The Extinction and Livestock conference was the world’s first international conference where more than 50 of the best minds in the fields of ecology, agriculture, public health, biology, oceanography, eco-investment and food retailing joined forces over two days to examine how modern meat production affects life on earth and to brainstorm ways to revolutionise the world’s food and farming systems to prevent mass species extinctions.

Renowned speakers

High profile speakers calling for a radical shift in global food policy included: food activist Raj Patel; author Dr Carl Safina; bee expert Professor Dave Goulson; environmentalist Tony Juniper; naturalist Chris Darwin, and many more.

The food industry was represented by a number of speakers including:

Jim Perdue, Chair of Perdue Farms in the US, took part in a discussion with Leah Garces, USA Executive Director at CIWF, on ‘Partnering for higher welfare’.
Cheryl Queen, Vice President Communications & Corporate Affairs, Compass Group joined a ‘Future Food Solutions’ panel alongside Josh Balk, Founder of Hampton Creek.
Neil Barrett Group Senior Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Sodexo spoke about food waste and sustainability in the food service sector·
Ignacio Blanco-Traba, Senior Director, Global Sustainable Sourcing at McDonald’s took part on a panel discussion on achieving a flourishing food system.
Kevin Brennan, CEO of Quorn Foods talked about the opportunities and prospects for meat alternatives.
Seth Goldman, Co-Founder of Honest Tea and Executive Chair of Beyond Meat spoke about tacking health, climate and animal welfare in one bite!
Ecological poultry farmer, Ruud Zanders, talked about his latest project Kipster; a revolutionary poultry farm that produces higher welfare eggs and meat with no use of fossil fuels and minimal pressure on the environment.

There was also an evening event, hosted by Compassion’s patron Joanna Lumley, where guests were served the Beyond Burger - currently only available in the US - along with a range of other innovative plant-based foods.

Landmark Extinction & Livestock conference held in London