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Extinction or Regeneration – the countdown is on!

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Credit: Illiya Vjestica on Unsplash

We live in days of growing anxiety around climate change, the collapse of nature, and how we treat animals both farmed and wild. Many of us love and respect the land around us, and the animals and people that inhabit it.

However, in pursuit of short-term profit and a narrow, industrialised view of efficiency, we’ve ended up with a food system that is largely not fit for purpose, causing more harm than good.

Our current food system not only causes immense cruelty to animals, it’s also undermining it’s very future. And ours with it.

Yet, despite all this, I have hope.

I am optimistic because things simply can’t go on as they are. Big change is inevitable.

The choice before us as a global society is spelt out in the theme of our landmark international conference: Extinction or regeneration.

Over two days on the 11th and 12th May in London and online, we will hear from people from across the spectrum of the food system to share, explore and inspire action for human, animal and planetary wellbeing.

For a just, equitable, and humane food system based on the principle of One Health, One Welfare; that the future health of people relies on the wellbeing of animals and a thriving ecosystem around us.

That we are all in this together.

This conference follows our successful Extinction and Livestock conference in 2017, where we debated the problems  caused by our overreliance on intensive animal agriculture .

Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon and author of current Sunday Times best-seller, Ravenous: How to get ourselves and our planet into shape

In London nearly six years on, we’ll be exploring solutions.  Leading thinkers from over 15 countries in fields from regenerative farming to social justice, animal welfare to sustainable finance, will gather together for the first time.

Names like the UN’s Stefanos Fotiou and Corinna Hawkes will join globally-renowned activist, Vandana Shiva, and UK food strategist and co-founder of Leon, Henry Dimbleby. We’ll hear from cultivated meat pioneer, Isha Datar too. They will be joined by dozens of other forward-thinkers from different walks of life with one common purpose: to build a pathway to create a food system that works for people, animals and the planet.

Why now? 

As the global population has grown exponentially, the need to feed the world efficiently and cheaply has led to the creation of a global food system that is no longer fit for purpose. It has caused immense suffering to billions of farmed animals across the world, is a substantial contributor to the climate crisis and is damaging the health of millions of people.

The global food system is the main driver of biodiversity loss.

Intensively farmed pig in farrowing crate | Credit: Compassion in World Farming

Factory farming is the biggest cause of animal cruelty on the planet, is bad for communities, health and the planet.

Yet despite policy makers being aware of this, the pursuit of profit continues to be prioritised.

We simply can’t wait any longer. We need talk and action.

The event

The conference gives me hope that we are not alone, that there are like-minded individuals across the world. Using their expertise to create a more positive food production system and I can’t wait to hear from them.

People like Seth Watkins, a third-generation farmer in Iowa, who prioritises stewardship over production by building a system that works with nature; Dr Susan Chomba who leads the World Resources Institute Africa’s work on forest protection and landscape restoration, food systems transformation, water and governance;  Guatemalan-born and raised Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, whose pioneering Tree-Range® Farms of slow-growth, organic-fed chicken reflect a more positive future in farming.

We have representatives from food business such as Waitrose and Compass; and others involved in ethical finance, such as Martin Palmer of Faith Invest and Erika Susanto of the FAIRR Initiative considering the role of business and investment in creating a sustainable food system.

We all need a nature-friendly future | Credit: Margaret Polinder on Unsplash

We’ll also be honoured by the presence of our Patron, Dame Joanna Lumley, who will bring her compassionate perspective to the event.

Extinction or Regeneration promises to be a fascinating, thought-provoking, and we hope, empowering few days.

I hope to see you there!

For further information about the Extinction or Regeneration Conference, and to register please go to www.extinctionconference.com 

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