14 January 2026

My PhD research is trying to better understand the power dynamics that shape the UK meat and livestock system. Because I’m quite new to this area, what I find most valuable from the AFN Network+ webinars is that they provide a broader context within which my work sits. The webinars also seem to be unique in that they’re so regular and such high quality. With the meat and livestock system being such a big emitter of emissions and heavily involved in the conversation around land use, the net zero target also ties in quite closely. My PhD research is also looking at what meat and livestock reduction looks like, and what might be shaping that, so it’s about how net zero fits with power dynamics within that system.

One of the biggest impacts of the AFN Network+ for me has been the connections. Sometimes as a PhD researcher you are doing independent work, so being part of a network has helped me connect directly with interesting and important people, who I have then gone on to interview for my research. In terms of me moving forward, I now feel like I’ve got a good idea of the direction of research of lots of different people and where I might want to take mine. When I’ve looked at other literature in the area I’m researching, it seems that people tend to focus on the supply chain itself. But it has been great to meet people from the wider system, for example, livestock consultants and other researchers. Sometimes it has been difficult to engage with intensive poultry farmers, for example, and I was also able to do that through the Network.

I initially got into this area through an animal rights perspective and I was really interested in the ways in which we use animals for meat and livestock. My undergraduate and Masters degrees were in physics at Manchester, and as I was coming out of that, I wanted to apply my physics knowledge to this topic of animal rights. As I was learning more about the food system, I learnt more about its environmental impact and found that to be a way for me to apply my skills. Since becoming more involved, I think it’s so important to reach net zero, and I would say the food system impact and animal perspective are the two things that make me passionate about this area.

AFN Network+ stands out because it has such a clear mission. Everyone has the same end goal, so it brings up interesting debates about how we might get there. There seems to be a strong ethos about wanting to create change, which I like. I think the neutral space makes people more willing to express their ideas and more open to difficult topics. I think because it feels like a safe space, it really enables deeper conversation.