Lily O'Mara. Credit: Ruth Westcott
Lily has been awarded a prestigious Bertha Foundation fellowship and joins Sustain’s Climate and Nature Emergency team in their work to stop the industrialisation of livestock farming.
Lily O'Mara. Credit: Ruth Westcott
As part of her year-long fellowship, Lily will work with UK communities suffering most from the pollution and inequality caused by the rise in factory farming. With campaigners, planning experts, lawyers and councils, her work will investigate and expose the harms caused by intensive livestock units and help communities and local government resist them.
Reflecting on the year ahead, Lily said:
"Factory farming is one of the most devastating and under-addressed threats to climate, nature, and public health in the UK and wholly incompatible with our international climate commitments.
Sustain’s research has shown the shocking amount of waste produced by factory farming in the UK, and that agribusinesses have no credible plans to prevent pollution. This fellowship provides me with the opportunity to help communities stand up to corporate power and reclaim their democratic rights.
It’s an incredible privilege to be part of an inspiring group of international changemakers. I’m also excited to be joining Sustain’s food for the planet team, who have been leading the charge to stop the spread of factory farming. Ours is part of a much larger fight for global food and climate justice."
Ruth Westcott, campaign manager for the climate and nature emergency at Sustain said:
“Intensive livestock farming has no place in a just society. As the Sustain alliance I believe we have the power to come together to end it. I am delighted that we will be hosting Lily throughout her fellowship. With coordinated community resistance we can bring about an end to factory farming and create a fairer food system and Lily is the perfect person to do this.”
Please keep up to date with Lily’s work on LinkedIn. If you are working to stop factory farming in your community – we want to hear from you, please contact Lily via LinkedIn.
Food for the Planet: Food for the Planet is helping local authorities, businesses and organisations take simple actions to tackle the climate and nature emergency through food.
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