Join us at the Sustain Annual Conference 2025, and hear from leading voices in food, farming and climate.
A climate and nature emergency, growing farmer frustration, and over 8 million adults in the UK struggling to afford enough to eat - the way our food is produced currently creates multiple problems, when it could be driving solutions.
So how do we change our food system for good, and what action is needed to bring that about, this year and during this Parliament? These are the questions driving us this year at our annual conference.
2025 is a critical year for bringing about change. There is a window of opportunity with the development of a new food strategy, one that the government says it wants to codevelop with us. A new farming roadmap and other policies from land use to children’s health are being worked up and are to be shaped right now as the movement for change grows.
How do we seize this political moment? What priority policy solutions should we be looking to secure from decision-makers at all levels to bring about the long-needed transformation of food and farming? What is and needs to happen locally for place-based change?
The Sustain Annual Conference 2025 will offer insights from some of today’s most exciting changemakers in sustainable food and farming as we map out a plan of action for the coming months and immediate years ahead.
Limited spaces available, secure your spot today
Agenda
| 14:00-14:15 |
Chair’s introduction |
| 14:15-14:45 | Keynote (government minister invited) |
| 14:45-15:30 |
Session 1: Securing the new Food Strategy we need Back in December, Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, outlined the government's plans to work with the sector to develop a new Food Strategy and “a food system that works for everyone”. In the months since not much has yet emerged about how this will happen. With the alliance and wider movement standing ready to put forward urgent positive changes to fix our broken food system, we hear from two leading voices on what the much-needed Food Strategy should include and how the promise that it will be “ambitious” can be realised.
|
| 15:30-15:40 | Break |
| 15:40-16:30 |
Session 2: What is the action agenda on the ground, locally and regionally, for a better UK food system? Action at local and regional level is increasingly a driving force transforming our food system, improving health, creating resilient supplies of nutritious and sustainable food and demonstrating wider changes needed at a national level. The panel of practitioners are working on the ground in and with food partnerships, councils and community organisation, changing local policy and practice and creating local innovations to address complex food challenges. They will share their ideas, priorities for action and thoughts on how we mainstream good practice to build a better food system for all. Chaired by Sarah, Williams, Programmes Director at Sustain the panel includes:
|
| 16:30-16:55 |
Session 3: What are the UK-wide priority issues for policy change across food and farming in 2025 and beyond? Sustain campaigns aim to tackle the climate and nature emergency through food; ensure all children can easily eat sustainable and healthy food; advance sustainable farming; and bring about healthy food advertising policies. In this session, issue leads from the Sustain team set out the toplines on some of the key policy solutions the alliance wants to make happen in the year ahead as well as how organisations and individuals can act to help bring the commitments we need from policymakers on these priority changes. With the Sustain team including:
|
| 16:55-17:00 | Chair’s closing remarks |
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
