Policy

Global Meat Consumption and Animal Welfare

Global meat consumption trends have profound implications for farm animal welfare at planetary scale.

Key Facts

Global meat consumption has tripled since 1960 and continues growing in developing markets
An estimated 80 billion land animals are farmed for food globally each year
Most global meat production occurs in systems with poor or no welfare standards
Plant-based protein consumption is growing but from a low base relative to animal products
Per-capita meat consumption in wealthy countries is declining slightly but total global production is rising

Welfare Considerations

The global scale of meat consumption creates welfare suffering at a magnitude that challenges moral imagination. Addressing this requires multiple simultaneous approaches: welfare standard improvement within existing systems, consumer behaviour change in high-consumption countries, and support for alternative proteins. The welfare case for systemic food system change is overwhelming.

What You Can Do

Reduce meat consumption, particularly beef and pork from intensive systems
Choose higher-welfare meat when you do consume animal products
Support institutional changes that shift food environments toward plant-rich options
Engage with policy processes that shape agricultural food production systems
Support research into and development of alternative proteins as welfare solutions