At the heart of this work is a simple belief: everyone should have access to nutritious, healthy and sustainable food – and that must not come at the cost of farmers, animals, or the planet. Right now, ILP stands in the way of this vision.
There’s growing concern about the rise of ILP in the UK, but the conversation often gets stuck at the farm gate. We hear terms like “intensive” or “factory farming”, but there’s no shared understanding of what they mean, or how they link to wider supply chains and the corporate forces shaping them. And that means farmers often end up shouldering the blame, when it’s the system itself that’s forcing industrialisation.
This is why we’ve developed a new definition of ILP, shaped through extensive consultation with alliance members, stakeholders and experts across health, farming, environment and animal welfare. The definition works across three levels – on-farm, in supply chains, and at a system level – offering a fuller picture of what ILP actually looks like, how it operates, and why it’s so difficult to shift.
Using this definition as a foundation and building off the work of our alliance members, we’ve built a clear and compelling case for change. The main report of this toolkit maps the many hidden costs of ILP, laying the groundwork for a more joined-up, system-focused approach to advocacy.
