FAO issues livestock environmental warning
02/12/2010
The report, entitled the State of Food and Agriculture 2009: Livestock in the Balance, says that there are 1.3 billion head of cattle in the world at the moment, 1 billion sheep and 16 billion chickens to feed a human population of 6.8 billion. It says these animals consume 80% of what grows on the world’s cultivated land and 8% of global water resources.
According to the FAO, meat consumption is increasing globally, with China offering the clearest example. In 1980, the average Chinese citizen consumed 12.8 kilos of meat a year, 2.3 kilos of dairy products and 2.5 kilos of eggs. By 2005, per capita meat consumption in China had increased to 59.5 kilos, dairy consumption to 23.2 kilos egg-consumption to 20.2 kilos.
In developed countries, white and red meat consumption increased over the same period to 82.1 kilos per person per year.
The FAO expects further growth in meat consumption by 2050 and this is putting growing pressure on the livestock industry to tackle environmental concerns.
Some in the leather industry believe that farmers across the world will rear less livestock and that, as a consequence, meat, hides and leather will all become more expensive.
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