How COVID-19 Has Impacted Farms & Our Food System?

Our centralised, supermarket based food system is not resilent to shocks such as COVID-19. Hopefully the pandemic has changed the way people eat and shop for the better. We need our food system to be diverse, small scale and local. We hear from industry experts and farmers about the impact COVID-19 has had on farms and our food system.

Expert Interviews

May 7th, 2020
Farm Expert Interview 1: John Mettrick

John Mettrick is a small scale Peak District abattoir owner, who slaughters, processes and delivers all his meat in-house.… Read More

May 12th, 2020
Farm Expert Interview 2: Peter Stevenson

Peter Stevenson is Chief Policy Adviser for Compassion in World Farming and has worked in the field… Read More

May 20th, 2020
Farm Expert Interview 3: Dr. Michael Greger, M.D.

Dr. Michael Greger, an American leading physician in clinical nutrition, spoke to us about the danger… Read More

May 21st, 2020
Farm Expert Interview 4: Dr. Lizzie Rowe

Dr Lizzie Rowe, is the senior research officer at the Sustainable Food Trust and a research… Read More

June 3rd, 2020
Farm Expert Interview 5: Pete Richie

Pete Ritchie, Executive Director of Nourish Scotland and owner of Whitmuir the Organic Place… Read More

June 19th, 2020
Farm Expert Interview 6: Dr Immo Fiebrig

Dr. Immo Norman Fiebrig from Germany, a licensed pharmacist and PhD in biochemistry explains his… Read More

Farm Case Studies

May 6th, 2020
Farm Case Study 1: The Heritage Hog, East Sussex

The Heritage Hog avoids commercial fast growing pigs in favour of slow growing breeds; allowing them to live as natural… Read More

May 6th, 2020
Farm Case Study 2: Hampton Gay Farm, Oxfordshire

Hampton Gay breeds the endangered large black breed of which there are only a few hundred left. They have two… Read More

May 12th, 2020
Farm Case Study 3: Trefrawl Farm, Cornwall

Trefrawl Farm raises native bred Berkshire pigs in their woodland ‘piggy paradise’ where the pigs can express their natural behaviour…. Read More

May 14th, 2020
Farm Case Study 4: Sussex Saddlebacks, West Sussex

The Harrises, part of Sussex Saddlebacks take it turn, with 13 other families, to look after their group of pigs…. Read More

May 28th, 2020
Farm Case Study 5: Home Farm Produce, Nottinghamshire

The pigs at Home Farm Produce live in woodlands, spending their days rooting and wallowing, doing just what a pig… Read More

May 28th, 2020
Farm Case Study 6: Crowkeld Rare Breeds, Yorkshire

Crowkeld Rare Breeds rear large blacks in North Yorkshire in a happy and safe environment. Farmer Nina says that her… Read More

June 2nd, 2020
Farm Case Study 7: June’s Farm, Rutland

June at June’s Farm, breeds Large Blacks crossed with Saddlebacks. The pigs are slowly grown, fed naturally, kept outside and… Read More

June 4th, 2020
Farm Case Study 8: Lyon’s Hill Farm, Dorset

Lyons Hill Farm recently had their best week ever supplying some of London’s top chefs & restaurants with their ‘Iron… Read More

June 10th, 2020
Farm Case Study 9: Pipers Farm, Devon

Peter at Pipers Farm rears free-range Saddleback pigs. His online business provides healthy, sustainable, high welfare meat straight to people’s… Read More

June 11th, 2020
Farm Case Study 10: Coombe Farm Organic, Somerset

Ben White keeps organic pigs on Coombe Farm Organic. They’ve been overwhelmed by requests from new customers. Because they allow… Read More

June 17th, 2020
Farm Case Study 11: Good Life Meat, Staffordshire

Helen Dale & her husband keep rare traditional British breeds of pig The Good Life Meat Company, which are all… Read More

July 1st, 2020
Case Study 12: Primal Cut

Primal Cut are artisan producers that follow Slow Food principles. They promote local food & traditional cooking… Read More

July 1st, 2020
Farm Case Study 13: Farmer’s Choice, Hampshire

Jason from Farmer’s Choice Free Range in the South Downs says COVID-19 caused an increased demand that… Read More

July 15th, 2020
Producer Case Study 14: Emmett’s Store

Emmett’s Store is the UK’s oldest artisan ham and bacon producer. All pork is sourced locally and is free range…… Read More

July 21st, 2020
Farm Case Study 15: The Ultimate Joint, Norfolk

The Ultimate Joint is a farm and butchery in Rickinghall on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, with rare breed pigs. During lockdown… Read More

July 30th, 2020
Producer Case Study 16: Meat N16, London

Meat N16 butcher & delicatessen has two shops in North London run by Paul Grout. Most of the pork comes from Plantation Pigs in West Sussex… Read More

August 6th, 2020
Farm Case Study 17: Dews Meadow Farm, Oxfordshire

Harry from Dews Meadow Farm has a herd of Oxford Sandy and Blacks, born & bred outside. During this COVID crisis they’ve been… Read More

August 13th, 2020
Farm Case Study 18: Sanctuary Farm, East Sussex

Harry from Dews Meadow Farm has a herd of Oxford Sandy and Blacks, born & bred outside. During this COVID crisis they’ve been… Read More

August 20th, 2020
Case Study 19: BigBarn

Anthony Davison is a 5th generation farmer who set up BigBarn after supermarkets sold his onions for 8X the price he was paid for them… Read More

August 27th, 2020
Farm Case Study 20: Tullich Highland Rare Breed Pigs, Invergordon

Tullich Highland Rare Breeds Farm to the far north of the Scottish Highlands in Invergordon, breed Oxford Sandy Blacks and Large… Read More

October 1st, 2020
Farm Case Study 21: Swanbridge Porkers, South Glamorgan

Swanbridge Porkers keep rarebreed Berkshire pigs that roam on 15 acres of pasture & woodland.… Read More

October 14th, 2020
Farm Case Study 22: Stonebridge Cottage Farm, County Down

Stonebridge Cottage Farm raise free-range pigs and sell pork in their farm shop, as well as to local restaurants, pubs, and shops… Read More

October 27th, 2020
Farm Case Study 23: The Free Company, Edinburgh

4th generation Farmer Angus Smith runs The Free Company farm and restaurant near Edinburgh… Read More

November 11th, 2020
Farm Case Study 24: Seaview Farms, Ulster

Seaview Farms is a diversified, grass-based, beyond organic farm with a focus on soil health and regenerative agriculture… Read More

November 26th, 2020
Farm Case Study 25: Slade Farm Organics, Vale of Glamorgan

Polly from Slade Farm Organics says despite lockdown, nothing much has really changed. All the animals still need to… Read More

December 17th, 2020
Farm Case Study 26: Tania Beagley-Brown, Somerset

Tanya tells us that commercial pigs “aren’t a patch on her traditional rare breed Oxford Sandy & Blacks”.… Read More

January 21st, 2021
Farm Case Study 27: Jolly Oinks, Worcestershire

Max Tailby, owner of Jolly Oinks tells us about his rare breed Berkshire pigs, about surviving lockdown… Read More

February 4th, 2021
Farm Case Study 28: Thatched House Farm, Norfolk

Farmer Vic Jenkins from Thatched House Farm in the Norfolk Broads says, “There’s a growing movement… Read More

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