CIMIE: Meeting Global Meat Industry Challenges

CHINA - Global meat demand is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2025, writes TheCattleSite senior editor, Chris Harris, from the China International Meat Industry Summit in Beijing.
calendar icon 29 June 2010
clock icon 2 minute read

In opening the summit, the president of the International Meat Secretariat, Paddy Moore said that despite the downturn in the global economy because of the 2008 financial crisis, meat consumption is continuing to rise.

He said the financial crisis had a severe impact on the meat sector as it did on other sectors, but it is also experiencing one of the highest growth rates among major food commodities.

"And the outlook remains positive," said Mr Moore.

"Global demand is expected to grow to almost 40 per cent by 2025.

"The highest growth will occur in the emerging markets of Asia - particularly China - but also South America and Central Europe.

"This growth is being driven by changing diet patterns, rising standards of living, urbanisation and population growth, with 80 million new mouths to feed every year."

Mr Moore added that despite setbacks caused through animal disease scares, international trade for the meat sector is also continuing to grow.

He said that the OECD predicts that the world trade in meat will grow from its current annual volume of 22 million tonnes to nearly 30 million tonnes by the end of the decade.

Mr Moore said that the growth in meat demand should offer opportunities to the meat and livestock sector in China as well as throughout the world.

However, he said that these prospects also called for greater efficiency and higher productivity.

He said there will be a need for more precision farming, improved genetics, greater use of biotechnology and innovation across the supply chain.

These challenges will have to be met in the face of changing environmental conditions, including reduced water supply and scarcer land resources.

"There is now only half the arable land worldwide per head of population than there was 40 years ago," Mr Moore said.

"Environmental responsibility and carbon foot printing are now centre stage and here to stay.

"Other issues such as animal welfare, also concern society in general."

He added: "The raising of livestock and the ethical production of meat that is not harmful to the environment are issues that have reached worldwide importance."

TheCattleSite News Desk

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