fantastic time at The Oxford Farming Conference as a Scholars thanks to SAYFC, the Ingliston Trust, and RHASS.

There was so much to take in across the three days along with hundreds of other attendees under the theme of “facing change, finding opportunity”, in sessions held in some incredible buildings in Oxford!

Day 1

After our scholars session, day 1 boasted a session of ‘Inspiring Innovators’. First up was an excellent presentation on the challenges and future prospects of using wool as a sustainable material for a variety of products.

Next, we heard about the farming of black soldier flies as an alternative protein source. These omnivorous flies can be up-cycled to a high-quality, 60%, protein source, with its pasteurised frass being a viable NPK fertiliser to be put back on the ground.

After struggling to find flavoured milk products that met her new dietary needs, it was interesting to hear the next speakers journey in developing a wealth of natural proteins and nutritional benefits through their ‘Udderly’ milkshake brand.

I was particularly interested to hear about REIMS technology, originally developed for cancer treatments, REIMS can distinguish between different tissues and is currently being explored in models alongside consumer sensory scores to assess beef quality. The successful initial results demonstrate the potential of REIMS in predicting meat quality and predicting and differentiating between muscle maturation, season, and quality traits.

The Farmers Weekly Question Time panel paved the way for interesting discussion for agricultural businesses going forward. Debate over whether farmers need to be more business-focussed rather than taxpayer supported led the panel into debate over the existing entrepreneurial abilities of the agricultural sector. Nature-friendly farming; what level of direct action towards the UK governments; agricultures net zero targets; and the positive consumer sentiment towards British food, and the opportunities in the global market.

The day was rounded off at the Chairman’s welcome reception, catching up and meeting new folk from across the sector.

Day 2

First on the schedule for day two was DEFRA’s Steve Reed. Many challenges to food security and agricultural support were laid out, COVID; leaving the EU; the Ukrainian war; floods; droughts; energy bills; fertiliser costs; and distributions to supply chains. However, as Reed calls for a partnership between the government and farmers, there was little mention of a positive solution going forward regarding the new IHT and agricultural and business property relief, local farmers’ tractors lined the street outside in a demonstration of their anger to the crippling ‘family farm tax’.

After an address from each of the devolved agricultural ministers, the following sessions looked at ‘responding to changing policies’ and food nutrition. The key points for me were around food waste (we can’t keep producing more food to throw more food away – based on current wastages), and how our eating habits have changed, along with what we spend on our food. For example, Anna Taylor offered the following statistics:

• 56% of consumed food is ultra processed
• Kids drink 30 times more for drinks than the 1950s.
• 16% of our consumed fruit is grown in the UK.
• Around 50% of veg consumed is grown in the UK (it was around 80% in 1980)
• 2% of wages are spent on fruit and vegetables; 30% of snacks and confectionary.
• 25% of food consumed is in fast food places
• And highly processed foods cost half the price for twice the calories.

Innovation was the topic of the afternoon sessions: ‘adapting to a changing world’, including an introduction to JCB’s hydrogen combustion engine, explaining its benefits and the ongoing testing and development of the technology. It was interesting to hear the challenges of integrating new technologies into existing machinery and reducing a business’s carbon footprint, through a robust and cost-effective solutions.

The afternoon was rounded off by HRH The Princess Royal who was a genuine joy to listen to. Having joined us for the post lunch session, she evidently engaged with the afternoon speakers and made relevant additions to her speech reflecting back to remarks from earlier in the afternoon. In reference to the innovations in technology from JCB’s Tim Burnhope, HRH referenced her recent purchase of a horse drawn plough as an exciting addition for her beloved horses, joking that she could go backwards while ‘the room’ advanced forwards!

The evening events were a debate in the Oxford Union hall where the house proposed that “UK agriculture needs more grazing livestock, rather than fewer, to be truly sustainable”. Although the motion marginally passed, the highlight for me came from the well put together, humorous motion against the house, delivered by Colin Ferguson.

The post-debate supper was the cherry on the cake. Again, another excellent opportunity to be sat next to more new faces and explore new topics of conversation.

Day 3

The highlight of the final day of the OFC was the thought provoking ‘food connecting people’ session! Dominic Watters discussed how food can both connect and disconnect people, highlighting personal experiences of food insecurity and accessing fresh food and nutrition on a council estate. He also reflected on the broader implications of these challenges, including energy bills and the difficulty cooking hot food, and that those in power should recognise and address these inequalities.

Dee Woods took us through her experience of household food insecurity and how community initiatives and resilience can pave the way to improving access and education around food. She established Granville Community Kitchen which helps to provide access to culturally appropriate food through the provision of free community meals and a solidarity veg box scheme: ending with a call to encourage farmers to open their farms to diverse communities and share food and knowledge to build connections.

When asked how consumers could educate farmers, the panel emphasised the importance of dialogue and understanding. Dominic called for a union between farmers and communities to address food deserts and create stronger connections, highlighting the potential for farmers to be vehicles for change in deprived areas.

Earlier in the day we heard from the Beefy Boys who took us through their journey from a casual barbecue to a successful restaurant chain. Starting by selling burgers at local pubs, making a small profit and enjoying the experience, they then participated in the King of the Grill competition, winning with their simple, high-quality cheeseburger, and earning an invite to the World Burger Championship in Las Vegas. On their return they saw a surge in demand for their burgers at pop-up events, eventually opening their first restaurant in Hereford. The Beefy Boys emphasised the importance of British beef and the quality of ingredients, which has been a key factor in their success, highlighting the sustainable practices of British farming, such as grass-fed beef and the environmental benefits of local production: believing that collaboration between the hospitality sector and farmers can help re-educate the British public about the value of British food.

The ‘global challenges for food and climate’ session boasted presentations from the chair of the UK Climate Change committee, Professor Piers Forster, and the Consulate General of India, Dr Venkatachalam Murugan. Prof. Forster discusses the recent report showing temperatures exceeding 1.5°C due to greenhouse gases, and that the UK is currently at 50% of its net zero target, with different sectors contributing varying degrees to the reduction. He explained the need for decarbonization in food production and the committee’s optimism about innovative solutions; the importance of planting new woodlands to sequester carbon; encouragement to utilise bioenergy; protecting the UK from high-carbon imports; and stressed the urgency of such actions to meet the 2050 net zero target, calling for government innovation and urgent policy implementation. He also called for good quality data to be used to inform an appropriate land use strategy, expressing uncertainty about the future but emphasising the importance of resilience and innovation.

Dr Murugan tool us back to the Green Revolution where the introduction of high-yielding varieties of wheat significantly increased production, making India self-sufficient in food by 1971. The success of Indian agriculture has contributed to the county’s economic growth, with food grain production increasing from 51 million tons in 1950 to over 340 million tons in 2022: the second largest global producer of wheat and sugarcane, and the largest producer of milk, pulses, and rice. Dr Murugan emphasised the importance of ending hunger and malnutrition, noting that it is a global challenge that requires collective action to achieve food and nutritional security for all.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘inspiring farmers’ panel session, listening to some interesting and challenging farming stories. I was particularly intrigued by Liz Haines’ Nuffield Scholar research into neurodiversity in agriculture. Through brilliant examples of opportunities and support for neurodivergent people in agriculture, from Australia, the USA, and Ireland, she has gained a greater understanding into how we can make agriculture inclusive of neurodiversity: with most people believing that neurodiversity brings problem solving and creativity into their work in agriculture.

Thanks again to SAYFC, the Ingliston Trust, and RHASS for the opportunity!