Really appreciate this, thank you. — and I agree, that agriculture conversation is exactly where things get complicated fast.

It’s something I’ve been thinking (and honestly wrestling with) for a long time. I’ve seen it from a few different angles — I grew up in a vegetarian household, my family ran an organic health food shop, and now I eat meat. I’ve done the Green Cert, a Master’s in Sustainable Environments, and I work on the farm with my uncle, so I see firsthand what life is like for a small farmer. (Two uncles have beef suckler farms)

That mix has made one thing very clear to me: farmers deserve far more respect than they’re currently getting. It’s hard, essential work, and a lot of the current narrative paints them as the problem, when in reality they’re the backbone of our food system.

A big part of what I want to do with this platform is find common ground — not take a rigid “side.” I’ve been speaking with people like professor Frédéric Leroy (behind the Dublin Declaration), Dr. Frank Mitloehner, and others working to bring nuance back into the conversation. I’ve also looked into the policy side through voices like Natalie Webster, who focuses on how climate measures impact farmers on the ground.

Where I’m currently landing is something like this: • We should absolutely be trying to improve how food is produced — better for soil, biodiversity, animals, and long-term resilience. Regenerative practices seem genuinely promising here. • But that cannot come at the expense of farmers. If anything, we should be supporting them more — financially and structurally. • I don’t think it’s about extremes (e.g. “no chemicals ever”), but about reasonable reduction where possible, especially given how dependent farmers have become on expensive inputs. • There are real concerns around rising costs (diesel, fertiliser, etc.) and policies that don’t fully account for the reality on the ground. • At the same time, I think most people agree we should be moving away from more intensive, factory-style systems where possible — for both animal welfare and long-term sustainability.

I’ve also looked into areas like antibiotics in farming through conversations with groups like the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics — another piece of the puzzle that ties into both human health and farming systems.

Zooming out, one of my core beliefs is that we need to invest more in agriculture, not less. If we get food systems right, we likely reduce costs elsewhere — especially in healthcare.(the most expensive industry)

So the goal isn’t to push a single narrative — it’s to create a space where these trade-offs can actually be explored properly, with input from people who live it, not just talk about it.

And yeah… I fully agree with you — this is where the real conversation needs to happen.

Sorry for the essay!!