In one of the animal health industry’s most thought-provoking events of the year, I will join a panel of speakers in debating whether sustainability goals have outpaced political and public appetite and the impact of this on marketing. 

The Veterinary Marketing Association House of Lords debate on 16th July will gather influential speakers from across sustainability, veterinary medicine, agriculture and communications, chaired by Professor the Lord Trees of The Ross. 

Sustainability is widely said to be the cornerstone of the food, farming and animal health sectors – but has the term lost its resonance among farmers, and is it still driving the marketing agenda for corporates? 

While most farmers would say they want to leave the land in a better condition than they found it, increasingly tight margins, uncertainty over the future of environmental schemes and lack of recognition for farmers, are holding the sector back on sustainability. 

Yet farmers are facing the consequences of the changing climate more than most – with rising temperatures, increased droughts and flooding, and greater risk of crop losses.  

How do farmers feel about sustainability? 

The debate in the House of Lords is timely, following a few months on from Pinstone Pulse’s inaugural report: Sustainability: From Pressure to Partnership, which explores how farmers think and feel about sustainability, barriers to further progress, and the communication approaches most likely to engage them.  

Pinstone Pulse was created to help organisations understand how farmers and rural decision makers think and feel, so they can shape their communications accordingly. 

Among the key takeaways from the report was that much is already being done to improve sustainability, but farmers feel unappreciated for their efforts. Those who have done the most tend to be more pessimistic about our ability to tackle sustainability issues. 

This is a lost opportunity to communicate with a previously engaged audience. 

Unsurprisingly, finance and risk are uppermost in preventing farmers from doing more in the sustainability space, so there’s a real opportunity for businesses to ‘put their money where their mouth is’ and support farmers in this transition period.

Language and trust 

Our research, which involved 344 farmers, was revealing when it comes to who farmers trust and what language engages and alienates them around sustainability.  

One of my key debate questions to the panel will be: ‘If farmers don’t trust the language or messengers behind sustainability, is the industry at risk of communicating for itself rather than for behaviour change?’ 

We know the media landscape is rapidly evolving, with farmers relying on a blend of traditional sources – other farmers, advisers, trade media – and social media, search engines and influencers.  

And importantly, jargon such as ‘regen’, ‘net zero’ and ‘climate emergency’ are divisive and off-putting, while ‘farming with nature’ and ‘sustainable farming’ resonate with farmers.  

Baselining and standardisation of data also leave much to be desired, making it difficult to measure the impact of what farmers are doing – which ties in with the lack of recognition they feel. 
This relates to another of my questions for Professor the Lord Trees and the panel:  

Are we overcomplicating sustainability for farmers, and in doing so, slowing down the very progress we’re trying to accelerate? 

Bridging the gap 

It’s clear that the gap between industry messaging and farmer perceptions is growing, and if we are to drive change in the sustainability space, trust, language and credibility must be central to our communications. 

In a sector that is already under significant pressure, sustainability drives must make sense to the farmer’s bottom line.  

Crucially, farmers must feel recognition before being asked to do more; they must trust the source of the information; and the language we use must pull them in, not push them away. 

To find out more about the debate, visit: House of Lords Debate - Veterinary Marketing Association   

About the author – Hannah Lloyd 

Hannah Lloyd is director at Pinstone and leads Pinstone Pulse, the agency’s proprietary research and insight platform, designed to help organisations better understand farmer attitudes, behaviours and trust drivers. 

With a background in strategic communications and campaign development, Hannah works with brands and organisations across the agricultural supply chain to translate insight into more effective communications and engagement. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between industry ambition and on-farm reality, ensuring communications resonate with farmers in a way that is credible, practical and grounded in their world. 

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