Archived press release

Puppets spill the beans on animal feed in quirky new film, 'Soy Story'

16 October 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=0ZTwOQxkH-o&sharing_token=RDbd79m2k9q46r4QP3G1mg==

Rapper Scroobius Pip and actor Bernard Wrigley are the star voices behind a new short film that tells the story of a cow who treks to South America to find the answer to his daughter's questions about where their food comes from - being released by Friends of the Earth on World Food Day (Friday 16 October).

Soy Story was made by award-winning film-makers David Pownall and Caroline Eccles to highlight the hidden link between Government-funded factory farms and deforestation in South America . The duo won the top prize in last year's Friends of the Earth one-minute film competition: the opportunity to make a fully-funded short-film on one of the group's current campaigns.

The quirky short film sees a calf puppet asking its dad the tough questions in life. Not wanting his daughter to doubt his worldly knowledge, the inquisitive cow sneaks away to the Amazon to seek out the answers. Befriending a Spanish llama and singing toucan along the way, he returns to England ready to spill the beans on soy feed.

Narrator Scroobius Pip, one half of hip-hop duo Dan le Sac v Scroobius Pip, said:

"Narrating this film was a real eye-opener for me as I hadn't realised that growing feed for factory farms is trashing rainforests.

"Everyone should get behind Friends of the Earth's Food Chain Campaign which is calling on the Government to spend public money on planet-friendly farming instead of damaging factory farms."

Filmmaker Caroline Eccles said:

"Film is a good way to communicate ideas as it can be entertaining as well as informative; and engage people in issues they might not otherwise have thought about.

"Working with Friends of the Earth has given us an insight into the hidden link between factory farming and deforestation and we hope that our film compels those who see it to demand the Government support planet-friendly farming.

"Making Soy Story has been a fantastic opportunity for us personally and given us the chance to try new techniques like using puppets and green screens."

Friends of the Earth's Food Chain Campaign was launched earlier this year. It calls on the Government to take action to reduce the impact of the meat and dairy industry and highlights some shocking facts:

• Livestock production is responsible for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the planes, cars and lorries on the planet.
• On current trends animal feed production and cattle ranching alone and will destroy 40% of the Amazon rainforest by 2050.

Clare Oxborrow, Friends of the Earth's food campaigner, said:

"Animals can't help the meat and dairy industry's gigantic carbon hoofprint - but the Government can.

"By using public money to fund planet-wrecking factory farms, the Government is propping up an industry that is wiping out forests and making climate change worse."

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Watch 'Soy Story' at http://www.youtube.com/watch_private?v=0ZTwOQxkH-o&sharing_token=RDbd79m2k9q46r4QP3G1mg==
2. Photos of filmmakers David Pownall and Caroline Eccles making 'Soy Story' are available on request.
3. Pownall and Eccles won top prize in Friends of the Earth's one-minute film competition in November last year for their short film 'Winberry Hill'.
4. For more information on the public money spent on factory farming see Feeding the Beast media briefing: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/feeding_the_beast.pdf
5. For more information on the global meat and dairy industry see Friends of the Earth's What's Feeding Our Food? report: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/livestock_impacts.pdf
6. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." For more information see Livestock's long show report: http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM
7. More than 240 MPs have signed Early Day Motion 845 which raises awareness of the environmental and social damage being driven by the global meat and dairy industry and calls for action.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust