Who we are
We are a small yet passionate group of individuals, all with different backgrounds, united by the same aims and objectives – ie to support and promote wholistic farming and its benefits to the wider community for the sake of our collective health.
“The Doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition”
Thomas Edison
Our Board
Jacqueline Pearce-Dickens - Founder & Chief Executive
Jackie is passionate about supporting and getting recognition for farmers who aim to achieve herd health through a wholistic approach. An experienced facilitator and trainer, she works closely with wholistic vet Chris Aukland to develop and deliver WHAg’s Livestock Programmes, as well as being responsible for the operational management of the organisation.
Chris Aukland MRCVS - Director & Head of Livestock Programmes
A veterinary surgeon based in East Sussex, Chris has been using an integrated wholistic approach to his veterinary work for over thirty years and leads WHAg’s Livestock Health Programmes which aim to educate and support farmers to integrate natural health approaches into their herd health strategies.
Karin Mont - Director
Karin comes from a farming background. After successfully using homeopathy to treat a long-term problem with her livestock, which failed to resolve using a conventional approach, Karin was impressed by the effectiveness of this wholistic solution. Based on her experience of using homeopathy over many years for a wide range of health situations, she is deeply committed to introducing farmers to the healing potential of this intrinsically sustainable system of medicine.
Our Associates
Lawrence Woodward O.B.E. - Founder & Honorary Chair
A founder and director of the Organic Research Centre (ORC) for 30 years, Lawrence advises and speaks about the principles and methods of organic agriculture to a wide range of organisations. In 2001 he was awarded an O.B.E. for services to organic farming, having played a pivotal role in the strategic and practical development of the organic sector in the UK and internationally.
Karen Seyersted - Founder and Educational Advisor
An integrated healthcare practitioner, Karen is keen to investigate and understand best practice among wholistic farmers in order to develop models that can be replicated for success.
Pammy Riggs - Wholistic Farmer and Author
Pammy and her husband ran Providence Farm in Devon for over 20 years,winning numerous awards including Organic Business of the Year. Pammy has taught a variety of courses around the UK, including the poultry–keeping course at River Cottage and is a published author.
Dr Leonard Faedo - Agronomist and Research Scientist
Leonardo is an Assistant Researcher at the Centre for Agroecology,Water & Resilience at Coventry University, a member of the Biodynamic Farming Research Group, and Editor of the Brazilian Journal of Agroecology.
Our Steering Group
Sally Bagenal MBA
Sally is passionate about the wholistic approach to human and planet health, using business as the vehicle for social change.. A former organic dairy farmer, co-founder of Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) and its CEO for 10 years, Sally developed the organic milk market, heading a professional marketing campaign that grew the market by 30% per years, subsequently encouraging 100s of dairy farmers to convert to organic farming practices.
Oliver Dowding - Organic Farmer
Oliver sits on the Soil Association Farmer and Grower Board and has farmed organically near Wincanton since 1989, keeping 300 dairy cows and 200 followers until 2004 when he refocused his business to concentrate on arable. Oliver remains a passionate and determined advocate for homeopathy after he and his staff experienced enormous success for most of the illnesses or conditions that needed treatment in his large herd.
Chris Gosling - Organic Farmer
Chris and her husband Nick run a 4th generation dairy and arable farm in Wiltshire producing organic milk, butter, cream and kefir. Their herd of 200 Guernsey cows is kept healthy via a caring wholistic approach, relying on the Obsalim observational technique, homeopathy and diversely planted pastures.
Saskia Lewis - Concerned Citizen & Architectural Educator
Health challenges have led Saskia to heal herself through organic foods, pasture fed meat, homeopathy and exercise. She is deeply grateful to those who grow this quality of produce and is fully committed to supporting their work with the aim of holistic methods becoming more widely adopted. She believes that the world of architecture extends well beyond the literal built form to the management and stewardship of landscape, infrastructure and quotidian routines.
John Newman - Organic Farm Manager
John has been farm manager of award-winning Abbey Home Farm in Cirencester since 1992. The organic mixed farm is committed to wholistic principles and rears beef, sheep, pigs and poultry plus a small herd of dairy shorthorns. Committed to conservation, biodiversity & to becoming truly sustainable, it aims to feed the local community from the food it raises and grows.
Tony Pinkus - Homeopathic Pharmacist
Tony is Chief Pharmacist and proprietor of Ainsworths Homeopathic Pharmacy, co-founder of Ruminant Health and Etherica, and Dean of Pharmacy for the Faculty of Homeopathy. Tony is committed to empowering farmers to achieve vibrant livestock health via a combination of natural approaches, including homoeopathy and the Obsalim observational technique.
Meg Walters - Organic Beef Farmer
Meg is a farmer and farmer’s wife. She’s also passionate about conservation, biodiversity, education, food provenance, sustainability, and above all else, animal welfare. Her experience comes from ground roots level working on Sheepdrove Organic Farm and running her own Peak District farms.
Sally Wood - Organic Dairy Farmer
Sally runs a dairy farm of 200 Jersey crossbreeds in SW Wales, with her partner Garry. They recently reduced their herd by 100 cows as they are converting to organic standards . She has transitioned from fully conventional farmer to ‘beyond organic’ in her quest to improve the health of her entire farm.
Our Champions
Darina Allen - Cookery School Founder & Author
Darina is Ireland’s most famous cook and a best-selling author who founded the Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983 on her organic farm which produces ingredients for the school and shop. Darina was instrumental in setting up the Farmers’ Market movement and the International Slow Food Movement in Ireland. She chairs the Artisan Food Forum and is a Trustee of the Irish Organic Centre, and Patron of Irish Seed Savers. Darina is vehemently opposed to the growing of GM crops and passionate about wholistic farming for health.