While Lymbery’s diagnosis is simple, his remedies are many fold, centring perhaps on releasing farm animals from factories and returning them to the fields, a drastic reduction in meat consumption overall, and welcoming a food revolution which will, in time, eliminate the demand for factory farmed meat by cost efficiencies and behavioural changes. The event, attended by several of high-profile supporters and influential journalists, celebrated the powerful new book which follows the successful release of Farmageddon and Dead Zone. Campaigners at the conference welcomed the government’s intentions, but called on ministers to ensure that the wording of the agriculture bill goes beyond vague aspirations to encode clear measures and responsibilities, on regulators, farmers, industries and public bodies.

While the claims of “only 60 harvests left” were “overblown”, Dr Ritchie said they should not detract from the fact that soil erosion is a problem. He is right to call out what he sees as wasteful practices, converting grains and other plant-based foods into animal feeds. And he is fairer than most in differentiating grain-fed meat and milk from those produced in pasture-based systems. He judges grazing cattle to be part of the solution rather than the problem as they rebuild life in the soil. He is also right that we should find a safe way of feeding swill to pigs, again to cut down on food waste.Now, before we question whether the results of this single, small study can be extrapolated to represent all of England, let alone the whole UK or even the whole world, let us take a look at their findings: basically, some urban soils in Sheffield are higher in carbon and nitrogen than some nearby agricultural ones. OK, but where is the 100-year statistic? It turns out that nowhere in the study was there any calculation, prediction or even passing reference to the claim. None whatsoever. Perhaps not so much shaky evidence to support this assertion as much as non-existent. Edmondson, J. L., Davies, Z. G., Gaston, K. J., & Leake, J. R. (2014). Urban cultivation in allotments maintains soil qualities adversely affected by conventional agriculture. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(4), 880-889. Soils are at risk from erosion by wind and water, made worse by the loss of natural features such as hedgerows and trees; from heavy agricultural machinery; from over-grazing, climate change and intensive agriculture. Poor soils also lead to problems with water supplies, and can affect air quality as fertilisers produce ammonia which reacts with other gases to form particles that harm the lungs. As much as 3m tonnes of topsoil are lost in the UK each year, while restoring lost soils can take centuries. Sixty Harvests Left describes how, far from being ‘a necessary evil’, factory farming is threatening the very survival of our planet and that ending the industrialisation of the countryside is key to saving our children’s future. Everything is linked together New research reveals US-style mega-farm numbers have risen to nearly 1,100, including 745 poultry mega-farms in England and 59 in Wales, bringing into question the country’s claim to be a nation of animal lovers.

We learn about the importance of health soil and how it can be preserved and regenerated. This book is really hopeful as it focuses on innovative methods of food production and we meet practitioners of regenerative farming. Claims that the world may only have 60 harvests left because of poor soil management are “overblown” and “nonsensical”, according to new research from Oxford University. There are also at least 19 dairies that meet the criteria of a “mega-dairy”. Cows held in intensive dairies are “zero-grazed”, which means they are not allowed out into fields and are permanently housed inside sheds. The largest one in the UK appears to hold 2,000 animals. At the heart of sustainable change lies a recognition that all life on our planet is interconnected, and that our future depends on treating it with compassion and respect. In so doing, we can protect the world’s wildlife and soils as if our life depends on it – because it does. The life expectancy of farmland soils would change from just sixty harvests left to one of infinite sustainability, while regenerative, agroecological farming can help end cruelty to animals, save wildlife, stabilise the climate and safeguard the planet for future generations. And to me, that seems like a future worth having.”Evans, D. L., Quinton, J. N., Davies, J. A. C., Zhao, J., & Govers, G. (2020). Soil lifespans and how they can be extended by land use and management change. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9), 0940b2. Though the message of this book is urgent and serious, Phillip Lymbery’s style of writing actually managed to make it an easy and enjoyable read. Spanning various continents he shows us the consequences of our global food production systems and I found the historical accounts such as the great dust storms really interesting. We could switch from agricultural land use to forest or grassland. This is the most effective way to extend soil lifespans, but it reduces the land available for farming. As the global population increases, and demands for food rise, we need to find ways of protecting our cultivable soils. If we can increase crop yields we have the opportunity to reduce the amount of arable land we need to meet this demand. This whole thing is farmer-led,” says Cherry. “It is coming up from below, with farmers talking to each other and seeing the benefits, then adapting that to work on their own farms. It is a groundswell of farmers doing it – that is where we got the name.”

Neville Fay, founder and director of the Sustainable Soils Alliance, told the Guardian there were many steps the government could take to prevent soil loss and give farmers and others an incentive to preservation and improvement. These would include requiring the Environment Agency and other government bodies to include soil health in their assessments, and making sure farmers did not lose out by restoring natural features such as hedgerows and leaving fields fallow or in rotation with non-commercial soil-improving crops. “We need the government to set milestones, so we can judge what we are achieving, and we need data on the current state of our soils,” he said. “Soil is essentially irreplaceable when lost.” From the United Kingdom to Italy, from Brazil to the Gambia to the USA, Philip Lymbery, the internationally acclaimed author of Farmageddon , goes behind the scenes of industrial farming and confronts 'Big Agriculture', where mega-farms, chemicals and animal cages are sweeping the countryside and jeopardising the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the nature that we treasure. The book draws attention to the alarming rise of US-style mega-farms in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, holding millions of animals and impeding their natural behaviours.Beautifully crafted. A compelling, excoriating account of industrial farming – how it is driving the climate and biodiversity emergencies, while also undermining our health. Full of insights and encounters with pioneers of new ways of farming, Sixty Harvests Left is a call to action – to change our world from the ground up. A vitally necessary book." There are guys in the US who have been doing this for 30 years and their soil is so fertile, they have got so much going on in the ground, that you do not need to apply anything.” An iconic book for our times that completes a powerful trilogy and achieves another ‘first’. Sixty Harvests Left will be the first book to show that, far from being ‘a necessary evil’, factory farming is threatening the very survival of our planet and that ending the industrialisation of the countryside is key to saving our children’s future.

Soils are the basis of life," said Semedo, FAO's deputy director general of natural resources. "Ninety five percent of our food comes from the soil."

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Our Patron, Dame Joanna Lumley, who hosted last night’s launch, said: “As long as I can remember I've seen everything linked together, that is people, and animals and places and time and how we eat and the seasons... and no part of it is more of less important than the other. Our world is at a critical crossroads. And the choices are ours to make – only 60 more harvests? Or a future-proof food system and planet? New research reveals US-style mega-farm numbers have risen to nearly 1,100, including 745 poultry mega-farms in England and 59 in Wales, bringing into question the country’s claim to be a nation of animal lovers.