The chairperson of a group representing females within the UK meat industry has said she is "extremely concerned" lack of industry cohesion ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit could have negative implications.
Meat Business Women chair Laura Ryan said: “The global meat industry is fragmented and I’m extremely concerned there isn’t an aligned global narrative ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit, which could result in negative ramifications for our industry.
"Meat Business Women is a global unifying community which brings the sector together.
"Holding dialogues are fundamental to getting the voice heard of our sector and the important role it plays for all.”
Global dialogue
In response, Meat Business Women has announced plans to hold a 'global dialogue' event in preparation for the summit, which takes place in September.
The discussion will take place on April 14 and will engage with people working in the meat sector and workshop solutions that feed directly into the United Nations Food Systems Summit dialogue.
It will include UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss as the keynote speaker.
Ideas from the event will then be fed into discussions at the United Nations Food Systems Summit.
The dialogue will explore:
- How gender equality can deliver a more sustainable meat industry;
- Who needs to be involved and what actions need to be taken to ensure the involvement and empowerment of women working in the sector?
- And, what impact could gender equality have directly on the Action Tracks identified within the UNFSS? (Particularly with regard to Action Tracks 2 'Shift to sustainable consumption patterns' and Action Track 4: 'Advance equitable livelihoods').
Meat Business Women works in partnership with meat businesses to remove the barriers that stop women from reaching their full professional potential.
UN Food Systems Summit
The UN Food Systems Summit has been convened as part of the UN's 'Decade of Action' to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
A statement the UN said the summit will launch "bold new actions" to deliver progress on all 17 goals - each of which relates to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.
Guided by five Action Tracks, the summit will bring together key players from the worlds of science, business, policy, healthcare and academia, as well as farmers, indigenous people, youth organizations, consumer groups, environmental activists, and other key stakeholders.
