Question

1. What are the most commonly eaten animal livestocks and in which region are they eaten?

Please include any citations if used and answer THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY PLEASE.

Answer 1

The most common sources of meat are domesticated animal species such as cattle, pigs and poultry and to a lesser extent buffaloes, sheep and goats. In some regions other animal species such as camels, yaks, horses, ostriches and game animals are also eaten as meat. To a limited extent, meat is also derived from exotic animals such as crocodiles, snakes and lizards.

For thousands of years, poultry supplied meat and eggs, cattle, sheep and goats provided meat and milk, and pigs provided a source of meat. These species are the main sources of animal protein for humans. The meat derived from cattle is known as beef, meat derived from pigs as pork and from chickens as poultry. Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world accounting for over 36% of the world meat intake. It is followed by poultry and beef with about 35% and 22% respectively.The utilization and subsequent consumption of different animal species vary as cultural preferences and religious beliefs are observed.

The steadily growing world population and increasing incomes creates higher demand for meat, but at the same time leaves limited space for expansion in livestock production. Therefore the maximum utilization of existing food resources becomes even more important. Poultry meat is of growing importance to meet this demand.

The FAO programme in meat and meat products aims to assist the member countries in exploiting the opportunities for livestock development and poverty alleviation through the promotion of safe and efficient production, processing and marketing of meat and meat products.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is keeping tabs on the world’s meat-eating habits, regularly publishing data showing which of its member countries are the most carnivorous.

The 2016 figures, taken from the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026, include the weights of beef and veal, pork, poultry and sheep consumed per capita, which are calculated based on kilograms of retail weight (the weight at which the meat is sold).The United States tops the list, with citizens eating an average of around 97 kg per year.

Australia, which consumed the most meat according to the same data from 2013, is in second place, at 2.3 kg less per person per year than the US.

Australian meat consumption, however, has increased from 93 kg per person to 94.8 kg, the OECD data shows. Australians also consume far more lamb than their American counterparts – eating an average of 8.6 kg per person versus 0.4 kg in the United States.

Argentina is in third place at just over 86.1 kg per person per year. The South American country is also the second biggest consumer of beef and veal (38.6 kg), with first place being awarded to neighbouring Uruguay, where citizens consume on average 43.1 kg of red meat per year.

This statistic projects the production of meat worldwide from 2016 to 2018, by type. In 2017, the world's production of beef and veal was projected to amount to 69.94 million metric tons.

Meat consumption per capita refers to the total meat retained for use in country per person per year. Total meat includes meat from animals slaughtered in countries, irrespective of their origin, and comprises horsemeat, poultry, and meat from all other domestic or wild animals such as camels, rabbits, reindeer, and game animals

Per capita calculations were conducted by WRI using FAO data on meat production and trade, and using U.N. data on population. Meat consumption was calculated using a trade balance approach - total production plus imports, minus exports.