He launched his new book on World Food Day 2017, entitled Bittersweet Brexit (@PlutoPress) that explores the consequences of Brexit on our food farming land and labour. Follow on twitter #bittersweetbrexit. 

The book is the first labour analysis of food and farming in many years and he wants it to be a red/green approach to a better food/farm policy post Brexit. 

He has three degrees in agricultural science, a BSc (Agricultural Zoology) from Newcastle University, an MSc (Applied Plant Science) and a PhD (on the effects of herbicides on soil fauna) from Wye (now Imperial) College, London University. He also has a Teaching Certificate (PGCE). In 2015, h

e helped set up a new degree at Manchester Metropolitan University on Food Entrepreneurship, where he ran the module on 'Food Sustainability'.

In 2017 he appeared on BBC Gardeners World explaining about the vital role that soil animals play in improving soil health. 

He is on the board of the Incredible Edible Farm at Heeley Clough in Todmorden since 2013 and is on the board of the Lancashire and Region Dietary Education Resource (LARDER).

He was Specialist Adviser to parliamentary Select Committee for Environment Food, Rural Affairs (EFRA) for their report on "Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK" for six months in 2009.

He has co-written two books about food, "More than we Can Chew" and "P is for Pesticides", both with (now Prof.) Tim Lang. He was Chair of Lancashire College of Agriculture at Myerscough in the early 1990s having hill-farmed in Lancashire in the late 70's.

He co-wrote the original "Workers Education and the Environment" learning materials for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the early 90's. In the later 90's he devised and wrote a level 3 Award "Certificate in Environmental Practice" for a national Awarding Body. 

In 1999, he set up his own company - Environmental Practice @ Work Ltd, which specialisedin producing web-based learning for people at work to find out - and do more, about the environment. Clients included LearnDirect, IKEA restaurants, Cooperative Retail, Sainsbury's, Action Energy, Kent NHS, Lantra Awards, Enworks, and Soil Association.

He was a member of the UK government's expert 'Advisory Committee on Pesticides' from 2002-6. He was a member of the Co-operative Retail's Pesticide Advisory Committee and also their 'Responsible Retailing" Advisory Panel (RRAP). He was a member of the Board of Pesticide Action Network-UK from 2008-12 and chaired their Rachel Carson Lecture 08.

He represented the Farm workers Union, now part of Unite, on the Health & Safety Executive's "Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee" and is the NW Representative on Unite's Rural & Agricultural Workers National Trade Group.

He worked with HSE, NFU and several awarding bodies to develop a suite of health and safety qualifications for agriculture and horticulture to try to tackle the appalling farm fatalities

He was a Temporary Adviser to World Health Organisation Europe for online materials for Health, Environment & Safety in the workplace, and WHO World to help develop Food and Nutrition course programme. In July 2004, he trained french nutritionists to deliver the WHO course in francophone Benin, Africa.

He joined the Food Ethics Council in 2007 and was a Trustee (09-13) where he chaired a Business Forum on "Protecting Workers". He was interviewed on Radio 4 Food Programme about sustainable food in Lancashire (CC on Food Prog interview).

He published an article in Outlooks for Pest Management Aug 08 called "Environment, Social and Economic aspects of Sustainable Food Supply, with special reference to pest management" about "How do pesticides fit in with the wider debate about “more sustainable” agriculture? Pesticide use over the next few years may change in ways that reflect emerging debates about agriculture, science and sustainability." pdf of article

In 2010 - 13 he took up a place on the new England Council of Lantra Sector Skills Council Board

He completed a "mini module" on Sustainability for City University in 2013.

May '10 he had a piece in the Guardian with Tim Lang called "Food can help the fiscal deficit" complete with others' comments.

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