We were approached by Wicked Leeks Magazine to be part of a film they were making to raise awareness of the issues surrounding the use of soy in animal feed. Presenter Nina Pullman and her team came to film in 2022 and the film has now been released.
Wicked Leeks Magazine
The magazine is published by organic veg box company, Riverford Organic Farmers. Wicked Leeks magazine has all the latest news, views and insight into sustainable food and ethical business, with regular columns from founder of Riverford, Guy Singh-Watson, alongside interviews, opinions and investigations from some of the best journalists in their field. With a podcast too, there's a wealth of information shared whether you choose to read or listen, and with tasty recipes to try too!
What's the problem with animal feed?
This Wicked Leeks feature investigates the issues with soy in animal feed and the reliance on it by intensive farming methods. It is a problem for pig and poultry industries in particular, as they cannot survive by grass alone, as other pasture fed ruminants such as sheep and cattle can.
In the film, both Mark & Amy spoke with Nina to explain how Redwoods Farm is working to become soy free, using locally grown alternatives, supplemented with foraging in pasture for insects etc. It's about eating less meat that is better quality, produced in a sustainable way through regenerative farming methods.
After developing a soy free feed for pasture raised chicken, who can then supplement their diet with insects etc from foraging in the pasture, Mark was the first producer of soy free, pasture raised chicken in the UK. Amy then decided to test it out on her pigs, with a local sustainably produced diet rather than imported feeds.
Read more on the Wicked Leeks website and you can watch the full video below:
Thank you to Nina and the team from Wicked Leeks for including us in your feature and helping to share the soy free message.
Update - Soy No More report June 2023
For more information on Soy and it's impact, a report has now been published - see our Soy No More report blog for more details.