The Alltech ONE ideas conference
Every year, animal nutrition company Alltech brings together the ani- mal protein industry for a conference, inviting thought-provoking presenters. Because of Covid-19, the 2021 edition had to be organ- ised online rather than in a physical venue in Lexington, KY, United States, like the 2020 edition. In total more than 70 presentations were given between June 22-24, 2021, and most can still be viewed online on demand. Next year’s event is planned to take place from May 22-25, 2022.
Greenhouse gas emissions are a top topic and feed use offers a big opportunity for us to reduce emissions, according to Dr Saheed Salami.
Farmers can be the saviours of Mother Earth
Mother Earth is under a great deal of pressure, feeling the pain of bil- lions of inhabitants going about their daily lives sometimes with com- plete disregard to the damage they are causing. During his keynote speech, David McWilliams, economist and professor at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, discussed the state of the world and the Covid-19 pandemic. The pressures, said Prof McWilliams, include global warming, rising sea levels, polluted rivers, parched lands, blackened skies, and global pan- demics. He said, “We all have a fair idea where the story ends. But there is an alternative. It’s legacy thinking. And the farmer, the traditional steward of our planet, its animals, its land, forests, and rivers, can be its saviour. So, with just one planet to share, we’re all in this together. Conservationists and consumers, farmers and activists, industry and
government, man and Mother Na- ture, and the goal is the three H’s: healthy people, healthy society, and a healthy planet.” His take-home message was that agriculture is the reason our civilisa- tions developed, and our food systems and diets still remain diverse and amaz- ingly responsive: “While the challenge of feed- ing the growing planet will fall on fewer shoulders than was the case in the past, with innovation and the will to be that good ancestor, we will continue to produce more with less, and this time, for healthier people, a healthier society, and a healthier planet.”
A different diet will not save the planet
New eating habits and an ever-in- creasing focus on the impact of agri- culture on the environment were key elements of the keynote speech by Dr Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. He said: “People are saying that we need to change our diet in order
to save our planet. And while their ideas may not be based on fact, they are certainly not alone.
We can see in many media publications a lot of negativity towards agricul- ture, specifically animal agriculture and particularly beef production.” Dr Lyons highlighted how some of the best restaurants in the world are removing beef from their menus and how protein is also being
removed from many recipes, all because some people think producing beef harms the climate. Europe has introduced the Green Deal and in the United States the Bid- en administration is drawing up its own climate programme. Dr Lyons said farmers need to stand up for their industry when it came to the benefits of farming on the environment. He quoted one surprising fig- ure: if the United States eliminated all its dairy cows, greenhouse gas emissions there would only fall by 0.7%, and at the same time remove 39 essential nutrients from human diets. His apt conclusions were that: “We really have to realise that we will not save the planet with different food. It’s our use of fossil fuels that is driving climate change. And so if all of humanity turned into vegans, we would not actually meet the climate challenge.”
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 7, 2021 9
PHOTO: JORIS TELDERS
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