Lifestock’s Long Shadow

Livestock’s Long Shadow

Dr Henning Steinfeld is an agricultural economist working at the UN as the head of the livestock analysis and policy section. In 2005, he was the lead author of a 400 page UN report Livestock’s Long Shadow. ¹

It stated that the biggest contributor to environmental damage was livestock agriculture. Livestock agriculture includes poultry – both meat and egg production. It is a bigger contributor than transport. The information below is sourced from the document which is available for all to read.

Atmospheric Damage

Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions which includes CO2, methane and ammonia.

Land Damage

Livestock grazing accounts for 26% of the available surface of the planet. Area dedicated to producing feed crops for these animals amounts to 33 percent of the total arable land.

Clearing forests to create new pastures is a major source of deforestation. 70% of former rainforests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing.

Water Damage

The livestock is the most serious users of the earth’s scarce water resources which disturbs water cycles. Significant amounts of water are withdrawn for the production of feed.

Species Loss

Livestock is also an important contributor to biodiversity loss.

An important contribution of livestock’s over-exploitation of the earth’s resources is in the production of fish-meal for livestock feed. 7 of the 10 most fished species, accounting for 30 percent of the world total marine capture fisheries production, are either fully exploited or over-exploited – not sustainable. ²

Nitrogen and phosphorous from agriculture into waterways and oceans is still increasing with mangrove forests, coral reefs and sea grass beds being severely affected. Sea grass beds are very important nurseries for many species including fish, turtles and large mammals (dugong, manatee). Sea grasses environments are under threat in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, both sides of the Northern Pacific, large areas of the Indo-Pacific region and extensive areas of Northern Australia.

Over-exploitation of Ocean’s Resources

80% of the world’s fish stocks are fully exploited or over-exploited. ³

In 2006, 36% of the total world fisheries catch was destined for non-food use. It was used for fish meal and fish oil for animal foods. ⁴

These small pelagic (open ocean), low-value fish form the bulk of fisheries catch destined for non-food uses with the aquaculture sector being the largest consumer utilising 26% of the total catch. These are often taken as a by-catch of fishing operations and varies depending upon location and season. Most of these small pelagic fish (73%) are anchovies, sardines, herrings, pilchards and related fish. Several species are either fully-exploited or over-exploited. ⁵

Fishing Subsidies

Fishing subsidies greatly distort the fisheries market. In 2009, ⁶

• Global fisheries subsidies were estimated to be US$35 billion. The total revenue from the industry is US$90 billion.
• Harmful subsidies constituted US$20 billion consisting of fuel subsidies, management, port and harbour tax relief and equipment modernisation.
• US$11 billion is spent on beneficial subsidies such as research with the remaining having unknown impact.

In 2018, substantial subsidies are being paid to increase the catch of a dwindling resource that is under severe threat.

US$35.4 billion of global fishing subsidies were provided in 2018. 64% (group C) were benedicial to the fishing industry in that it allowed a greater catch of the dwindling resource, whilst 30% (group B) were beneficial and 10% (group A) were ambiguous. ⁷

The 2040 documentary shows black and white Holstein-Friesian cattle contentedly grazing. The next step, where that cattle are headed for the abattoir, is avoided. Apart from the unnecessary suffering, there is a substantial increase in the transport costs, utilisation of water and the disposal of waste products.

World-wide, this was the fate of billions of animals in 2016.

• Chickens: 16 billion
• Pigs: 1.5 billion
• Sheep: 550 million
• Goats: 450 million
• Cattle: 300 million

Most of the grains grown in Australia is produced for export and for the feeding of livestock. ⁸

Why grow wheat, corn and soy to feed cows, then kill the cow and eat the meat when it is much more efficient to eat the corn?

Below is a graph showing the consumption of water in producing our food. ⁹

Last updated on Wednesday 18 March 2026 at 14:17 by administrators

1. Steinfeld, H. et al. (2006) Livestock’s long shadow. FAO, Rome. 2006.
2. Peruvian anchoveta, Alaska pollack, skipjack tuna, Atlantic herring, blue whiting, chub mackerel, Chilean jack mackerel, Japanese anchovy, large head hairtail and yellowfin tuna
3. United Nations. (2010, May). General facts regarding world fisheries.
4. Tacon, A. G. J. & Metian, M. (2009) Fishing for Aquaculture: Non-Food Use of Small Pelagic Forage Fish—A Global Perspective. Reviews in Fisheries Science. 17 (3), 305–317.
5. Tacon, A. G. J. & Metian, M. (2009) Fishing for Aquaculture: Non-Food Use of Small Pelagic Forage Fish—A Global Perspective. Reviews in Fisheries Science. 17 (3), 305–317.
6. Sumaila, U. R. et al. (2016) Global fisheries subsidies: An updated estimate. Marine Policy. 69189–193.
7. Schuhbauer, A. et al. (2020) The global fisheries subsidies divide between small-and large-scale fisheries. Frontiers in Marine Science. 7 (1), 792
8. Spragg, J. (2016) Australian Feed Supply and Demand Report 2016
9. Mekonnen, M. M. & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2010) The Green, Blue and Grey Water Footprint of Farm Animals and Animal Products. p.50.