After a screening of the Alltech documentary World Without Cows, looking at the role of livestock in sustainable food systems, guests at the 2026 City Meat Lecture were called on to host their own screenings for the wider public.
The 2026 Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB) City Meat Lecture hosted a screening of the feature-length documentary World Without Cows, which has been released globally by Alltech, producer of speciality ingredients, supplements and feed for animal agriculture.
Following the screening, the audience had the chance to comment on the film and pose questions to the panel made up of Tara McCarthy, global vice president of ESG at Alltech, Ireland, and Nicolas Pampliega, European strategic sourcing director at FMT Global, where he leads the sourcing strategy for McDonald’s beef supply chain. The panel was chaired by WCB Court Assistant Stuart Roberts.
Opening the conversation on livestock emissions
Challenging the narrative surrounding the impact of ruminant livestock on greenhouse gas emissions, the documentary examines what the impact will be on climate, health, culture and communities, and food supply if cows were removed.
In researching the documentary, the film-makers travelled to five continents to discover more about livestock farming across the globe, interviewing farmers, scientists and environmental experts to look at issues of nutrition, emissions, economic impacts, soil health and ecosystems.
Intended to be thought-provoking, the film focuses on epic cinematography and scale, and while data is presented on population change, emissions and land use, the goal is to elicit an emotional response from viewers. As explained by McCarthy in the panel discussion, the film has been produced to be a conversation starter, and she urged viewers to share the film more widely in order to open the debate to a more general audience.
There are plans, too, to increase access to the film for a younger audience, aimed initially at young people aged 12 and up, and with the intention to produce an animated version in future for a younger age group.
WCB Young Meat Professionals
This year’s lecture coincided with the launch of the WCB Young Meat Professionals initiative, with a number of the first cohort of attendees at Butchers’ Hall to see the film. The four-year course will give those who sign up the chance to learn more about the end-to-end journey of a meat product, with the focus on a different product each year. Year one covers beef and will incorporate webinars, networking events, mentoring and visits to meat businesses and farms. At the launch event, attendees had the chance to learn more about the programme, talk to industry professionals about mentoring and begin networking with others in the industry.
To find out more about World Without Cows and for details of how to host a showing of the documentary, go to worldwithoutcows.com.
