This presentation by Geoff Orme-Evans from Humane Society International shows how animal agriculture will increase in its importance and therefore needs new solutions.

2. Holistic Way Forward on
Agriculture:
Supporting Animal Welfare,
Livelihoods, and Food Security
Geoff Orme-Evans
Humane Society International
16 November 2013

3. About Humane Society
International
HSI, together with its partner
organizations, constitutes one of the
largest animal protection
organizations in the world.
Lab animals, wildlife, companion
animals, and farm animals.
Science-based organizations..

5. HSI-Farm Animals
Cary Smith/The HSUS
Guilherme Carvalho/HSI
Michelle Riley/The HSUS

6. Reto Stöckli/NASA

8. Big Picture Challenges
• Produce 70% more to feed 9 billion by 2050
• Needed Investments—developing country $83
bn/yr
• Climate change
– Contributions: IAASTD 30%
– Impacts: water, temperature, production

9. Animal Agriculture
• Now:
– Over 70 billion land animals raised per year
– Industrial systems:
• 2/3 eggs and poultry
• >50% of pork
• Future:
– Demand growth 2010-2050
• Meat 73%
• Milk 58%

10. Global Land Animal Production
80
70
60
Number of Animals
(billions)
50
40
30
20
10
0
1950
*Source: FAOSTAT (2013).
1960
1970
1980
1990
Year
2000
2010
2020

11. Animal Agriculture’s Environmental
Impacts
• Land
– Uses 30% earth’s land
– Animal feed uses >60% corn and barley; >97%
soymeal
– 70% deforested Amazon = grazing pastures
• Water use and pollution
– 6000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of chicken vs. less
than half that for 1 kg of cereals
• Air
– 14.5% global, human-induced GHGs

12. Animal
agriculture alone
projected to emit
>70% of
sustainable level
of global GHG
emissions in 2050.
Proposed GHG sustainability boundary.
Not cool.
*From Pelletier N and Tyedmers P. 2010. Forecasting potential global
environmental costs of livestock production 2000-2050. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences of the US 107(43):18371-18374.

13. Impacts on Animal Agriculture
• Rangeland drought
• Pastoralists
• Animal deaths

14. Cary Smith/The HSUS
The HSUS

15. Erin Van Voorhies
The HSUS

16. The HSUS

17. HSI
The HSUS

18. Solutions?
• Supply vs. Demand
• Sustainable Consumption
– Less animal products = environment and climate
benefits
– Public education

19. Compassionate Eating

The Three Rs




Refine production methods.
Reduce consumption of animal products.
Replace animal products with non-animal
alternatives.
Meatless Mondays

20. Supply-Side Solutions
• Mitigation Concerns:
– Feed changes and efficiency
– Biogas subsidies
– Shift to monogastrics
• Adaptation:
– Animal welfare can support, but more research is
needed

21. Key Principles for Holistic Approach
• Including and supporting all stakeholders
• Ensuring multiple social and environmental
outcomes
• Ensuring consistency

22. Humane and Holistic Solutions
• Provide support to fill research and knowledge gaps
• Provide finance for sustainable, animal-welfarefriendly agriculture adaption—capacity building,
research and extension, knowledge and tech transfer.
• Work towards national, regional and local strategies
for climate change adaptation and mitigation that
ensure equitable, animal-welfare-friendly solutions
for farm animal production.
• Ensure that national, regional and local policies
manage unsustainable demand for animal products.

23. Humane and Holistic Solutions
• Evaluate, Enhance, and Safeguard Animal
Welfare
– Support for extensive pasture-based and mixed
farming animal agriculture systems led by small
farmers, particularly women
– Further support for welfare improvements in
industrial animal production systems

24. Cary Smith/The HSUS
Thank you.
Thank you!