Farmers on the Frontline

Our biggest event at COP30 highlighted the climate impacts of industrial animal agriculture. We presented our report, which examines eleven global case studies showing how increasingly extreme weather events are devastating farmers, farmed animals, and food security.

Vanessa Gisckkow Garbini from Mercy for Animals Brazil and panellists, including farmer Karina David from ProNobis Agroflorestal, shared their perspectives on the extreme flooding in southern Brazil last year, which led to the death of over a million farmed animals.

We also discussed opportunities to build a more resilient and humane food system with panellists Fabricio Muriana from Instituto Regenera, João Gonçalves from Mighty Earth Brazil and Tuanny Comini, Co-Founder at WePlant.

During the event, João said:

If we don’t move, if we don’t transform the way we produce food, we’ll keep devastating the planet. We can’t continue this way

At our accompanying exhibition, farmers’ testimonies, satellite imagery and photographs showed attendees how the expansion of industrial livestock farming has reshaped Brazil’s landscapes and affected rural livelihoods.

The panellists agreed agroecological farming must be a key part of the solution.

Brazilian organic farmer, Karina David, said:

We know nature is the best teacher. Why do policies ignore that? Why do the systems ignore that?

Managing nitrogen for a sustainable future

Another major issue we tackled at COP30 is nitrogen waste and pollution. We co-organised two events at the UN and country Pavilions to raise awareness and drive action in the area.

Excessive nitrogen use from fertilizers and manure causes air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation and biodiversity loss.

We have far exceeded the planetary boundary set for nitrogen, and industrial animal agriculture is a major contributor.

Our Senior International Affairs Manager, Andrea Perez, highlighted to policymakers at the UN’s FAO Pavilion and Pakistan Pavilion the “strong opportunity” to better manage nitrogen in agriculture as part of food system transformation – to boost our biodiversity, soil health, and food security, while reducing emissions.

Andrea said:

Sustainable nitrogen management also brings economic benefits from reducing waste in agriculture, supporting livelihoods worldwide.

Building resilience

Beyond these flagship events, our other contributions included an official side event with partners ProVeg, Food Tank, Humane World for Animals, and the Good Food Institute. Here we presented attendees with practical policy tools for creating climate-aligned and resilient food systems.

The clock is ticking

Nicholas Ceolin, our Global Head of International Affairs, said:

COP30 is an historic moment for the planet, and a key moment for us to make our message heard. It’s simple: we can no longer work in silos. Food system transformation must be the cornerstone of climate action.

With the livestock industry responsible for 18% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, the two are completely intertwined. What’s more, industrial animal agriculture is a major contributor to our breached planetary boundaries and rapidly warming planet.

As we outlined throughout the week, policymakers must take bold action – such as shifting to agroecological alternatives, embracing sustainable nitrogen management, and shifting towards more plant-rich diets. The clock is ticking - for people, animals, and food security – as well as our planet.”

Calling for bold action to fix our food system at COP30