Why bother about what livestock is fed?

Online at the Better Hospitality Conference 4-5pm 21st April 2021

Meat and dairy from animals fed wholly on pasture their entire lives consistently receives praise for its exceptional flavour. The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association, a farmer-led movement behind the Pasture for Life certification, meaning 100% pasture fed, champions this way of farming not just for this reason. The flavour of Pasture for Life produce reflects the health and diversity of the plants the animals have eaten and the health of the soil beneath their feet. In that way, each product has its own unique ‘terroir’, just like wine or cheese, which truly echoes the environment in which they have lived, be it the Yorkshire Dales, the South Wales coast or from a Scottish Island.

Research is also building showing that it’s also healthier, with higher levels of key fatty acids and minerals. With the links between environmental, animal and human health becoming increasingly clear, come and hear how and why you should engage with this movement – a membership organisation comprising farmers, butchers, chefs, academics, and many more, which turned ten in March – and help drive it forward.

In this session, we will hear from a chef on how they are engaging and working with Pasture for Life produce, a farmer on the environmental and animal welfare benefits that farming in this way brings, and an academic building the evidence behind the health benefits. The session will be chaired by the PFLA Executive Director, Jimmy Woodrow, who himself comes from a retail/hospitality background and, frustrated by the disconnect between food and farming, was spurred on to do something about it.

About the speakers

Chantelle Nicholson

Chantelle Nicholson is the multi-award winning chef-owner of Tredwells (the recipient of a green Michelin star in 2021) and All’s Well. As one of the leading female voices in the UK’s hospitality industry, Chantelle is an advocate for seasonality and sustainability, championing veg-forward cooking through both the restaurant and her cookbook, Planted. Originally from NZ, and a trained lawyer, Chantelle is committed to creating a more sustainable future across her operation and activities, whilst also being an independent board member for ReLondon – moving London towards a more circular economy.

Fidelity Weston

Fidelity is Chair of the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association and farms near Sevenoaks in Kent. Their family farm is certified Pasture for Life and Organic and they rear Hereford cattle, sheep and poultry.

Jimmy Woodrow – chair

Jimmy works at the intersection of food and farming, as the Executive Director of the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association and a freelance consultant. Before that he worked across a range of commercial and project-based roles in London-based food businesses, including GAIL’s Bakery and Neal’s Yard Dairy, and spent his early career in financial advisory roles in the City of London.

Hannah Davis

Hannah Davis is a lecturer in sustainable ruminant production at Newcastle University. Hannah’s research focuses on pasture-based ruminant management, examining how dairy management practices (for example, grazing strategy) impacts milk nutritional quality, the environment and animal health and welfare.