Who could be further apart than a dairy farmer and a vegan?
They certainly do not agree on the same things to eat and drink, but is it possible for them to share any similar views?
ChronicleLive , in partnership the Mirror, Daily Express and dozens of Reach PLC regional newspapers, want to stop derision in the nation and bring everyone back together
And in the latest instalment of our ground-breaking Britain Talks series, we introduce a vegan and a dairy farmer and challenge them to find something in common.
Abi Reader is a third-generation dairy farmer from the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. Sarah King is a fashion blogger from Bristol who turned vegan after watching Cowspiracy on Netflix.
"Cows can be your food, or can be your friend you can co-habit with,” said Sarah.
“I’m vegan because I don’t think it’s ethically right to cause an animal pain, or use it for my own personal gain."
“It’s my job, my livelihood and my community, but I’ve been called a kidnapper, a murderer and rapist, for looking after a dairy herd," said Abi.
Sarah says she is “very anti fox hunting” but Abi says her family allow hunts to cross their land.
“The hunts are very important because they collect dead animals for us, and feed what they can to the hounds.”
Abi does not watch Netflix, or even Countryfile. Her entertainment highlight of the week is a podcast called Rock & Roll Farming. And she says dairy farming hours are too unforgiving for relationships. “I don’t ride, or shoot or fox hunt, all I do is farm,” she said.
Sarah visits Abi to see her cows being milked, and Abi takes Sarah to a vegan fashion boutique. They bond over cups of tea (with oatmilk in).
But do they have more in common than that which divides them?
“What we both have in common is that we love animals,” Abi said.
“We both think about them a lot.”
Like Abi and Sarah did, here in Hull and East Yorkshire, we want you to sign up to agree to All you have to do is fill in a questionnaire, and let our widget do the rest.
We will match you with someone who lives locally to you and who has different views. Then, we’re asking you to meet up – in a safe, public space – for a cup of tea or coffee, or for a walk – to chat.
Fill in our form
Britain Talks will match people willing to have a constructive conversation with someone with an opposing view for chats over tea and coffee over the weekend of June 23, the third anniversary of Brexit.
We want you to sign up to agree to meet someone with different views. All you have to do is fill in a questionnaire, question below, and let our widget do the rest.
We will match you with someone who lives locally to you and who has different views. Then, we’re asking you to meet up – in a safe, public space – for a cup of tea or coffee, or for a walk – to chat.
