Demand for meat has increased dramatically over recent
decades. Global production has quadrupled from 80 to
over 300 million tonnes between 1963 and today. This
development is mainly driven by continuous population
growth and rising per capita incomes. In the past, most
of the demand growth could be met by increases in
slaughter weights, but the growth in animal productivity
is expected to slow down in the future.
The livestock sector already uses one third of global
arable land and 8% of available freshwater. It is also
largely responsible for deforestation and biodiversity
loss, and contributes 15% of global CO2
emissions.
As population and incomes are expected to continue
their growth, there will also be large increases in demand
for meat. Therefore, the objective for the sector must be
to fulfill future demand, ensure consistent quality, and
to achieve this in a sustainable manner without causing
irreparable environmental damage or exceeding global
resources.