Dame Joanna Lumley: For the Love of Life

Our wonderful patron, Dame Joanna Lumley, spoke to an audience with our Global CEO, Philip Lymbery, last Friday (31st January) to mark the 10th anniversary of the best-selling book Farmageddon: the true cost of cheap meat.

The event, part of the 28th annual Oxford Literary Festival, saw Dame Joanna interviewed on stage by author of Farmageddon, Philip Lymbery. Many topics were discussed including Joanna’s love for animals and her steadfast support of our campaigns for over three-decades. For years, she has championed our work to End the Cage Age, most recently launching a UK Government petition with us. Joanna was also at the forefront of our Ban Live Exports campaign which came into fruition last year, with the enactment of the UK Animal Welfare (Live Exports) Act. Further conversations covered harmful pollution generated from factory farms, the need to reduce meat consumption and how meat alternatives are improving.

Dame Joanna’s thoughts on farming

The BAFTA-winning actress, TV presenter and longstanding champion for animal welfare shared her thoughts on farmers who say they can’t make a living at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre saying: “I think farmers have been given a raw deal, because supermarkets want cheap food. If farmers aren’t paid properly, they can’t do regenerative farming. Until farmers are paid a proper price, until meat becomes what it is – an expensive luxury, an occasional treat - they just can’t do it.”

When Philip asked Joanna what she would change for farmed animals, she paused and said with open arms - “freedom”.

Farmageddon

It’s 10 years since the jaw-dropping book Farmageddon was first published which proved to be both a wake-up call to change our current food production and eating practices, and an attempt to find a way to a better farming future.

Eye-opening in its revelations about how human food production and the global agribusiness has developed over the last century, it was the first book to show a mainstream audience that factory farming is not only the biggest cause of animal cruelty on the planet, but also the cause of harmful impacts on the environment, people and nature.

Words from our CEO

Philip, who has since gone on to write the books Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were and Sixty Harvests Left, said: “I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to discuss with our fabulous Patron Joanna Lumley, the love she has for all life, the challenges we face in achieving our goal to end factory farming, the war on our natural world and reasons for hope. It was a poignant way to mark 10 years since my first book – Farmageddon – was published.”

A proud Patron

At the end of the discussion Joanna spoke about why she supports Compassion and why others should too, commenting: “It’s sea green, incorruptible, utterly brilliant, steadfast, strong and informative. Ask an ally to sign up to Compassion in World Farming, sign a petition, write to their MP. I’m so lucky to be patron.”

Watch the full discussion with Dame Joanna and Philip.