WHAT’S THE BEEF WITH VEGANISM?

Catherine Cleary, in conversation with Juliet Gellatley, founder & director of Viva! – gets to the meat of the matter.

A new study has warned that meat consumption in western countries such as the UK and Ireland may need to drop by 90 per cent to avert a climate catastrophe and reverse the current obesity epidemic. Its recommendations, if adopted, would have major implications for the Republic’s €12 billion food and drink industry, which is heavily centred on beef and dairy production. Beef is the single largest component of this trade worth €2.5 billion annually to the Irish economy. So should we be swapping our Whoppers out for Impossible Burgers and choosing Seitan over steak? Juliet Gellatley is founder & director of Viva! and is ideally placed to frame the debate. A pioneer in her field, she was the first to expose the conditions of factory-farmed ducks, the first to produce a cinema ad promoting veganism and was instrumental in ridding British supermarkets of so-called ‘exotic’ meats. Join her in conversation with Catherine Cleary, restaurant critic for the Irish Times, on a topic that is sure to throw up bones of contention.