The following article lists the world's largest producers of meat. Global meat production has increased rapidly over the past 50 years. According to Our World in Data, meat production has more than quintupled since 1961, reaching around 358 million tonnes in 2022. [1] The most popular meat globally is poultry, followed by pork, beef and mutton. Over 90 billion animals are slaughtered each year for meat. [2]
Countries and some territories by meat production. [1]
| Rank | Country | Meat production (in tonnes) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | 92,948,520 | 2022 |
| 2 |  United States | 47,530,724 | 2022 |
| 3 |  Brazil | 30,397,944 | 2022 |
| 4 |  Russia | 12,244,950 | 2022 |
| 5 |  India | 10,644,195 | 2022 |
| 6 |  Mexico | 7,891,058 | 2022 |
| 7 |  Spain | 7,562,136 | 2022 |
| 8 |  Germany | 7,026,648 | 2022 |
| 9 |  Argentina | 6,339,574 | 2022 |
| 10 |  Pakistan | 5,248,574 | 2022 |
| 11 |  Canada | 5,213,636 | 2022 |
| 12 |  France | 5,106,484 | 2022 |
| 13 |  Poland | 5,091,000 | 2022 |
| 14 |  Indonesia | 4,985,907 | 2022 |
| 15 |  Vietnam | 4,730,438 | 2022 |
| 16 |  Turkey | 4,669,652 | 2022 |
| 17 |  Australia | 4,471,332 | 2022 |
| 18 |  United Kingdom | 4,220,672 | 2022 |
| 19 |  Japan | 4,163,305 | 2022 |
| 20 |  South Africa | 3,534,461 | 2022 |
| 21 |  Egypt | 3,406,693 | 2022 |
| 22 |  Colombia | 3,064,670 | 2022 |
| 23 |  Netherlands | 2,999,508 | 2022 |
| 24 |  Thailand | 2,961,210 | 2022 |
| 25 |  Philippines | 2,907,638 | 2022 |
| 26 |  South Korea | 2,727,070 | 2022 |
| 27 |  Iran | 2,702,516 | 2022 |
| 28 |  Peru | 2,256,424 | 2022 |
| 29 |  Ukraine | 2,205,514 | 2022 |
| 30 |  Malaysia | 1,912,610 | 2022 |
| 31 |  Denmark | 1,882,619 | 2022 |
| 32 |  Belgium | 1,724,323 | 2022 |
| 33 |  Nigeria | 1,651,712 | 2022 |
| 34 |  Taiwan | 1,585,565 | 2022 |
| 35 |  Chile | 1,559,920 | 2022 |
| 36 |  New Zealand | 1,456,140 | 2022 |
| 37 |  Saudi Arabia | 1,388,790 | 2022 |
| 38 |  Uzbekistan | 1,348,460 | 2022 |
| 39 |  Kazakhstan | 1,240,976 | 2022 |
| 40 |  Belarus | 1,220,493 | 2022 |
| 41 |  Ireland | 1,184,998 | 2022 |
| 42 |  Morocco | 1,173,980 | 2022 |
| 43 |  Myanmar | 1,116,716 | 2022 |
| 44 |  Sudan | 1,017,911 | 2022 |
| 45 |  Bolivia | 998,284 | 2022 |
| 46 |  Venezuela | 968,196 | 2022 |
| 47 |  Romania | 965,262 | 2022 |
| 48 |  Hungary | 960,509 | 2022 |
| 49 |  Ecuador | 954,060 | 2022 |
| 50 |  Chad | 922,437 | 2022 |
| 51 |  Zimbabwe | 918,058 | 2022 |
| 52 |  Austria | 874,227 | 2021 |
| 53 |  Israel | 862,670 | 2022 |
| 54 |  Portugal | 859,039 | 2022 |
| 55 |  Ethiopia | 844,000 | 2022 |
| 56 |  Algeria | 803,545 | 2022 |
| 57 |  Tanzania | 798,138 | 2022 |
| 58 |  Uruguay | 739,750 | 2022 |
| 59 |  Bangladesh | 735,879 | 2022 |
| 60 |  Paraguay | 666,553 | 2022 |
| 61 |  Guatemala | 663,713 | 2022 |
| 62 |  Malawi | 630,759 | 2022 |
| 63 |  Kenya | 609,255 | 2022 |
| 64 |  Sweden | 569,568 | 2022 |
| 65 |  Burkina Faso | 564,302 | 2022 |
| 66 |  Mongolia | 554,546 | 2022 |
| 67 |  Papua New Guinea | 528,814 | 2022 |
| 68 |  Serbia | 526,380 | 2022 |
| 69 |  Nepal | 512,789 | 2022 |
| 70 |  Dominican Republic | 501,743 | 2022 |
| 71 |  Switzerland | 495,054 | 2022 |
| 72 |  Czech Republic | 467,546 | 2019 |
| 73 |  Greece | 459,087 | 2022 |
| 74 |  Uganda | 454,417 | 2022 |
| 75 |  Yemen | 436,244 | 2022 |
| 76 |  Cameroon | 415,030 | 2022 |
| 77 |  Finland | 403,712 | 2022 |
| 78 |  Tajikistan | 377,983 | 2022 |
| 79 |  Tunisia | 373,125 | 2022 |
| 80 |  Norway | 372,784 | 2022 |
| 81 |  Angola | 369,918 | 2022 |
| 82 |  Azerbaijan | 368,323 | 2022 |
| 83 |  Turkmenistan | 359,569 | 2022 |
| 84 |  Syria | 342,504 | 2022 |
| 85 |  Senegal | 338,927 | 2022 |
| 86 |  Honduras | 333,851 | 2022 |
| 87 |  Panama | 332,068 | 2022 |
| 88 |  North Korea | 324,407 | 2022 |
| 89 |  Nicaragua | 322,374 | 2022 |
| 90 |  Jordan | 320,606 | 2022 |
| 91 |  Zambia | 314,965 | 2022 |
| 92 |  Mozambique | 311,080 | 2022 |
| 93 |  Costa Rica | 310,487 | 2022 |
| 94 |  Ivory Coast | 309,188 | 2022 |
| 95 |  Ghana | 308,458 | 2022 |
| 96 |  Cuba | 291,392 | 2022 |
| 97 |  Afghanistan | 271,641 | 2022 |
| 98 |  Sri Lanka | 260,288 | 2022 |
| 99 |  Kyrgyzstan | 256,840 | 2022 |
| 100 |  Iraq | 254,365 | 2022 |
| 101 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | 251,417 | 2022 |
| 102 |  South Sudan | 246,185 | 2022 |
| 103 |  Croatia | 231,050 | 2022 |
| 104 |  Bulgaria | 221,739 | 2019 |
| 105 |  Lithuania | 213,371 | 2021 |
| 106 |  Laos | 211,602 | 2022 |
| 107 |  Niger | 196,479 | 2022 |
| 108 |  Central African Republic | 191,389 | 2022 |
| 109 |  Cambodia | 189,963 | 2022 |
| 110 |  El Salvador | 185,709 | 2022 |
| 111 |  Somalia | 185,700 | 2022 |
| 112 |  Libya | 183,581 | 2022 |
| 113 |  Lebanon | 175,472 | 2022 |
| 114 |  Mali | 174,869 | 2022 |
| 115 |  United Arab Emirates | 174,344 | 2022 |
| 116 |  Madagascar | 162,164 | 2022 |
| 117 |  Jamaica | 154,067 | 2022 |
| 118 |  Slovenia | 137,900 | 2022 |
| 119 |  Hong Kong | 133,441 | 2022 |
| 120 |  Guinea | 126,802 | 2022 |
| 121 |  Mauritania | 126,701 | 2022 |
| 122 |  Kuwait | 125,523 | 2022 |
| 123 |  Moldova | 115,782 | 2022 |
| 124 |  Haiti | 108,362 | 2022 |
| 125 |  Armenia | 103,428 | 2022 |
| 126 |  Benin | 102,526 | 2022 |
| 127 |  Latvia | 92,230 | 2022 |
| 128 |  Oman | 89,985 | 2022 |
| 129 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 88,705 | 2022 |
| 130 |  Rwanda | 84,521 | 2022 |
| 131 |  Albania | 80,836 | 2022 |
| 132 |  Cyprus | 79,222 | 2022 |
| 133 |  Estonia | 75,380 | 2022 |
| 134 |  Singapore | 74,759 | 2022 |
| 135 |  Georgia | 74,539 | 2022 |
| 136 |  Togo | 70,986 | 2022 |
| 137 |  Botswana | 69,926 | 2022 |
| 138 |  Namibia | 68,713 | 2022 |
| 139 |  Republic of the Congo | 63,271 | 2022 |
| 140 |  Palestine | 61,229 | 2022 |
| 141 |  Guyana | 60,821 | 2022 |
| 142 |  Mauritius | 59,176 | 2022 |
| 143 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 54,410 | 2022 |
| 144 |  Fiji | 53,917 | 2022 |
| 145 |  Sierra Leone | 50,821 | 2022 |
| 146 |  Burundi | 45,581 | 2022 |
| 147 |  Eritrea | 42,664 | 2022 |
| 148 |  Puerto Rico | 41,876 | 2022 |
| 149 |  Gabon | 41,086 | 2022 |
| 150 |  Bahrain | 36,639 | 2022 |
| 151 |  Liberia | 36,146 | 2022 |
| 152 |  Brunei | 34,219 | 2022 |
| 153 |  Iceland | 33,700 | 2022 |
| 154 |  Qatar | 33,364 | 2022 |
| 155 |  Timor-Leste | 29,031 | 2022 |
| 156 |  Eswatini | 26,065 | 2022 |
| 157 |  Guinea-Bissau | 25,603 | 2022 |
| 158 |  Belize | 24,940 | 2022 |
| 159 |  North Macedonia | 23,842 | 2022 |
| 160 |  Luxembourg | 22,740 | 2022 |
| 161 |  Barbados | 18,620 | 2022 |
| 162 |  Suriname | 17,224 | 2022 |
| 163 |  Djibouti | 11,445 | 2022 |
| 164 |  Malta | 9,948 | 2022 |
| 165 |  Montenegro | 9,703 | 2022 |
| 166 |  Lesotho | 9,155 | 2022 |
| 167 |  Macau | 9,035 | 2022 |
| 168 |  Gambia | 7,448 | 2022 |
| 169 |  New Caledonia | 6,903 | 2022 |
| 170 |  Bahamas | 6,526 | 2022 |
| 171 |  Vanuatu | 5,356 | 2022 |
| 172 | Lesotho | 9,221 | 2021 |
| 173 |  Cape Verde | 4,442 | 2022 |
| 174 |  Bhutan | 4,240 | 2022 |
| 175 |  Solomon Islands | 3,634 | 2022 |
| 176 |  Samoa | 3,283 | 2022 |
| 177 |  Saint Lucia | 3,114 | 2022 |
| 178 |  Tonga | 2,440 | 2022 |
| 179 |  Seychelles | 2,359 | 2022 |
| 180 |  Comoros | 2,296 | 2022 |
| 181 |  Kiribati | 2,073 | 2022 |
| 182 |  French Polynesia | 1,656 | 2022 |
| 183 |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 1,497 | 2022 |
| 184 |  Federated States of Micronesia | 1,479 | 2022 |
| 185 |  Dominica | 1,414 | 2022 |
| 186 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1,063 | 2022 |
| 187 |  Grenada | 1,018 | 2022 |
| 188 |  Maldives | 855 | 2022 |
| 189 |  Faroe Islands | 705 | 2022 |
| 190 |  Equatorial Guinea | 649 | 2022 |
| 191 |  Cook Islands | 424 | 2022 |
| 192 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 234 | 2022 |
| 193 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 212 | 2022 |
| 194 |  Tuvalu | 190 | 2022 |
| 195 |  Niue | 95 | 2022 |
| 196 |  Nauru | 78 | 2022 |
| 197 |  Tokelau | 51 | 2022 |
| 198 | Antigua and Barbuda | 148 | 2021 |
| 199 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 146 | 2021 |
| 200 | Niue | 94 | 2021 |
| 201 | Nauru | 80 | 2021 |
| 202 | Tokelau | 63 | 2021 |
| 203 |  Vatican City | 0 | 2021 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meat is animal tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals, including chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and cattle, starting around 11,000 years ago. Since then, selective breeding has enabled farmers to produce meat with the qualities desired by producers and consumers.
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, eggs or feathers. The practice of raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes. The term also includes waterfowls of the family Anatidae but does not include wild birds hunted for food known as game or quarry.
An agricultural subsidy is a government incentive paid to agribusinesses, agricultural organizations and farms to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities.
Conversations regarding the ethics of eating meat are focused on whether or not it is moral to eat non-human animals. Ultimately, this is a debate that has been ongoing for millennia, and it remains one of the most prominent topics in food ethics. Individuals who promote meat consumption do so for a number of reasons, such as health, cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and scientific arguments that support the practice. Those who support meat consumption typically argue that making a meat-free diet mandatory would be wrong because it fails to consider the individual nutritional needs of humans at various stages of life, fails to account for biological differences between the sexes, ignores the reality of human evolution, ignores various cultural considerations, or because it would limit the adaptability of the human species.
Environmental vegetarianism is the practice of vegetarianism that is motivated by the desire to create a sustainable diet, which avoids the negative environmental impact of meat production. Livestock as a whole is estimated to be responsible for around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, significant reduction in meat consumption has been advocated by, among others, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their 2019 special report and as part of the 2017 World Scientists' Warning to Humanity.
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production. The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operations, backgrounding, and feedlot operations. The production cycle of the animals starts at cow-calf operations; this operation is designed specifically to breed cows for their offspring. From here the calves are backgrounded for a feedlot. Animals grown specifically for the feedlot are known as feeder cattle, the goal of these animals is fattening. Animals not grown for a feedlot are typically female and are commonly known as replacement heifers. While the principal use of beef cattle is meat production, other uses include leather, and beef by-products used in candy, shampoo, cosmetics, and insulin.
Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing costs. To achieve this, agribusinesses keep livestock such as cattle, poultry, and fish at high stocking densities, at large scale, and using modern machinery, biotechnology, and global trade. The main products of this industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption. There are issues regarding whether intensive animal farming is sustainable in the social long-run given its costs in resources. Analysts also raise issues about its ethics.
Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chickens are killed for consumption annually. Chickens raised for eggs are known as layers, while chickens raised for meat are called broilers.
A sustainable food system is a type of food system that provides healthy food to people and creates sustainable environmental, economic, and social systems that surround food. Sustainable food systems start with the development of sustainable agricultural practices, development of more sustainable food distribution systems, creation of sustainable diets, and reduction of food waste throughout the system. Sustainable food systems have been argued to be central to many or all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Many farmers in India depend on animal husbandry for their livelihood. In addition to supplying milk, meat, eggs, wool, their castings (dung) and hides, animals, mainly bullocks, are the major source of power for both farmers and dairies. Thus, animal husbandry plays an important role in the rural economy. The gross value of output from this sector was 8,123 billion Rupees in FY 2015–16.
Animal feed is food given to domestic animals, especially livestock, in the course of animal husbandry. There are two basic types: fodder and forage. Used alone, the word feed more often refers to fodder. Animal feed is an important input to animal agriculture, and is frequently the main cost of the raising or keeping of animals. Farms typically try to reduce cost for this food, by growing their own, grazing animals, or supplementing expensive feeds with substitutes, such as food waste like spent grain from beer brewing.
A low-carbon diet is any diet that results in lower greenhouse gas emissions. Choosing a low carbon diet is one facet of developing sustainable diets which increase the long-term sustainability of humanity. Major tenets of a low-carbon diet include eating a plant-based diet, and in particular little or no beef and dairy. Low-carbon diets differ around the world in taste, style, and the frequency they are eaten. Asian countries like India and China feature vegetarian and vegan meals as staples in their diets. In contrast, Europe and North America rely on animal products for their Western diets.
The environmental impacts of animal agriculture vary because of the wide variety of agricultural practices employed around the world. Despite this, all agricultural practices have been found to have a variety of effects on the environment to some extent. Animal agriculture, in particular meat production, can cause pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, disease, and significant consumption of land, food, and water. Meat is obtained through a variety of methods, including organic farming, free-range farming, intensive livestock production, and subsistence agriculture. The livestock sector also includes wool, egg and dairy production, the livestock used for tillage, and fish farming.
Sustainable diets are "dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable; and are culturally acceptable". These diets are nutritious, eco-friendly, economically sustainable, and accessible to people of various socioeconomic backgrounds. Sustainable diets attempt to address nutrient deficiencies and excesses, while accounting for ecological phenomena such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and land degradation. These diets are comparable to the climatarian diet, with the added domains of economic sustainability and accessiblity.
Farm water, also known as agricultural water, is water committed for use in the production of food and fibre and collecting for further resources. In the US, some 80% of the fresh water withdrawn from rivers and groundwater is used to produce food and other agricultural products. Farm water may include water used in the irrigation of crops or the watering of livestock. Its study is called agricultural hydrology.
Philip John Lymbery is the Global CEO of farm animal welfare charity, Compassion in World Farming International, Visiting Professor at the University of Winchester’s Centre for Animal Welfare, President of Eurogroup for Animals, Brussels, founding Board member of the World Federation for Animals and a Leadership Fellow at St George's House, Windsor Castle.
Buffalo meat, also known as buffalo beef, is the meat of the water buffalo, a large bovid, raised for its milk and meat in many countries including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Italy, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Australia and Egypt.
Animal–industrial complex (AIC) is a concept used by activists and scholars to describe what they contend is the systematic and institutionalized exploitation of animals. It includes every economic activity involving animals, such as the food industry, animal testing, medicine, clothing, labor and transport, tourism and entertainment, selective breeding, and so forth. Proponents of the term claim that activities described by the term differ from individual acts of animal cruelty in that they constitute institutionalized animal exploitation.
The amount of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture is significant: The agriculture, forestry and land use sector contribute between 13% and 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions come from direct greenhouse gas emissions. and from indirect emissions. With regards to direct emissions, nitrous oxide and methane make up over half of total greenhouse gas emission from agriculture. Indirect emissions on the other hand come from the conversion of non-agricultural land such as forests into agricultural land. Furthermore, there is also fossil fuel consumption for transport and fertilizer production. For example, the manufacture and use of nitrogen fertilizer contributes around 5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock farming is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, livestock farming is affected by climate change.
Agriculture in Ireland began during the neolithic era, when inhabitants of the island began to practice animal husbandry and farming grains. Principal crops grown during the neolithic era included barley and wheat.
| Poultry |   | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livestock | |||||
| Game | |||||
| Fish | |||||
| Shellfish and other seafood | |||||
| Insects | |||||
| Cuts and preparation | |||||
| List articles |
| ||||
| Ethics and psychology | |||||
| Alternatives | |||||
| Meat science | |||||
| Meat industry | |||||
| Related subjects | |||||
