Farming and comedy. Not the most obvious pairing (unless we’re talking about The Fast Show’s Farmer Ted or the odd episode of Emmerdale), but Friends of the Earth’s LIVEstock 2009 is set to change all that and bring them together this November.

LIVEstock is a unique comedy and music event organised in support of Friends of the Earth’s Food Chain Campaign which has been launched to raise awareness of the need for planet-friendly meat and dairy farming, and call on the government to fix the food chain to ensure thriving farms and a healthy planet for the future.

When we bite into a burger or put milk in our tea, we don’t always think about our food’s journey to our kitchen. We need to get thinking though, because in fact, the meat and dairy industry produces more climate-changing emissions than all the planes, cars and lorries on the planet – and a hidden chain links animals in British factory farms to rainforest destruction in South America. 

LIVEstock is a great way for us to get behind this important issue – and have good laugh at the same time. A fantastic array of today’s comedy stars including Marcus Brigstocke, Russell Howard, Stephen Merchant, and Lucy Porter is set to get you giggling, and a special appearance from Razorlight will get the party started. We’re assuming the jokes won’t focus solely on chickens crossing roads, but we reckon that this line-up of comedic masterminds could give even the most worn-out jokes a new lease of life!