Meat consumption fell in 2011 due to drought and diseases affecting livestock, a new report by Worldwatch Institute states.
In 2011, the meat consumption per person was 42.3 kilograms, as compared to 42.5 kilograms in the previous year. Despite the difference between meat consumption in developing and industrialized countries shrinking, it remains high. The average person in a developing country ate 32.3 kg of meat in 2011, whereas in industrialized countries, people ate 78.9 kg on an average.
However, the data indicates that meat consumption is up by 15 percent since 1995, along with a rise in meat production. Though the rise is not as high as in 2010, meat production increased by 2.6 percent in 2011. It is set to rise further in 2012 by another 1.7 percent.
According to the Worldwatch report, pork was the highest produced and consumed meat in 2011, accounting for 37 percent of the total meat production and consumption. This is followed by poultry at 101 million tonnes.
The report notes that North America led the production of beef 10 years ago. However, it now lags behind Asia and South America.
The reason behind the slight drop is attributed to droughts hitting major grain growing regions around the world. These regions include the U.S. farm belt, the Black Sea grain region, particularly Russia, China and the Horn of Africa.
The consequent rise in price and the outbreak of several diseases among the livestock has affected production and consumption.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the price of beef is likely to rise by 4-5 percent in 2013. Pork prices will rise by 2.5-3.5 percent and poultry by 3-4 percent. Inflations are likely to remain high and strong.
Foot-and-mouth disease, zoonotic disease, swine fever and avian influenza are some of the diseases which put a dent in livestock consumption.
The report also adds that factory farming systems contribute to disease outbreaks in a number of ways. They keep animals in overcrowded and often unsanitary quarters. This provides a breeding ground for diseases.
Moreover, farmers feed animals grain-heavy diets that lack the nutrients needed to fight off disease and illness; their immune systems are compromised. And many Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) feed animals antibiotics as a preventative rather than a therapeutic measure, causing the animals - and the humans who consume them - to develop resistance to antibiotics.