The State of Meat Production in Developing 12CHAPTER Countries: 2002 Neil Trent, Peter Ormel, Jose Luis Garcia de Siles, Gunter Heinz, and Morgane James Introduction illions of animals are killed for More humane transport, handling, Since 1994 HSI has worked with the food annually in developing and slaughter practices and the intro- FAO to introduce techniques and Bcountries, more than half of duction of modern systems and equipment for humane transport, han- them without the benefit of stunning equipment in the slaughter process dling, and slaughter of food animals in (a procedure that induces an uncon- not only decrease animal suffering developing areas. The most important scious state through administration but also provide economic benefits of these techniques is the use of the of a severe blow to the skull or the for the human population, as the captive bolt stunner (see sidebar on application of an electrical charge). amount of meat and hide wasted is page 181). The slaughter process begins most reduced. At the same time, worker HSI has underwritten the cost of often with food animals crowded into and meat safety is greatly increased. FAO slaughter-training workshops, inadequate vehicles with little protec- Two organizations—one dedicated providing equipment, and/or partici- tion from the elements and trans- to the elimination of animal suffering pating in presentations in Asia and ported long distances without water and the other to encouraging sustain- the Caribbean. HSI also has produced over harsh roads. In a typical develop- able agriculture and rural develop- a laminated poster for FAO use in its ing country, few slaughter facilities ment—have joined forces to address training workshops, cosponsored the have any government oversight of animal welfare issues in the global publication of a booklet (Guidelines sanitation or veterinary care. Animals livestock industry. The mission of The for Humane Handling, Transport, and may be stunned by repeated hammer Humane Society of the United States Slaughter of Livestock), and begun blows to the head. They may be (HSUS) and its international arm, development of a training video for stabbed with sharp knives until they Humane Society International (HSI), distribution worldwide. collapse. While the animals are still is to create a humane and sustainable As part of this collaboration with conscious, their throats are cut, and world for all animals, including peo- the FAO, HSI has solicited overviews they die from excessive blood loss ple, through education, advocacy, and on the various aspects of animal wel- after minutes of struggling. the promotion of respect and com- fare and the livestock industry in These brutal methods cause passion. The Food and Agriculture Latin America (contributed by FAO immense animal suffering. They also Organization (FAO) of the United representatives Jose Luis Garcia de have significant economic impact: Nations has as a specific priority to Siles and Peter W. Ormel); the Asia- bruising of the meat renders it unfit increase food production and food Pacific region (contributed by FAO for human consumption; damage to security while conserving and manag- consultant Gunter Heinz); and South the hides causes loss of product; and ing natural resources. The aim is to Africa (through a case study of the worker injuries result in decreased meet the needs of both present and status of livestock contributed by productivity. At the same time, unsan- future generations by promoting de- Morgane James of the National Coun- itary methods spread such diseases as velopment that does not degrade the cil of SPCAs). salmonellosis, cholera, E.coli poison- environment and is technically appro- ing, and Listeria and cause contami- priate, economically viable, and so- nation of the meat, a serious public cially acceptable. health concern. 175 Table 1 World Livestock Population, 1961–2001 (in million heads) Percent Percent Overall Annual Species 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 Growth Growth Cattle and Buffaloes 954 1,106 1,236 1,331 1,516 59 1.5 Pigs 348 551 707 791 923 166 4.1 Poultry 4,082 5,729 8,158 12,319 18,734 359 9.0 Sheep and Goats 1,203 1,301 1,435 1,635 1,743 45 1.1 mine quality, and poor sanitation slaughtered (see Table 2). Overview/ leads to considerable loss of product The increase in the number of ani- as well as to the risk of food-borne dis- mals slaughtered per year led to a Latin America eases (Garcia de Siles et al. 1997). 280 percent increase in the produc- The safety of meat calls for control tion of meat at the world level over Introduction from the farm until the time the meat the last forty years. Food security has been defined as is consumed. It is recognized that access by all people at all times to ad- stock handling, slaughtering condi- Regional Comparison equate quantities of safe food re- tions, carcass dressing, and meat han- The number of animals slaughtered quired for a healthy and active life. dling as well as the hygienic and envi- worldwide per region3 is presented in Although food availability has in- ronmental surroundings, contribute Table 3. For each species involved, creased noticeably during the last to the nutritional properties and Asia leads the world in terms of num- thirty years in developing countries, commercial value of the finished ber of animals slaughtered per year. there currently are more than 800 products. million people without adequate Livestock Evolution access to food, and more than 24,000 Evolution of people die each day because of lack of in Latin America Meat Production adequate food supply. and the Caribbean In developing countries, where As shown in Table 1, the world live- 1 In Latin America and the Caribbean, diets are composed of a few staple stock population has grown steadily 2 the cattle and buffalo population foods, meat and meat products are for all major species involved over more than doubled from 1961 to especially important in preventing the last forty years. 2001 (see Table 4). malnutrition and contributing to In terms of slaughter, the global During this same period, the total food security. view is very similar, with moderate meat production in Latin America In developing countries some tradi- increases in the number of ruminants and the Caribbean increased from tional methods of handling, process- slaughtered and larger increases in 7.9 million metric tons to more than ing, and marketing of meat under- the total numbers of pigs and poultry Table 2 Animals Slaughtered Worldwide, 1961–2001 (in million heads) Percent Percent Overall Annual Species 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 Growth Growth Beef and Buffaloes 155 181 212 236 299 93 2.3 Pigs 313 533 680 861 1,172 274 6.9 Poultry 6,367 11,122 18,528 27,367 45,926 621 15.5 Sheep and Goats 364 432 507 646 788 117 2.9 176 The State of the Animals II: 2003 growth in developing countries, Table 3 which have led to a massive increase in the demand for products of animal Animals Slaughtered Worldwide origin, such as meat, milk, and eggs. Per Region: 2001 (in million heads) However, unlike the so-called green (or environmentally-conscious) revo- Region Cattle and Pigs Poultry Sheep and lution, which was supply driven, the Buffaloes Goats livestock revolution is demand driven. The increased demand for meat Africa 29 12 2,539 151 and meat products has come from a Asia 98 678 17,396 439 growing urban population with changing diets and sufficient income Europe 53 294 7,440 98 to increase animal products in their Latin America 65 62 8,581 31 diets. and the Caribbean A major change of this revolution is a shift in the balance of meat con- North America 41 119 9,525 4 sumption from developed countries Oceania 12 8 510 66 to developing countries. The devel- oped countries showed an annual World 298 1,173 45,991 789 growth in meat consumption of only 1.0 percent from 1982 to 1994. At 31.7 million metric tons. This in- tered in the Merco Sur and the the same time, the developing coun- crease was caused mainly by the in- Andean countries. tries increased their meat consump- crease in the production of poultry tion by 5.4 percent annually. In 2020 meat, and to a much lesser extent, by Livestock Revolution people in developing countries are the increase in beef and pork produc- Over the past decade, the Interna- expected to consume a total of 188 tion (see Figure 1). tional Food Policy Research Institute, million metric tons of meat, whereas the FAO, and the International Live- people in developed countries are Subregional stock Research Institute have com- expected to consume 115 million Comparison in bined their efforts to produce a glob- metric tons. al view of the developments in the These expected consumption Latin America and livestock sector to 2020 against the increases will lead to equivalent the Caribbean background of world globalization. increases in production, with produc- tion of livestock products growing The number of animals slaughtered in A revolution is taking place in live- most rapidly in areas where consump- the Latin American/Caribbean4 sub- stock production that could have vast tion grows (Table 6). region is presented in Table 5. Brazil implications for people and the envi- Total meat production for develop- leads the region in terms of number ronment in both developed and devel- ing countries in 2020 is expected to of animals slaughtered for cattle and oping countries. This livestock revolu- reach 183 million metric tons; for buffaloes, pigs, and poultry, whereas tion is being caused by population developed countries the projected the most sheep and goats are slaugh- growth, urbanization, and income Table 4 Livestock Population in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1961–2001 (in million heads) Percent Percent Overall Annual Species 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 Growth Growth Cattle and Buffaloes 176 224 294 330 360 105 2.6 Pigs 50 65 74 76 81 61 1.5 Poultry 359 577 1,071 1,461 2,513 601 15.0 Sheep and Goats 155 148 143 146 117 (25) (0.6) The State of Meat Production in Developing Countries: 2002 177 Several basic aspects of the live- Figure 1 stock revolution offer threats as well Latin America and the Caribbean as opportunities to the sustainable development of countries and regions Meat Production: 1961–2001 (Delgado et al.