An Inclusive Transition to a Sustainable and Resilient Meat Sector

Panel discussion with Marc Buckley, Resilient Food Futurist; Didier Toubia, CEO of Aleph Farms; Cor Van Der Weele, Professor at Wageningen University; Sophie Egan, Director of Strategy, Food for Climate League; Ruaraidh Petre, Executive Director, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.

The event built on the outcomes discussed at the Independent Dialogue and launch Aleph Farms’ newest white paper focused on a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder, system-based approach to support the transition to a sustainable meat sector.

• Ruaraidh Petre, Representative on Round Table for Sustainable Beef, argued we all need to be prepared to pay for sustainable food systems, and consider the complex webs that make up food systems when considering the sustainable transition. With regards to the balance between farming and innovation, collaboration is key as we need everyone in the transition but any movement towards patented technology will be met with scepticism.
   
• Didier Toubia, CEO of Aleph Farms, stated that from their perspective, the best scenario is cultivated meat technologies existing alongside, rather than directly competing with, traditional and sustainable agriculture. It is key for the private sector and farmers to build trust and work together to enable the transition and provide transparency for consumers.
   
• Cor van der Weele highlighted the role of the government in securing this transition, in securing incentives to develop new initiatives, and to support farmers in using sustainable agricultural practices.