1. Director of the Latin America office of Wageningen University and Research Centre Esalq/USP, Piracicaba. Peter.zuurbier@wur.nl

• The European livestock industry
• Civic society
  
• Consumer responses
• Animal wellbeing and health pressures
  
• Food safety pressure
• Environmental pressures
  
• Product and process certification pressure
  
• Sustainability pressure
• Strategic responses by the European livestock industry

There are currently 1.5 billion cattle populating the earth. They take up nearly 27% of the land mass of the planet and consume enough grain to feed hundreds of millions of people. In 2008 according to the FAO, the world cattle population decreased slightly ( 0, 4 %) for the second year running and the gross indigenous production of beef and veal was reduced by approximately 2%. Most of the large beef and veal producing countries reduced their exports, including Brazil which was hit by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. According to LMC, total beef consumption was expected to rise by 554,000tonnes to 60.5 million tones in 2008. The European beef and veal imports strongly lowered in 2008 (- 48 %), specially from South America (foot-and-mouth disease in Brazil, shortage and reduction of exports in Argentina). The European Union mainly turned to its own production (up to 99 %) to meet demand.

Artigo na Íntegra

Associe-se ou efetue o login de associado para baixar o artigo na íntegra (PDF).