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Zach Boren

@zdboren.bsky.social
7.3K followers 490 following 208 posts

what do i know? do i know things?? let's find out! > grilled.media

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Reposted by Zach Boren
Emma Howard @emmahoward.bsky.social · 12h
After a poultry plant shut down in July's heatwave, the UK's meat industry trade body called for processing sites to have "continuous access to water, irrespective of wider pressures on local supplies". When those sites use more water than Brighton, that matters. www.grilled.media/data-meat-in...
grilled.media
Data: Meat plants use more water than the population of Brighton
As meat processors demand priority access to water during drought, exclusive data reveals the industry's water use
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
a @grilledmedia.bsky.social exclusive: Europe's farming and agrochem lobbies pitched policymakers on weakening pesticide rules this summer, and I've got the presentations www.grilled.media/eu-pesticide...
grilled.media
Farming lobby's private pitch to weaken EU pesticide rules
Leading agriculture and pesticide groups invited EU policymakers to a closed-door briefing on relaxing pesticide approval rules. We have the presentations.
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Josh Gabbatiss @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
NEW INVESTIGATION – this summer saw temperature records smashed around the UK. We asked NHS trusts in England and Wales how many operations they were forced to cancel due to overheating surgical theatres They provided details of 1,110 operations that were called off in the May and June heatwaves
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
national audit office: upgrade the grid or consumers face higher energy bills the times: this is all wind power's fault
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
NEW | the UK has decided to end taxpayer support for power stations burning chicken waste. but now what happens to 600,000 tonnes of poo? @grilledmedia.bsky.social is back www.grilled.media/chicken-poo-...
grilled.media
Chicken waste crisis looms as UK axes subsidy for burning poo
With 600,000 tonnes of chicken litter facing an uncertain future, the poultry industry has warned of a 'waste management crisis'
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
sad to report my ticket to the UK premiere of World Without Cows, a documentary funded by an animal feed company, has been rescinded. i imagine the PR team googled me
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
as britain endures its worst harvest on record, it's worth knowing: 85% of UK farmland is used to feed livestock. and half of our wheat harvest doesn't feed people, it feeds animals
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Sky Marchini @sky.skymarchini.net · 08/08/2026
what www.rechargenews.com/grid/how-har...
rechargenews.com
How Harry Potter almost derailed a major UK interconnector project
‘Dobby, who’s Dobby?’ former head of €500m interconnector project recalled asking after uproar that planned cable, key to transporting wind and solar power, would go through magical elf’s ‘grave’
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
"I was trying to eat less processed foods. I ended up switching to dairy milk because that’s just one ingredient" boy the UPF thing is having material consequences on climate and environment efforts (alt-milks are fine btw) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Americans Are Rethinking Their Love Affair With Plant Milks
Alternative milks entered the mainstream in force in the 2010s. Now customer preferences are shifting again.
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
lmao comedy podcast 'we saw that' reacts to the scale of global chicken production. they are hilariously horrified
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 30/07/2026
the four stages: 1. Allister Heath's columns are not real 2. Allister Heath's columns are not serious 3. OK, they are real and serious but it's too late to do anything about them 4. Our only hope is to find a way of adapting to Allister Heath's columns
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
NEWS: Taylor Farms gave *$2 million* to Trump & Republicans as they postponed a rule that could've limited the spread of outbreaks like the ongoing Cyclospora epidemic. And, years ago, the industry *also* successfully lobbied to cut a program that handled ~80% of federal produce pathogen testing.
zeteo.com
‘Explosive Diarrhea’: Company Tied to Outbreak Donated to Trump as He Delayed Food Safety Rule
Taylor Farms contributed $2 million to Trump and Republicans as they postponed a rule to help the government limit the spread of foodborne illnesses.
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
with Angela Eagle, that's 10 diff environment secretaries since Brexit 10 years ago. great Monbiot piece about how that vacuum of vision and expertise has been filled by Big Chicken interests (also @grilledmedia.bsky.social investigation cited) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Besieged by lobbyists, will UK ministers protect our ecosystems? No, they’ll chicken out | George Monbiot
Industrial poultry farming is killing our rivers. But rather than stop it, the government has been facilitating it. Will Andy Burnham end this ecocide, asks Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Rebecca Leber @rebleber.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A major new investigation out today with new revelations about the oil and gas industry's long-running deception over natural gas. We lay out in new details and documents how big oil and gas manufactured the myth of "clean" natural gas.
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s #pesticides law - High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife By @zdboren.bsky.social @grilledmedia.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law
Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
doing this in the midst of a diarrhea parasite outbreak is certainly a choice www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Trump officials kill proposed rules for Pfas-contaminated sewage fertilizer
EPA tosses out scientific research carried out under Biden and says toxic sludge not a significant threat to public
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
So far this year we've had: the warmest winter on record in the mountain west, a record-shattering heat wave in Europe, once in a thousand year rainfall and flooding texas and forest fire smoke blanketing the mid west and the north east. Feels like something's going on with the climate!
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Jan Dutkiewicz @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Crucial reporting from @zdboren.bsky.social. "Newly revealed documents from inside the most powerful farming lobby in Europe show how it delayed, gutted and overturned some of the most sweeping farming reforms in EU history..." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law
Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Grilled @grilledmedia.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Welcome to GRILLED, investigative journalism on food systems and animal agriculture. Here are some of our hits so far Subscribe for more grilled.media
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Reposted by Zach Boren
pippaneill.bsky.social @pippaneill.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife Incredible investigation by @zdboren.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law
Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
New investigation from @grilledmedia.bsky.social & @theguardian.com Documents from inside Europe's most powerful farming org show how it lobbied "in the same way as the tobacco industry" (their own words!) to block policies for public health & the environment www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Revealed: how Europe’s most powerful farming lobby killed EU’s pesticide law
Exclusive: High-level documents show how Copa Cogeca worked to weaken legislation to protect climate and wildlife
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
i've been going through planning registers and found the chicken industry is preparing a fleet of new factory farms in response to animal welfare commitments investigation by @grilledmedia.bsky.social and @theipaper.com grilledmedia.substack.com/p/chicken-we... inews.co.uk/news/environ...
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
i don't think people understand how vulnerable intensive livestock farming is to climate breakdown www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/c...
nytimes.com
The Chickens Were Doing Just Fine. Then the Heat Wave Killed Millions.
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 27/06/2026
BBC News: "A Reform UK councillor's bid to scrap his authority's climate emergency declaration has been delayed because the chamber was too hot to debate it." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
West Norfolk council climate debate delayed due to extreme heat
Simon Ring says the fact the meeting was postponed due to the heat was "undeniably ironic".
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
make america healthy again am i right thehill.com/policy/energ...
thehill.com
Supreme Court protects pesticides from some health claims in key Roundup case
The Supreme Court on Thursday restricted Americans’ ability to sue pesticide makers over alleged health harms stemming from their products. In a 7-2 ruling, the court held that some claims that pes…
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Leah Stokes @leahstokes.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The heatwave in Europe is so extreme, it's 25–32°F (14–18°C) above normal. You read that right. France recorded it's hottest day ever. The UK had its hottest ever June day. The ground is exceeding 122°F (50°C). People are dying. Tell me again why we shouldn't talk about climate change???
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Greenpeace EU @greenpeace.eu · 22/06/2026
The EU's draft livestock plans consider creative accounting that would close their eyes to the catastrophic amounts of pollution coming from animal farming Accounting tricks do nothing to tackle climate breakdown that is now baking Europe in heatwaves, or the pollution killing our rivers and lakes
grilledmedia.substack.com
Leak: EU looks to change how livestock climate emissions are measured
The draft Sustainable Livestock Strategy also calls for 'flexibilities' on water pollution rules
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
A first exclusive for my new venture GRILLED the EU is looking to change how it measures livestock emissions the meat industry has been pushing for metrics that say livestock farms cause 'no additional warming' even as they continue to emit methane grilledmedia.substack.com/p/leak-eu-lo...
grilledmedia.substack.com
Leak: EU looks to change how livestock climate emissions are measured
The draft Sustainable Livestock Strategy also calls for 'flexibilities' on water pollution rules
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
a clarion call against the brutal efficiency of factory farming from @ezraklein.bsky.social one silver lining of the Save Our Bacon Act is that it's exposing the meat industry's tactics in real time www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What the Cult of Efficiency Costs Us
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 14/06/2026
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
uk chicken production is at record highs and still growing. imports are rising too. the industry's answer is weaker planning rules and more factory farms. but maybe we should be asking how to reduce demand rather than just continually boosting supply? www.ft.com/content/7552...
ft.com
UK turns to imported chicken as demand surges
Producers blame restrictive planning rules and more stringent welfare regulations for limiting domestic expansion
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Hunh. The Trump administration's big play to auction off Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel companies ... was a total bust. No major companies bid. Only 72,000 acres out of 689,000 were sold. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
washingtonpost.com
Major oil firms skip Trump’s auction of Arctic wildlife refuge drilling leases
The sale of 72,000 acres in leases is nonetheless a step toward extraction in the wilderness home to caribou and polar bears.
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
chuffed that @ellieodonnell.bsky.social and i have been shortlisted for @absw.bsky.social awards for our investigation into the UK's sewage sludge mess our work helped push the government to consult on new regulations for spreading sludge on farmland ✌️ www.absw.org.uk/pages/meet-t...
absw.org.uk
Meet the finalists – ABSW Awards 2026 | Association of British Science Writers
Who has made it to the finals in the ABSW Awards 2026?
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
great to see the NYT spotlighting how pork producers are trying to reverse animal welfare measures passed in california & massachusetts www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What the Meat Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
In 2015 there were 70 dairy farms in the UK where the cows can't go outside, now there's 180 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Huge rise in factory-style dairy farming of ‘battery cows’ in UK as costs rise
Investigation finds number of dairy farms where cows cannot go outside has more than doubled since 2015
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
lmao only the telegraph can blame the industrial chicken boom on 'being told to eat less red meat' (the piece itself is quite good) www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/...
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
“we need to take the decision away from local planning officers” last week a director at Avara Foods, owned by US ag giant Cargill, argued for a national framework for intensive poultry planning poultry.network/uk-could-run...
poultry.network
UK could ‘run out of home-grown chicken’ without planning reform, industry warned
THE UK could face a shortage of home-grown chicken in the near future, warned David Neilsen, Director of Agriculture at Avara Foods, at the Fair this week. Demand for chicken was set to keep growing, ...
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
40+ scientists (incl. me) warn that new methane accounting metrics such as "no additional warming", "temperature neutrality” are being used to grandfather high emitters, penalise developing countries, and undermine the Global Methane Pledge. Full statement: methanescience.org
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
the VP of the National Pork Producers Council has been publishing op-eds defending the 'Save Our Bacon Act' without consistently disclosing his industry role. the bill would override state animal welfare laws good spot by @thenewlede.bsky.social www.thenewlede.org/2026/05/pork...
thenewlede.org
Pork lobbyist helping lead “nonpartisan” group working against state animal welfare laws
The Carver Center for Agriculture & Nutrition's op-eds and analyses papers fail to mention that its chairman, Andy Curliss, is also the vice president of strategic engagement for the National Pork Pro...
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
homes 200 tonnes businesses 150 tonnes growing cattle feed in the desert 3,600 tonnes wetlands 400 tonnes someone who is good at water management please help budget this. the colorado river is dying www.wsj.com/us-news/clim...
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
the UK meat & dairy industry's 'eat balanced' annual ad campaign includes misleading climate claims, the advertising watchdog has ruled after a 14 month investigation www.dailymail.com/news/article...
dailymail.com
Ads backing British farmers are banned after Chris Packham complaint
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board's 'Let's Eat Balanced' campaign claimed the produce had a lower carbon footprint than other countries.
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
this past weekend i joined folk artist sam lee for singing with nightingales, an gathering in the woods of sussex where musicians lead a midnight jam session with an exuberant bird. for anyone looking to connect more deeply with nature, this is a special thing www.singingwithnightingales.co.uk
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
people (rightly) focus on water quality but rural air pollution is a serious issue and factory farms are a leading cause top work by @sustainweb.org & @ciwf.org.uk www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Ammonia pollution hotspots found in areas of UK with most pig and poultry factory farms
Map reveals most severe concentrations of ammonia emissions, which are dangerous to health and environment
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
the UK-EU trade deal being negotiated could mean aligning with European rules limiting antibiotic use in healthy animals. so naturally, the farming union is pushing for a carve-out great get by @tbij.bsky.social www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
thebureauinvestigates.com
UK farmers lobbied government over controversial antibiotic use
Union called for a rejection of EU’s stricter rules despite rising concerns over drug-resistant superbugs
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Amy Westervelt @amywestervelt.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Very excited for this forthcoming project from @zdboren.bsky.social investigating the meat industry! You can get a feel for the reporting here: www.theguardian.com/environment/... Sign up here: grilledmedia.substack.com
grilledmedia.substack.com
Grilled | Substack
Investigating the meat industry. Coming soon. Click to read Grilled on Substack.
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
UK looks to relax planning rules for factory farms after industry lobbying - documents chronicle years-long campaign to make it easier to build intensive livestock units Story by @zdboren.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
UK looks to relax planning rules for factory farms after industry lobbying
Exclusive: documents chronicle years-long campaign to make it easier to build intensive livestock units
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
the UK is set to change planning rules to make it easier to develop intensive livestock farms across the country following a lobbying campaign by Big Chicken my new investigation for the @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
UK looks to relax planning rules for factory farms after industry lobbying
Exclusive: documents chronicle years-long campaign to make it easier to build intensive livestock units
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Reposted by Zach Boren
Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
VICTORY! Government to open up the Land Registry - bringing to an end a thousand years of secrecy shrouding who owns England. I’ve been campaigning for this for ten years: the new Land Use Framework, published later today, makes it government policy. 1/ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Government to lift paywall from large parts of the Land Registry
Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targets
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
slightly surreal to see a whistleblower i worked closely with reveal his identity in a channel 4 drama and cool to revisit the story of how we worked together. rob showed real bravery and deserves huge credit www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Thousands of pollution incidents in England downgraded without site visit, data suggests
Exclusive: Whistleblower figures show large rise in ‘serious’ to ‘minor’ downgrades based on water company evidence
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Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
choose your fighter
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