Featured artwork by Lindsay Grime

Eating meat and dairy is deeply embedded in our culture and identity. But behind the products we buy, intensive animal farming is causing immeasurable suffering and inflicting colossal damage on nature and the climate. The vast majority of people in the UK say they would support a ban on factory farming, and yet our purchasing decisions continue to support this destructive industry. Why?

In this webinar, our panel will explore the stories we are told by the meat and dairy industries through advertising campaigns. We will look at how these stories help to deepen our existing strategies for dissociating from the animals we eat, enabling us to continue eating meat even when we might sense deep down there is something very wrong with how it is produced. We will consider how we might counter these stories to envision the systemic change that is needed, and how we can tackle the misleading and harmful advertising which upholds this system.

How do advertising messages uphold the destructive factory farming industry? How can we counter these with stories about how we could live differently? And how can taking action against corporate advertising help shift us to a kinder food system?

Speakers:

Arran Stibbe, Professor in Ecological Linguistics, University of Gloucestershire

Arran will explore how stories shape our relationship with nature and animals. He will look at the stories we are told by the meat and dairy industries about the food we eat and where it comes from. How can we counter this with messages about how we could live differently?

Find out more about Arran Stibbe's Ecolinguistics work.

Natalie Braine, Narrative Researcher, Animal Think Tank

Natalie will look at what we can learn from campaigns that have changed the narrative, such as Freedom to Marry, Together For Yes and Truth Initiative. She will explore why Animal Think Tank believes we need a focus on systemic change above individual choice.

Find out more about Natalie Braine's narrative research work.

Nicola Round, Outreach Director, Adfree Cities

Nicola will explore the ways in which advertising distorts our understanding of how animals are typically farmed. How do adverts help us to dissociate from the animals we eat, underplay the climate and ecological damage of intensive animal farming, and even make us feel we are doing something positive by buying animal products? What action can we take to tackle misleading and harmful advertising?

Find out more about Adfree Cities.

This event will be held on Zoom. A link to join will be sent the day before the event.

Artwork by Lindsay Grime