The number of mammals and poultry farmed worldwide has increased by 50% in the last two decades, with cropland used to feed livestock expanding by about a quarter, according to a new report from an alliance of campaigning organizations calling for urgent action on factory farming.
These massive increases are putting rising pressure on natural systems, threatening wildlife and plant species while adding to the global climate crisis.
Key Findings: 33 Billion More Farm Animals in 20 Years
The report, released by the Stop Financing Factory Farming campaign alliance, reveals stark statistics:
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33 billion livestock mammals and poultry have been added globally over the past 20 years
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94.9 billion farmed animals were slaughtered or used for milk and eggs in 2023, up from 61.8 billion in 2006
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About 90% of water withdrawn from natural systems for irrigation is used to grow animal feed
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Agricultural land is becoming less fertile, with an area the size of Canada now suffering degradation
Emissions from Livestock Grew by More Than 20%
Despite progress in some areas, emissions from livestock grew by more than a fifth between 2001 and 2023, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Peter Stevenson, chief policy adviser at Compassion in World Farming, told The Guardian: “Even where progress had been made, for instance by reducing the amount of greenhouse gas produced per unit of meat, it was often outweighed by the sheer increase in the livestock population. There’s been a huge increase, and it’s simply because there are so many more livestock now.”
Dead Zones in Seas: Gulf of Mexico Crisis
Increasing fertilizer use to produce animal feed, combined with slurry dumping, is creating dead zones in seas. The largest dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico, where marine life is being wiped out across an area the size of Connecticut.
Campaigners Call for Shift Away from Meat-Heavy Diets
Merel van der Mark, head of animal welfare and finance at Sinergia Animal, said:
“Only a widespread shift away from the meat-heavy diets that have become the norm in many parts of the world would reverse the trend towards greater planetary damage.”
Report Updates “Livestock’s Long Shadow” After 20 Years
The new findings come 20 years after the publication of the UN FAO’s seminal 2006 report on animal farming, “Livestock’s Long Shadow”. Researchers have updated key aspects of that original report and found that most trends are moving in a negative direction.
