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Features

A return to the whole foods our grandparents recognise

From frugal, glycine-rich cuts of meat, to better protein & fibre sources, Hannah Neville-Green explores what's driving a collective shift away from Ultra Processed Food

Diets Eating and drinking Health
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News

The AGtivist investigates illegal shellfish activities linked to E.coli outbreaks & seabed damage

A rise in the illicit trade of cockles, clams and oysters is causing problems across the food supply chain & environment

Eating and drinking Environment and ethics Fish
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Features

Farming’s big plastic problem – and emerging solutions

A study of soil taken from 100 British farms found microplastic contamination at every site, writes Nick Easen

Environment and ethics Farming Plastic
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Features

Are biostimulants the future of eco-friendly farming?

They used to be called muck and magic, but biostimulants are gaining in popularity as more growers look to boost soil and plant health the natural way

Farming Soil
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Features

Lack of agroecological funding could be costing us our future

Research and innovation in organic and agroecological farming is chronically underfunded, finds Nick Easen

Agroecology
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News

Poison for profit – EU exports 122,000 tonnes of banned pesticides

44 Highly Hazardous Pesticides, banned for EU use, are still being shipped to the African continent

Environment and ethics Pesticides
News

The AGtivist investigates illegal shellfish activities linked to E.coli outbreaks & seabed damage

Eating and drinking Environment and ethics Fish
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83% of UK households choose organic as market growth outpaces non-organic

Supermarkets Eating and drinking Organics
Features

Subsidised biogas from maize is damaging the UK’s food & farming systems

Environment and ethics Farming Renewable energy
STORY OF THE WEEK

83% of UK households are now buying organic and that shoppers are “seeking to back British farmers” when they do, with strong growth in organic milk, eggs and carrots David Burrows, Wicked Leeks

Features

A return to the whole foods our grandparents recognise

Diets Eating and drinking Health
WL Meets

WL Meets: Stuart Oates, the farmer trying to go fossil fuel free

Agroecology Environment and ethics Farming
News

The AGtivist: Sustainable Farming Incentive a mixed bag as small farmers lose out

UK Gov Farming Politics
Features

The Public Plate: a new model for responsible restaurants that bring people together

UK Gov Farming Politics
Opinion

News from the farm: Wild pickings & nettles in fine fettle

Foraging Environment and ethics Guy Singh-Watson
The AGtivist

The AGtivist: Imported meat bypassing UK border hygiene checks, raises risk of disease

Farming Health Meat
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Losing hope for happier chickens as ‘big 8’ walk out of agreement

Eating out Animal welfare Ethical business Meat
Features

Farming’s big plastic problem – and emerging solutions

Environment and ethics Farming Plastic
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Stuart Oates is a seventh-generation farmer; his f Stuart Oates is a seventh-generation farmer; his family have been at Rosuick Farm on the Lizard Peninsula since the 1700s. They went organic nearly 20 years ago, before it became popular and they’ve also had a camel trekking business. Going against the grain is in the Oates’ blood. Now they’re considering what fossil fuel-free farming might look like. 

“Throughout my childhood we were always the weird family trying to do things differently. I think that’s where a lot of farmers struggle, to be the odd ones out… but not us,” smiles Stuart. 

“When I started thinking about more sustainable farming and looking at the root cause of our environmental problems, as well as destructive food systems, intensive monocultures, or the way we rear animals, I found that the main problem was our dependency on fossil fuels.”

Today, it’s extremely difficult for UK farmers to ditch petroleum completely. Yes, organic farming removes synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, many of which rely on hydrocarbons for their formulation. Then there’s the fuel needed for machinery, the plastic wrap for bales, polytunnels and countless containers, removing fossil fuels from farms is no easy task. 

“When I first started looking at how we could achieve this on our own farm or even at a global scale I thought it wasn’t possible. Maybe we would only be able to achieve 20 percent. But after more research and travel I now believe going fossil free can work. There are so many opportunities from nitrogen fixation in plants replacing fertilisers, to the greening of transport on and off-farm,” states Oates.

Read the full interview with Nick Easen on Wicked Leeks via the link in our bio.
Slowly but surely land across the UK is being gobb Slowly but surely land across the UK is being gobbled up to grow maize as an energy crop, writes Nick Easen. 

Bioenergy can be a good thing if food and organic waste is used. But taking fertile land out of food production, when the UK is only 65% self-sufficient in food, is seen, by some, as indefensible; maize grown solely for biogas also raises environmental concerns.

Although wheat and sugar beet are also planted as bioenergy crops, it is the area allotted to maize crops for energy that has mushroomed in recent years. The latest government figures show that 88,000 hectares of maize are now planted each year just to feed anaerobic digestors – the industrial plants that create the energy. This is a huge landmass: in just six years, this area has grown by 35%, and is now comparable to an area the size of Edinburgh, Bristol and Leeds – newly planted with maize solely for biofuel.

These crops now feed 750 biogas plants across the country, according to the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association. Just under a third of all feedstocks used in all of these digestors are crops that are grown for the sole purpose of producing bioenergy. The industry has big plans for growth and wants to supply up to 50% of the country’s gas needs in the years ahead.

Biogas may be greener but only if it’s from sustainable and environmentally-friendly feedstocks. Purpose-grown maize for bioenergy uses fossil fuel-based fertilisers, causes soil compaction, leaves the earth bare for long periods and leads to phosphate runoff into rivers. All these factors contribute to a lot of pollution, states The Wildlife Trusts in a recent post. This comes at a time when soil health and water quality are in the spotlight.

“The area planted has grown really steeply over the last few years and that’s concerning. The fact that the UK public is also subsidising biogas produced from maize and other crops is also worrying. Growing food crops for biomethane has to stop. This is an insane way of generating energy,” explains Almuth Ernsting, from advocacy group, Biofuelwatch.

Read the full feature at Wicked Leeks, via the link in our bio.
In 2025, overall sales of organic produce and prod In 2025, overall sales of organic produce and products increased by 4.2%, with the major driver of this being the growth within supermarkets, where there was a sales uplift of 7%. Organic is also outpacing non-organic with the unit growth of organic in supermarkets four times that of non-organic. 

Dairy has been one of the biggest drivers of growth – particularly organic milk and eggs – both of which returned a volume sales uplift of over 8%. Bananas, carrots and salad also had impressive years.

Most organic farmers (85%) report sales either growing or staying stable with less than 10% experiencing a sales drop, according to a farmer survey conducted as part of this year’s Organic Market Report, compiled by Soil Association Certification. 

The report also revealed that the frequency of organic purchases has increased in supermarkets, with shoppers, on average, buying organic once every 3 weeks.

However, the positivity surrounding strong demand is overshadowed by concerns over supplies. The UK has become increasingly reliant on imported organic food and drink as overall organic production remains stagnant.

The latest government figures, covering 2024, show the overall percentage of organic UK farmland stuck at 3%. While there was an increase in land in-conversion in England last year, this dramatically slowed when the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) closed abruptly.

The UK government has just revealed details for the new SFI and this included a renewed commitment to organic. Support for converting to organic and ongoing management of organic land will be included in the new scheme, which is set to reopen via two application windows in June and September. Support for the smallest of farmers is less assured.

Read David Burrow's full feature on Wicked Leeks.
What if restaurants were affordable, climate-consc What if restaurants were affordable, climate-conscious and community focused? Joyful, inclusive spaces that bring people together to share good food, and strengthen communities? Founder of @thepublicplate Carly Triske-Grove shares her vision with Wicked Leeks this week. 

"In 2005, aged 25, I opened my first restaurant, albeit with limited work experience. I had worked in a few bad places, including one that paid staff £1 an hour, letting us rely on tips to survive! Yet I had a clear vision, and 21 years later, it remains unchanged: serving good food, generously and affordably, can bring people together and strengthen communities.

"The word “restaurant” is perhaps over-generous. I started with a hut in a park that had historically served hot dogs and ice cream. We painstakingly scraped the grease off the walls, installed a rudimentary kitchen and built a picket fence to keep the kids in and the geese out. My then two-year-old took naps sandwiched between the till and the ice cream freezer; I’m not sure we’d get away with that today.

"We sold in 2019 and I’ve never been able to go back. When lockdown hit six months later and I was at home with a toddler, I suddenly had space to think about what was next. It was during that time I discovered a fascinating historical precedent for more affordable and accessible dining: British Restaurants. I learned that during the Second World War, the government had established a network of communal dining halls to serve nutritious, price-controlled meals. At their peak, over 2,000 restaurants fed around 600,000 people a day. They were created to ensure fair access to food during rationing and played a significant and a successful role in our war effort."

Read the full feature on Wicked Leeks, via the link in our bio.

About us

Wicked Leeks is published by Riverford Organic Farmers.

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Riverford grows and sells organic food through its award-winning veg boxes, delivering across the country to a loyal band of customers who share a passion for good food, good farming and good business.

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