Addressing opinion leaders and farmers at the first ever Great British Wind Meal event, which looked at the benefits of wind power and its potential to sustain British food and farming, Fearnley-Whittingstall called wind power a ” very exciting crop”.

He said: “We need to move towards an approach that wind energy and turbines are fundamentally normal. I don’t think anyone would say old-fashioned windmills were an eyesore.

“We need the media to see this as a completely normal situation. The debate around wind is an anxiety about change. Wind power is here, it’s about where we put it and how we use it, in an efficient way.”

The event, which set out to ‘re-frame the wind debate’, highlighted the fact that many farmers and producers in the UK are turning to wind power to bring down their energy costs, lower their carbon footprint and provide an additional source of income.

With 64% of small and medium sized wind turbines in the UK installed on farms, 40% of farmers are now using renewable energy, with 30% of those who have renewable energy choosing wind.

Also participating in the event was author and presenter, Robert Llewellyn and Forum for the Future’s Nick Conway.

Conway said: “Our food system needs to be compatible with our energy system. There is lots of information around, but more importantly farmers don’t know who to trust. We need to get information about wind out to farmers in a way they are going to understand.”

In November, Fearnley-Whittingstall, along with celebrities Phillip Schofield and Janet Street Porter backed a national campaign to feed pigs with food waste. The ‘Pig Idea’, set up by food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart, calls for more legally permissible food waste to be fed to livestock.

Leigh Stringer

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe