How Much Land in the Us Is Used for Beef Production

Meat and Animal Feed

Over the past 50 years, global meat production has almost quadrupled from 84 million tons in 1965 to more than 330 1000000 tons in 2017. The IAASTD predicts that this trend will continue, especially considering the growing urban centre classes in China and other emerging economies will arrange to the so-called western nutrition of people in North America and Europe with its taste for burgers and steaks."The increment in consumption of creature products is, next to population growth, one of the major causes of the in­crease of global fertilizer use. World meat consumption (and production) is expected to grow past lxx% in the period 2000-2030 and 120% in the menstruation 2000-2050. The production and consumption of pig and poultry meat is expected to abound at a much higher speed than of bovine and ovine meat. Over the concluding years there has been a major expansion in large scale, vertically integrated industrial live­stock systems, and this development is expected to keep over the coming decades. These systems can lead to concentration of manure; although manure is a valuable source of nutrients, concentrated spreading of ma­nure leads to significant emissions, to air, soil and water." (Global, p. 281)
On boilerplate, every person on Globe currently consumes 43.5 kilograms of meat per year. This effigy includes babies and adults, meat eaters and vegetarians alike. In 2013, US citizens consumed 115 kilograms of meat and people in the UK 81 kilograms, while citizens in India only ate 3.7 kilos. In general, men eat more than meat than women. In the EU, meat consumption has stagnated recently, with a growing number of people switching to vegetarian and vegan diets. Moreover, beef has lost in popularity while the consumption of chicken has increased remarkably. The favourite meat of Europeans is pork. The Chinese likewise share this appetite for pork. Since 1965, per capita meat consumption in China has increased 6-fold. Since the population nigh doubled to one.4 billion people over the same menses, global demand for meat and animal feed has exploded.

The production of meat, milk and eggs leads to an enormous loss of calories grown in fields, since cereals and oil seeds have to be cultivated to feed to animals. Co-ordinate to calculations of the Un Environment Programme, the calories that are lost past feeding cereals to animals, instead of using them directly equally human food, could theoretically feed an actress iii.five billion people. Feed conversion rates from plant-based calories into animal-based calories vary; in the ideal example it takes two kilograms of grain to produce 1 kilo of chicken, four kilos for one kilogram of pork and seven kilos for i kilogram of beef.
By their nature, cattle and sheep eat grass. More than two thirds of the global agricultural area is used for permanent meadows and pastures. If livestock consume grass and other plants that are not suitable for direct man consumption, they practice not compete for cereals but increase nutrient supply and add significantly to agricultural product. They produce manure, contribute to soil tillage, serve every bit draught and pack animals, recycle waste matter and stabilise the food security of their owners."Worldwide, livestock have traditionally been part of farming systems for millennia. Integrated systems provide synergy between crops and livestock, with animals producing manure for use as fertilizer and comeback of soil structure (also as a source of fuel), while crop by-products are a useful source of animal and fish food." (Global, p. 176)

Large parts of the grasslands used today, particularly in arid regions, are not suitable for any other agricultural use except extensive grassland direction. However, it is no longer possible to substantially increase its production capacity. In some areas of the earth, overexploitation of grasslands, also through traditional livestock husbandry, has get a serious problem. In addition, chickens, pigs and other small animals, which are traditionally kept to make use of waste and other by-products, eat worms or acorns, tin complement nutrient product and optimise the utilise of resource. >>more

In 2017, around 330 million tons of meat were produced worldwide. For 2018, the FAO forecasts an increase to 335 million tons. If a global average is taken, meat consumption amounted to 43.5 kilograms of meat per person in 2017.

• Nutrient Outlook: Biannual Written report on Global Food Markets, p. 8. FAO, Nov 2018

Between 2000 and 2014, the global production of meat rose past 39% and milk production increased by 38%. The FAO estimates that by 2030, meat product will increase another 19% compared to the period 2015-2017, with developing countries bookkeeping for almost all of the total increase. Milk production is projected to grow past 33% in the same menstruum.

• Transforming the livestock sector through the Sustainable Evolution Goals. FAO, 2018

There are billions of subcontract animals worldwide. In 2016, the cattle population reached one,474 one thousand thousand animals, upward 44% from 1966. The number of chickens grown for human consumption increased from 4.4 billion to 22.7 billion between 1966 and 2016. During the same period, the pig population grew by 92% to reach 981 million heads.

• Production - Live Animals - Stocks. FAOSTAT, 2018

One in 8 Brits – or almost 13% of the population – is now vegetarian or vegan, with a further 21% identifying as 'flexitarian', according to new research by supermarket chain Waitrose. This means that a 3rd now has meat-free or meat-reduced diets. 60% of vegans and forty% of vegetarians have adopted the lifestyle over the past five years, mostly due to animal welfare and health concerns.

• Nutrient and Drink Written report 2018-19. Waitrose & Partners, November 2018

Livestock is the world's largest user of land resource, with pasture and arable land dedicated to the production of feed representing almost 80% of the full agricultural country. Ane-third of global arable land is used to abound feed, while 26% of the Earth'due south water ice-free terrestrial surface is used for grazing.

• Animal Product. FAO, November 2018

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock supply chains add upwardly to seven.i gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) per yr – or xiv.5% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Emissions are caused by feed production, enteric fermentation, animal waste and land utilize change. Cattle (beef, milk) are responsible for near two-thirds of that total, largely due to methane emissions.

• Livestock solutions for climatic change. FAO, 2017

Research shows that the five largest meat and dairy corporations combined (JBS, Tyson, Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America and Fonterra) are responsible for almanac greenhouse gas emissions of an estimated 578.iii Mt – more than major oil companies such equally ExxonMobil (577 Mt), Vanquish (508 Mt) or BP (448 Mt). The combined emissions of the top 20 meat and dairy companies (933 Mt) even surpass the emissions from unabridged nations, such every bit Germany (902 Mt), Canada (722 Mt) or the UK (507 Mt).

• Emissions impossible: How big meat and dairy are heating up the planet. GRAIN & IATP, 2018

Nearly 60% of the globe's agronomical land is used for beef production, however beef accounts for less than two% of the calories that are consumed throughout the world. Beef makes upwards 24% of the globe's meat consumption, yet requires 30 million foursquare kilometres of land to produce. In contrast, poultry accounts for 34% of global meat consumption and pork accounts for 40%. Poultry and pork production each utilize less than two million foursquare kilometres of country.

• Grade A Choice? Solutions for Deforestation-gratis Meat. Spousal relationship of Concerned Scientists, 2012

A ii,000 kcal high meat nutrition produces 2.5 times as many greenhouse gas emissions as a vegan diet, and twice as many as a vegetarian nutrition. Moving from a high meat to a low meat diet would reduce a person's carbon footprint by 920kg CO_iie every year - equivalent to a render flying from London to New York. Moving from a high meat diet to a vegetarian nutrition would salve 1,230kg CO₂e per year.

• Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the United kingdom. Climatic Modify, July 2014, Book 125

The product of i kilogram of beef requires 15,414 litres of h2o on average. The water footprint of meat from sheep and goat (viii,763 litres) is larger than that of pork (5,988 litres) or chicken (4,325 litres). The production of ane kilogram of vegetables, on the contrary, requires 322 litres of water.

• Global Cess of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products. Mekonnen/Hoekstra, 2012

bibbaboricand1997.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.globalagriculture.org/report-topics/meat-and-animal-feed.html

Share this post