PETA’s First-Ever Farming Awards
Everyone needs farmers, but farmers don’t need to keep animals for meat, eggs, or dairy. PETA has launched our first-ever Farming Awards to celebrate the farmers at the forefront of ethical, animal-free farming. We’re delighted to recognise these sowers of compassion, and we encourage all farmers to grow plants and leave behind the heartbreak and violence of raising animals for food.
Take a look at our excellent winners producing beans, vegetables, grains, fruit, and more:
Aweside Farm
Gorgeous edible flowers, leaves, and herbs are grown and picked at Aweside Farm. Operating on organic principles, it has worked hard to create new habitats for wildlife, including ponds, insect-friendly meadows, hedgerows, and fruit trees.
IC Mushrooms
From oyster mushrooms to shiitakes, this farm grows a range of exotic mushrooms using eco-friendly, vegan, and raw materials. It also offers courses in growing your own mushrooms and an exciting range of shroomy treats, such as ramen meal kits.
Northwood Farm
Inspirational compassionate farmer Laurence Candy stopped sending animals to their deaths and retired his gentle herd of cows to Hillside Animal Sanctuary. With support from Stockfree Farming, each individual now has the chance to live a long and peaceful life. Candy switched to growing vegan and organic beans and grains, and we hope more farmers will follow his kind-hearted example.
Richard Cole and Tofurei
Norfolk farmer Richard Cole grows soya beans, and local tofu factory Tofurei transforms them into tasty products like vegan cheesecake that are soya good. Try them yourself at the Tofurei vegan café in Norwich.
Scilly Organics
Ditch cruelly produced meat, eggs, and dairy in favour of Scilly’s tasty greens. This certified organic farm grows a range of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Locals can head down and buy from its market stalls – but hurry, they’re popular!
SHORE Seaweed
Seaweed? That’s right! This Scottish business leaves fish in peace and grows 10 species of organic, responsibly harvested seaweed. This superfood can give our diets a boost of protein, fibre, magnesium, calcium, iron, and iodine – so keep an eye out for SHORE’s pestos, crisps, and other products.
The Artisan Grower
In the heart of rural Aberdeenshire, The Artisan Grower uses hand tools and simple technologies to grow the best-tasting vegan, organic, seasonal crops – including microgreens year-round. Everything is grown without animal-derived products or harmful pesticides.
The Tomato Stall
From vine to door, The Tomato Stall delivers deliciously plump, juicy tomatoes. They’re grown organically, with no animal-derived products and with love, on the Isle of Wight and to homes across the UK for soups, salads, pizzas, and more.
Tolhurst Organic
The UK’s largest vegan and organic farm, Tolhurst Organic regenerates the soil and supports wildlife by planting hedgerows and trees. Not only does it offer fresh veg boxes to Oxfordshire locals, it also gives advice on organic vegetable farming to other farmers and anyone else interested.
Vertical Future
On this futuristic, vertical, indoor farm, crops are grown year-round without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or animal-derived fertiliser. Vertical Future is paving the way for innovative vegan farming anywhere in the UK.
Farming animals for food is a sad business. In today’s meat, egg, dairy, and fishing industries, piglets’ tails may be docked without painkillers, chickens’ throats are cut while they’re still conscious, cows are forcibly separated from their beloved calves, and fish are cut open while they’re still alive.
Farmers who switch to growing vegetables, grains, pulses, and fruits not only reduce animal suffering but also help the planet: animal agriculture is a leading cause of environmental destruction, as it requires massive amounts of land, food, energy, and water while emitting huge quantities of greenhouse gases. Researchers at the University of Oxford recently determined that current agricultural systems make it impossible to meet climate commitments even if all other sources of greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated.
PETA has recently released a video celebrating crop farmers across the country – make sure you watch it until the end!
Support compassionate UK farmers and switch to a vegan lifestyle today:
