Page 15 - The Welfare of Cattle

xiv IntroduCtIon to the WhIte PaPers

Economics of Global Cattle Industries

Daniel A. Sumner, PhD
Agriculture Issues Center
University of California, Davis, CA

Daniel Sumner is a professor of agricultural economics and has been director for the UC Davis
Agriculture Issues Center since 1997. His contribution provides context about the global economic
role of beef and dairy cattle production.
Beef and dairy production contributes a little more than a third of the global value of all agricul-
tural output in the world. In the USA, about 28% of the total value of agricultural output is associ-
ated with the sale of cattle for meat and by-products, and the sale of milk. Beef and dairy production
combined make up significant portions of the agricultural contributions to state economies includ-
ing employment across the nation.
North America is the most efficient beef producer in the world, producing 18% of the world’s
meat from only 10% of the world’s slaughter numbers. As a comparison, East and Southeast Asia
produce about 10% of the world’s meat from about 19% of the world’s slaughter numbers, and
Africa produces about 9% of the world’s beef from 12% of the world’s slaughter animals.
South America, Oceania, and North America are big exporters of meat, while East and Southeast
Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa are big importers. In North America, most meat imports
are ground beef and exports are higher value muscle cuts. The major exporters of beef are Australia,
New Zealand, USA, Uruguay, Brazil, and India and major importers are China, Japan, Korea,
Egypt, USA, and Russia.
Milk production is widely distributed across the globe with about 30% produced in Europe/
Oceana from 13% of milked bovines. South Asia produces about 25% of the world’s milk from
37% of the world’s milked bovines. South America produces about 11% of the world’s milk from
13% of the world’s milked bovines, and Africa produces 5% of the world’s milk supply from 21%
of the world’s milked bovines. North America produces more than four times the world average of
milk per cow contributing 13% of the world’s milk supply from 3% of the world’s milked bovines.
Developed countries account for about 85% of the world’s dairy exports and developing countries
account for about 80% of dairy imports.

Livestock and Climate Change: Facts and Fiction

Frank Mitloehner, PhD
Department of Animal Science
University of California, Davis, CA

Professor Mitloehner is an internationally recognized air quality specialist researching impacts
of livestock on air quality. He is a professor and air quality Extension Specialist with a back-
ground in agricultural engineering (University of Leipzig, Germany) and animal science (Texas
Technical University). He is chaired committees of the global United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization partnership project to benchmark the environmental impacts of livestock production,
served as a workgroup member on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology,
and as a member on the National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine committee on assess-
ing the health, environmental and social effects of the food system.
Leading scientists throughout the USA and with the US Environmental Protection Agency have
quantified the impacts of livestock production at 4.2% of greenhouse gasses. The transportation sec-
tor contributes 27%, and the energy sector contributes 31% of greenhouse gasses. Both globally and