Hungry Land, Hungry People: Can We Feed the Future?

As pressure mounts on British farmers to deliver both food and environmental outcomes, Harrison & Hetherington will host a high-profile panel discussion asking one of the most urgent questions of our time: "Hungry Land, Hungry People – Can We Feed the Future?", at this year's Borderway Agri Expo.

Bringing together leading politicians, land managers, and farmers, the session will explore how UK agriculture can balance sustainable production with environmental stewardship in a rapidly changing world.

The panel will be chaired by Scott Donaldson, Group Director of H&H, and will feature a notable line-up of speakers who represent diverse perspectives across agriculture, politics, and land management. These include Robbie Moore, Shadow Minister for the Environment; Daniel Zeichner, Member of Parliament for Cambridge; Regenerative Farmer Nicola Rennison of Cannerheugh Farm near Penrith; Julia Aglionby, Executive Director of the Foundation for Common Land and Consultant Land Agent and Sion Williams, Director and Farms Manager at Bowhill Farming, Buccleuch Estate. The seminar will take place in Ring 4 at 12.30pm during Borderway Agri Expo, the UK' s leading livestock showcase, on Friday 31^st October.

Scott Donaldson, who will chair the debate, said, "Borderway Agri Expo has always been about celebrating the strength, innovation, and resilience of British farming. But it's also about tackling the tough questions that will define our industry's future. This discussion will bring together voices from across the sector to explore how we can feed a growing population while safeguarding the land that sustains us. It's a challenge that unites everyone with a stake in farming's future."

This panel will engage in a vital discussion that goes beyond the future of the traditional British farm and into the heart of one of agriculture's greatest challenges: how to strike the right balance between producing high-quality, affordable food and safeguarding the natural environment. With increasing pressure on land use and the decoupling of government support from production, the debate around environment versus food security has never been more timely, or more consequential.

This session is expected to challenge current thinking and advocate for a reframing of agricultural policy that recognises the value of sustainable food production as a national priority. Nicola Rennison will share her experience in moving from a traditional upland livestock system to a regenerative model that integrates agroforestry, mixed grazing, and free-range poultry, showing that environmental goals and productivity are not mutually exclusive. Sion Williams will offer insight into the practical integration of environmental standards within large-scale farm management, drawing on Buccleuch's involvement with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).

Robbie Moore and Daniel Zeichner will provide political context and insight into the future policy direction and its implications for farmers across the UK. Julia Aglionby will speak to the challenges and opportunities facing upland farmers and landowners under current support schemes.

The message of this year's discussion is clear: British farming can, and must, play a dual role in securing both food and the environment. Livestock farming, if managed properly, enhances soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. It is not a barrier to environmental progress but a vital part of it.

As food inflation persists and global protein demand rises, the UK must not find itself in a position where it outsources food production while incentivising land abandonment at home. If environmental schemes are to succeed, they must support farmers, reward best practices, and mandate minimum production levels to protect the UK's food sovereignty.

This Borderway Agri Expo panel will bring these vital issues to the fore, with contributions from some of the most respected voices in the sector. It is a conversation the agricultural community, policymakers, and the wider public cannot afford to ignore.