Cattle breeding is one of the distinctive features of human history: it represents the first form of agriculture and has accompanied the development of all civilizations, guaranteeing the precious nourishment of meat, that is important for human health and wellbeing, for the livelihoods of entire societies and for ecological balances.

Today the beef sector represents one of the main sectors of the planet's agri-food system and is faced with a great challenge: to guarantee the production of animal proteins for a constantly growing population, without losing the characteristics of farming developed over millennia of history.

To clarify the real role of ruminants in a balanced diet and sustainable meat production, the International Symposium “Cow is Veg - The role of ruminants in a sustainable diet” hosted a panel of internationally renowned scientists, presenting new data disclosing the real impact of red meat on health and environment, addressing the topic from different perspectives, all of which are highly relevant today: from sustainable development goals to climate change, malnutrition, and human evolution.

WATCH THE SPEAKERS’ VIDEOS

Contribution of global livestock sector to the Sustainable Development Goals: opportunities and challenges

ANNE MOTTET, Livestock Development Officer, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization – FAO

How managing methane can make livestock part of a climate solution

FRANK MITLOEHNER, Professor and Air Quality Specialist, UC Davis – USA

Diet and human evolution: how being carnivorous made us what we are

MIKI BEN-DOR, Researcher in Nutrition and Ancestral Diets, Department of Archeology, Tel Aviv University – Israel

Avoiding meat will not fix Planetary Health: the need to factor in adequate nutrition

FREDERIC LEROY, Professor in the field of Food Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel – Belgium

The climate challenge of Italian livestock

GIUSEPPE PULINA, Full Professor of Ethics and Sustainability of Animal Production, University of Sassari – Italy