Weekly Grill podcast host Kerry Lonergan turns up the heat this week on international red meat advocate, Laura Ryan, the UK-based global head of the Meat Business Women group and co-founder of the Global Meat Alliance.

Laura Ryan

The anti-meat movement is one of the key challenges facing the global meat industry, Laura says, and the strategic solution lies in collaboration among red meat interests around the world to create a compelling, positive narrative to defend the industry’s position.

Founded in 2020, the Global Meat Alliance received seed funding from 15 industry levy boards and commercial companies. Groups involved come from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Wales, Uruguay, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Outside industry representative bodies, commercial supporters include New Zealand’s biggest beef and lamb processor, Silver Fern, European value-added and retail-ready meat processor Hilton Food Group  and European processors Cranswick PLC and Dunbia and ABP Food.

Laura joined the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board in 2007 after successfully launching premium beef & lamb brands within a large butchery business in the North East of England. Working her way through the ranks, she was appointed as Sector Strategy Director for AHDB’s Beef & Lamb Board in 2015. She led the strategic review and development for the Beef & Lamb sector in England by identifying key challenges and opportunities which deliver long term growth.

Laura is also the founder and global chair of Meat Business Women, a networking group for females working in the red meat industry, which established a thriving Australian chapter in 2018.

Previous episodes:

• What are the big trends evident in Beef Central’s Top 25 Lotfeeders report?
• Highland Beef supply chain principal, Murray Richardson
• Australian Beef Sustainability Chair, Mark Davie
• Live export industry pioneer Rick Trivett
• Cattle Australia president David Foote
• Markets reporting legend, Murray Arnel
• MLA managing director Jason Strong
• Carbon neutral beef brand program pioneer, James Madden
• MLA’s Corporate chef Sam Burke
• Downs lotfeeder David Brown, and BeefEX attendees
• The changing face of the ag finance sector, with NAB’s Khan Horne
• McDonald’s global head of beef procurement, Andrew Brazier at BeefEX
• S2 Ep33: Aussie agtech innovations – Farmbot and Optiweigh
• President of the Australian Cattle Veterinarians Association, Dr Tracy Sullivan
• Independent meat and livestock analyst Simon Quilty

• Genetics innovator Tom Bull
• MLA’s research, development and adoption manager, Mick Crowley
• Andy Hearnden, executive chef with beef processor Kilcoy Global Foods in Queensland.
• Low Stress Stock Handling founder Jim Lindsay
• NT Cattlemens Association president David Connolly
• Kimberley Meat Co chief, David Larkin
• Beef Central’s man-on-the-ground in Indonesia, Ross Ainsworth
• Meat processing legend, Trevor Lee
• Working dog legend Frank Finger
• New Federal Agriculture Minister, Murray Watt
• Wagyu Association president and 2022 Zanda McDonald award winner, Charlie Perry
• Latest cattle market wrap with TEM’s Matt Dalgleish and Stockco’s Chris Howie
• Cattle Baron Peter Hughes
• ALFA president Barb Madden
• Author and rural identity Sally Warriner
• Australia’s chief vet Mark Schipp, on Lumpy Skin Disease and other key biosecurity issues
• Herron Todd White’s Tim Lane
• RCS’s Terry McCosker on carbon
• Beef processing plant manager Wasa Mudannayake
• Head of asset performance for Macquarie Group’s MIRA Agriculture division, including Paraway Pastoral Co, Jock Whittle
• Veteran beef industry leader David Crombie
• Beef Central’s regular live export market commentator and columnist Dr Ross Ainsworth
• Cattle market wrap with TEM’s Matt Dalgleish and Stockco’s Chris Howie
• Australian meat Industry Council’s Patrick Hutchinson
• Agriculture Minister  David Littleproud
• Council of Australia president Markus Rathsmann
• Patrick Warmoll, the boss of Jack’s Creek Wagyu
• Veteran pastoral company executive Roger Halliwell
• Retired non-packer beef exporter, Richard Rains
• Carbon trading expert Toby Grogan from Impact Agriculture
• Red Meat Advisory Council chair John McKillop
• Stud cattle showing identities Gary Noller and Rob Sinnamon
• Veteran Victorian cattle buyer David Ronalds
• Beef processing legend ACC’s David Foote
• Live export class action facilitator Tracey Hayes
• Signature Beef’s Blair Angus
• Consolidated Pastoral Co chief and Livecorp chairman Troy Setter
• Nutrition scientist and MLA board member Manny Noakes
• CCA independent northern and southern directors Alice Greenup and Olivia Lawson
• Australian Agricultural Co head Hugh Killen
• Sydney independent red meat retailer Stephen Kelly
• lotfeeder Charlie Mort
• Processor and supply chain manager, Terry Nolan
• Livestock transport operator Ross Fraser
• Organic supply chain manager Alister Ferguson

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