How We Take Our Food System Back with The Bowler Hat Farmer on The Never Settle Podcast

In this episode, Mel and Mark get real about the state of farming and food in the UK today — not from headlines or think tanks, but from lived experience, grassroots projects, and conversations on the ground with thousands of people.

Mark shares what he learned after traveling 10,000 miles, visiting farmers, communities, and local projects — and what became clear is this:

The public wants real, local, chemical-free food.
Farmers want to grow it.
We just need to reconnect the two.

We talk about:

How supermarkets and policy systems are pushing farmers into impossible corners

The decline in soil health — and the solutions already working

The launch of FoodFindersHub.org, a new platform to link farmers, growers and volunteers

Community farms, land sharing, and rebuilding local food networks

The public support for farmers that most farmers don’t even know exists

This isn’t doom and collapse.
This is the rebuilding — and it’s already happening.

If you’ve felt something shifting… this episode confirms it.

00:00 — Intro + Tech hiccups (as always 😅)
01:48 — Mel’s return from retreat + grounding reflections
05:22 — Mark returns after 7 months away
08:15 — Housing uncertainty + choosing not to move to Scotland
12:44 — Mark’s next chapter: The directory + community food network vision
17:10 — Why farmers feel unsupported + confusion around advice and funding
20:59 — Ian Clifford, legal battles, and organizational sabotage
27:40 — The deeper issue: Farmers don’t know the public is on their side
31:55 — Mark’s 10,000-mile UK farm tour — what he witnessed
36:48 — The truth about the UK’s food security vulnerability
41:33 — Introducing the collaborative network: Good Food Project, Organity, Crops Not Shops & more
46:02 — The birth of the platform: **FoodFindersHub.org**
51:58 — How the platform connects farmers, land, volunteers & communities
56:41 — Public demand for chemical-free food — and why farmers don’t see it
1:01:15 — Why supermarket supply chains keep farmers trapped
1:06:09 — Funding blockages & why DEFRA pushes net-zero over real food
1:11:22 — Launching the volunteer database: 28 signups in 48 hours
1:15:07 — The quiet collapse of soil life — and how to reverse it
1:20:55 — The loss of local abattoirs and food processing — and how to bring them back
1:25:49 — The case for **mobile abattoirs and mobile mills**
1:30:18 — Why 80% of farms could disappear — and what happens next
1:35:12 — Real hope: Farmers who are already transitioning successfully
1:40:04 — Community farms + land projects — and how to get involved
1:44:56 — The Ambassador Program — building a grassroots movement
1:47:12 — Closing message: **Hope is growing — become part of it**
1:49:39 — End

To start connecting with your local farmers go to :
Website - https://foodfindershub.org/
https://foodfindershub.org/local-food-contact/
Insta - https://www.instagram.com/foodfindershub/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@UCIkFdAnQWHDBNAu9W1nsNtw

To connect with Mark go to
Website - https://thebowlerhatfarmer.com/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Thebowlerhatfarmer
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thebowlerhatfarme

To help Mel keep interviewing amazing guests please donate what you can and buy me a coffee - much appreciated x
https://buymeacoffee.com/melkate

If you want to get healthier you can grab 10% off the body harmonising ORB stickers here - https://www.omniaradiationbalancer.com/NEVERSETTLE

You can find Mel on:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Substack - https://theneversettlepodcast.substack.com/publish/home
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@soul_purposecoach
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reducestaffattrition/
Rumble - https://rumble.com/user/truther1999
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.melclarkecoaching.com

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New Album on Spotify Music⁠⁠⁠ - Timelines & Ties by Melody Kate - https://open.spotify.com/album/2ROjbmdYtivfdOlsKLQU6X?si=ArRJiRETRzWxyWo8VlZWOg
Apple - https://music.apple.com/gb/album/timelines-ties/1803554883
and all other major platforms.

The Never Settle Audio/Video Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/3YWZ3RSb81vtuTKWjDuJ2Y?si=648ede6e5ea34fa6

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insta⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/mel_k_clarke/
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.facebook.com/melclarkecoaching/