Newsletter – February 2025
This is our newsletter for February 2025. Please note that this page is not updated, so deadlines may have passed and links may no longer work. To receive future newsletters, please join our network.
News
Big Tent booked up
Thank you to all those of you who have registered to come to next month’s Big Tent. The event is now fully booked, and is sure to be an amazing experience. If you find that you are unable to make it, please cancel your ticket (via Eventbrite) or email contact@agrifood4netzero.net to let us know. We already have a waiting list of people eager to attend, and are trying to avoid wasted food or expense.
If you missed out, you can still register and join the waiting list. We will be in touch if a place opens up.
The Big Tent is the main meeting of the year for the AFN Network+, where stakeholders from across the agri-food sector come together for two days of learning, collaboration and networking. The event will also offer delegates the chance to engage and contribute to the AFN Network’s roadmap. This year’s event will be held on the 11 and 12 March in Manchester.
Webinars
Natural capital markets
Friday 28th February, 9:00 – 10:00am
Alex Teytelboym, a professor of economics at the University of Oxford, will present his insights and discuss this topic with our policy champion Emily Norton, who will be chairing. Details coming soon from Jez Fredenburgh.
Climate Change Committee’s 7th Carbon Budget
Thursday 6th March, 1:00 – 2:00pm
Indra Thillainathan from the Climate Change Committee, will give us the lowdown on the 7th Carbon Budget, due out on 26th February. Details coming soon from Jez Fredenburgh.
Tim Lang on UK food system preparedness for shocks
If you missed our recent webinar with Professor Tim Lang, a reminder that the video is now live. Tim has spent the last two years researching the UK food system’s preparedness for shocks. In this webinar he drew on his soon-to-be-published report for the National Preparedness Commission which addresses the state of civil (ie the public’s) food resilience.
The report itself is due to be published this week, followed by a launch event on 25 February. Details of the launch event. Watch out for a Digest on the report soon, plus a Briefing of Tim’s webinar.
Events
Regenerative Farming & Net Zero: A Farmer’s Perspective workshop
Thursday 20th Feb 2025 10:30am – 3:30pm, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester
As part of this scoping study the Royal Agricultural University is hosting an interactive workshop to discuss the best ways regenerative farming will help us tackle climate change. This in-person event is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and be inspired to make a positive impact and inform research.
Breeding Better Cattle and Sheep: Achieving Net Zero
Thursday 27th Feb 2025 12:00pm – 3:00pm, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester
Meanwhile, as part of this scoping study the Royal Agricultural University is hosting an interactive workshop for farmers, filled with discussions to identify the most practical and cost-effective ways to breed cattle and sheep while working towards achieving net zero emissions. Network with fellow farmers and discover innovative strategies to improve your livestock’s genetics and sustainability practices. Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to make a positive impact on your farm and the environment!
News from the wider agri-food sector
Government response to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s report
The government has published its response to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s report, ‘Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system‘. In the response, the government states that it agrees with the Committee on the importance of addressing obesity and promoting healthier diets, but has chosen not to implement the vast number of recommendations in the report
Read the response and watch out for a digest later this week.
Events
Norfolk Farming Conference
Tuesday 11th February 2025, 8:30am – 4:30pm, Norfolk Showground
With a line-up of national and international speakers, this year’s conference is looking at:
- Supply Chain: What do the changing requirements of the food supply chain mean for Norfolk’s farmers?
- Bio-security for plants and animals: What is the UK’s preparedness?
- Mapping the landscape: Auditing the land for food production and the environment.
The Future(s) of UK Livestock
Wednesday, 26th February 10:00am – 4:00pm, Newcastle Upon Tyne
This workshop, part of the UKRI-funded TRAnsforming the DEbate about Livestock Systems Transformation (TRADE) project, will bring together stakeholders from policy, industry, and the third sector to:
- Introduce the work of the TRADE project;
- Explore opportunities and challenges for the UK livestock sector; and
- Discuss possible futures under different scenarios.
BES Symposium 2025: Nature, Farming and Food: How we value our land
19–20 June 2025, Oxford
Evidence and data about what we eat, and where and how it’s grown are some of the most contested scientific debates in the public sphere. This year’s British Ecological Society Symposium will tackle the debates and their politics head-on. It will ask how claims made about the impact of food on land and ecosystems differ when voiced by farmers, corporations or ecologists, and ask how we can work together to create the best evidence.
LEAP conference
Tuesday 8th April 2025, Oxford
LEAP will once again welcome researchers working on aspects of meat and dairy production and consumption to consider its effects on population health, the economy, society and the environment. The LEAP conference aims to build a community of researchers in this field to share evidence and tools to inform action.
Vacancies
FixOurFood Content Manager, University of York
This post provides an opportunity to help generate meaningful impact from research on how to support system transformation. The successful candidate will support Professor Ioan Fazey and his team to develop and deliver creative projects to disseminate research from the FixOurFood project that is based on food system transformation.
Deadline: 9 February 2025
Research Fellow, City St George’s, University of London
As a Research Fellow at the Centre for Food Policy, this role involves:
- Leading reviews and stakeholder interviews to identify policy priorities for healthy, sustainable diets;
- Conducting a combination of desk-based research, rapid qualitative empirical research and critical analysis of UK health and Net Zero policies;
- Collaborating with the THRIVING Food Futures consortium; and
- Contributing to food policy education and participating in Centre activities.
Deadline: 19 February 2025
