Environment Secretary Angela Eagle has joined King Charles and leaders from across farming, food production and business at Dumfries House for a major summit on how Britain can build a more sustainable and resilient food system.
The Harmony in Food and Farming Summit, convened by The King's Foundation with the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and the Sustainable Food Trust, brought together around 40 leaders from supermarkets, food and drink companies, energy providers and farming, alongside international figures including former US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Eagle said:
An honour to be hosted by The King's Foundation at Dumfries House this week for the Harmony in Food and Farming Summit.
She added that the gathering brought leaders together to discuss "what's working, and how we can create a food system that is fit for the future."
Focus on sustainable and regenerative farming
The summit centred on how food production can become more sustainable while maintaining productive and profitable farms.
The King's Foundation said conventional agriculture was placing increasing pressure on natural resources and argued that regenerative farming could help improve soil health, strengthen food security and make the system more resilient to climate change.
Participants also examined practical approaches to reducing food waste, improving sustainability across supply chains and strengthening cooperation between farmers, retailers and government.
King Charles joins industry leaders
King Charles attended the summit in his role as Royal Founding President of The King's Foundation.
The Royal Household confirmed that he attended the gathering at Dumfries House on 16 September.
The King has long championed sustainable farming and environmental protection, and Dumfries House is used by his foundation for practical education programmes and projects focused on food, farming and sustainability.
Practical projects at Dumfries House
The Foundation runs programmes including Food For The Future, which teaches school pupils about growing food, soil health and reducing waste, as well as adult courses in farming and rural skills.
It has also launched Six Fields, One Future, a project supporting six local farms to move towards regenerative farming methods with backing from the Dumfries House agricultural team.
Eagle puts food security at centre of environmental agenda
Eagle's attendance reflects the Government's wider focus on the relationship between food security, environmental protection and the future of British farming.
The summit's central argument was that those priorities should not be treated as competing goals: better soil, stronger ecosystems and more resilient farming can support both environmental objectives and long-term food production.
For Eagle, the gathering was an opportunity to hear directly from farmers and industry leaders about what is already working - and how government, business and agriculture can work together to create a food system capable of meeting the challenges ahead.
