Improving the sustainability of global meat and milk production

Abstract

Global demand for meat and dairy products has increased dramatically in recent decades and, through a combination of global population growth, increased lifespan and improved economic prosperity in the developing world will inevitably continue to increase. The predicted increases in livestock production will put a potentially unsustainable burden on global resources, including land for production of crops required for animal feed and fresh water. Furthermore, animal production itself is associated with greenhouse gas production, which may speed up global warming and thereby impact on our ability to produce food. There is, therefore, an urgent need to find methods to improve the sustainability of livestock production. This review will consider various options for improving the sustainability of livestock production with particular emphasis on finding ways to replace conventional crops as sources of animal feeds. Alternatives, such as currently underutilised crops (grown on a marginal land) and insects, reared on substrates not suitable for direct consumption by farm animals, represent possible solutions. Coupled with a moderation of excessive meat consumption in wealthier countries, such strategies may secure the long-term sustainability of meat and milk production and mitigate against the adverse health effects of excessive intake.

Transcriptome analyses reveal reduced hepatic lipid synthesis and accumulation in more feed efficient beef cattle

“…An animal’s ability to convert consumed feed into saleable meat is of central importance to the meat production industry because feeding related costs are the single largest variable expense in animal production 1 – 3 . As the global demand for meat products continues to increase due to population growth, and improved economic prosperity in the developed and developing world, provision of feed for meat animal production will become a potential burden on global resources including land, water, fertilizers, and labour 4 – 6 . In addition, environmental footprints including greenhouse gas emission associated with meat animal production have become a public concern 7 .…”

Expression of the Tas1r3 and Pept1 genes in the digestive tract of wagyu cattle

“…Ruminants are, and continue to be, the main source of protein in areas of environmentally harsh conditions and weak infrastructures because they can digest fibrous feeds that cannot be directly consumed by humans ( Gerber et al, 2015 ). The global consumption of cattle meat is predicted to increase as the global population increases ( Salter, 2017 ). However, cattle meat production is sometimes considered inefficient in terms of the conversion of natural resources into edible products ( Gerber et al, 2015 ; Salter, 2017 ).…”

Analysis of volatile compounds in pork from four different pig breeds using headspace solid‐phase micro‐extraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

“…Pork is one of the most widely consumed meat in the world, particularly China with the largest consumption rate (Salter, ). With the accelerated restructuring of livestock husbandry, the production and consumption of beef, lamb, and poultry have rapidly increased.…”