APPETITE FOR
DESTRUCTION
Summary reportAPPETITE FOR DESTRUCTIONEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Food is at the heart of many of the issues WWF
focuses on. Through our work on sustainable
diets, we know a lot of people are aware of
the impact a meat-based diet has on water,
land and habitats, and the implications of its
associated greenhouse gas emissions. But few
know the largest impact comes from the cropbased feed the animals eat.
In a world where more and more people adopt a Western diet – one
that’s high in meat, dairy and processed food – producing crops to feed
our livestock is putting an enormous strain on our natural resources andis a driving force behind wide-scale biodiversity loss. The UK food supply
alone is directly linked to the extinction of an estimated 33 species athome and abroad.
WWF’s vision of a future where people and nature thrive is threatenedby this current food system.
This report looks at the impacts our appetite for animal
protein – and in particular the associated hidden impacts ofanimal feed – has on our planet. We focus on the production ofsoy as feed for chicken, pork and fish and the consequences this hasfor the environment. We link the increased use of feed to the reduced
nutritional value of these animal products, before exploring solutions
through changing diets and alternative feed production systems.

The UK food supply
alone is directly linked
to the extinction of an
estimated 33 species
at home and abroad© Rudolf Svenson / WWF2

© Alffoto

FOOD, FEED AND BIODIVERSITY
Rarely a week goes by without a headline about thenegative effects of meat on our health or our environment.
The reality is that we eat much more animal protein than
we need to lead healthy lives. While the UK nutritionalguidelines recommend 45-55g of protein per day, theaverage UK consumption is 64-88g, of which 37% is meatand meat products.
While the livestock systems used to rear
animals for meat vary enormously, manyrequire inputs such as manufactured feed:
the more animal products we eat, the more
feed we need to produce. But growing thecrops used for feed, such as soy and maize,
eats up land. Today, protein-rich soy issuch an important feed ingredient that the
average European consumes approximately
61kg of soy per year, largely indirectly
through the animal products that they eat
like chicken, pork, salmon, cheese, milk andeggs. In 2010, the British livestock industry
needed an area the size of Yorkshire to
produce the soy used in feed. And if the
global demand for animal products grows
as anticipated, it’s estimated that soy
production would need to increase bynearly 80% to feed all the animals destinedfor our plates.

YORK
S© Tom van Limpt/Hollandse Hoogte/laif

7

H IR

Feed crops are already produced in a large
number of Earth’s most valuable andvulnerable areas, such as the Amazon,
Cerrado, Congo Basin, Yangtze, Mekong,
Himalayas and the Deccan Plateau forests.
Many of these high-risk regions alreadysuffer significant pressure on land andwater resources, are not adequately coveredby conservation schemes. The growing
demand for livestock products and theassociated intensification and agricultural
expansion threaten the biodiversity of theseareas and the resource and water security of
their inhabitants, as well as the stability of
our food supply.

E

British livestockindustry needed
an area the sizeof Yorkshire to
produce the soy
used in feed

Eastern Himalayas

Amur-Heilong

These grasslands, forests and mountains are home to over
10,000 species of plants, 900 species of birds and 300
species of mammals.

This ecoregion covers vast
areas of grasslands andforests, including some of
the best-preserved temperate
forests in the world, and its
wetlands provide a haven formany species of waterfowl.

Species include: Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, onehorned rhino, snow leopard, red panda, takin, Himalayan
black bear, golden langur, Ganges river dolphin.

Species include: Amur
leopard, Amur tiger, brown
bear, Asiatic black bear,lynx, musk deer, Far Eastern
curlew, scaly-sided merganser,
swan goose.

Central Deccan Plateau
In a heavily populated region,
this area contains large blocks ofintact forest that provide crucial
habitat for threatened wildlife.

Northern Great Plains

Species include: Bengal tiger,
wild buffalo, wild dog, sloth bear,chousingha, gaur, blackbuck,Jerdon’s courser.

One of only four remaining intact temperate
grasslands in the world, this prairie stillcontains a rich variety of plants and wildlife.
Species include: American bison, black-footed
ferret, black-tailed prairie dog, pronghorn.

Atlantic forest

Yangtze river basin

One of the most diverse ecosystems on
the planet, this forest is home to around
20,000 species of plants, plus thousandsof species of birds, mammals, reptiles andamphibians, many unique to the region.

This rich and diverse
landscapes support highlevels of biodiversity
including 378 species of fish,
more than 280 mammals,
145 amphibians, 166 reptiles
and vast numbersof migratory birds.

Species include: jaguar, golden lion
tamarin, woolly spider monkey, maned
three-toed sloth, red-tailed parrot.

Species include: finless
porpoise, alligator, Siberiancrane, giant panda.

Regions and species
threatened by expansion
and intensification of feedcrop production
Feed crops are already produced
in a large number of Earth’s mostvaluable and vulnerable areas.
Many of these high-risk regions
are not adequately covered byconservation schemes, andhave low national conservation
spending and high agricultural
growth; some already suffer from
relatively high land and water
constraints. The growing demand
for livestock products and theassociated intensification andagricultural expansion threaten
the biodiversity of these areas andthe resource and water securityof their inhabitants, as well as thestability of global food supplies.

Source: WWF website (2017)

CerradoThe largest savanna region in South America
is home to around 5% of all species on Earth
including over 10,000 species of plants, almost
half of which are found nowhere else.
Species include: jaguar, maned wolf, giant
anteater, giant armadillo, tapir, marsh deer,
red-legged seriema, Spix’s macaw.

Congo BasinWith its mosaic of rivers, forests, savannas,
swamps and flooded forests, this area ishome to the second-largest tropical forest
in the world.
Species include: gorillas, chimpanzee,
bonobo, forest elephant, okapi.

Great Rift Lakes
These vast and ancient lakes
host the richest freshwater
fauna in the world, and provide
water, food and livelihoods
for millions of people. The
surrounding region is also richin wildlife.
Species include: 800 speciesof cichlids, lesser flamingo,
elephant, hippo, crocodile,
giraffe, lion, cheetah.

Greater MekongThis is the home to the world’s mostproductive inland fishery; over 2,200 new
species have been found since 1997.
Species include: tiger, saola, Asian elephant,
Mekong dolphin, Mekong giant catfish.

10 APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION

11

FEEDING CHICKENS,PIGS AND FISHOMEGA-3 FATTY ACID
The loss of species and habitats is not the only outcomeof our current animal protein consumption. Intensive
animal husbandry, relying on feeding animals energyand protein-rich crops, has been linked to a decrease in
the healthy omega-3 content of our animal products andan increase in their unhealthy saturated fat content. One
study shows the difference is so profound that you’d haveto eat six intensively reared chickens today to obtain thesame amount of the healthy omega-3 fatty acid found injust one chicken in the 1970s. The majority of calories
from chicken come from fat as opposed to protein.

Globally, the biggest user of crop-based feed is the poultry
industry in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, whichused 41.5% of the world’s feed in 2009. Poultry increased
its share of world meat production from 15% in the mid1960s to 32% by 2012 as per capita consumption increased
threefold. In 2014, there were over 23 billion chickens,turkeys, geese, ducks and guinea fowl on the planet –more than three per person.
The second largest feed crop consumer,with 30% of the world’s feed in 2009, isthe pig industry. It’s grown steadily in thepast decade and is forecasted to continue
to climb to meet rising demand. In the UK,
pork is the second favourite meat
after chicken, with each person
eating on average 25kg a year in2015 – nearly the whole recommended
yearly intake for all meats. With the rapid
expansion of the middle class in China,
demand for pork has also escalated
there. Today, over half the world’s pork is
produced and consumedin China.

Aquaculture also uses crop-based feeds– around 4% of the global total in 2009.
The global average consumption of fish perperson per year has almost doubled in thelast 50 years, from 9.9kg in the 1960s to
19.7kg in 2013, and is projected to continue
to rise. With wild fish stocks already underimmense pressure, an ever-increasing
quantity of seafood is now farmed. But,
as in other livestock production sectors,
aquaculture has seen a shift towards
industrialisation, with intensive systems
centred on crop-based formulated feeds
being more common. To grow thesefeeds, the aquaculture indirectly used an
additional 26.4 million hectares in 2010 –an area about the size of the UK.

23 billion
chickens,
turkeys, geese,ducks andguinea fowl on
the planet –more than three
per person

TODA
YThis reduction in nutritional benefit is also
seen in farmed fish. The omega-3 in farmed
Scottish Atlantic salmon has decreasedby half since 2006, and farmed carp andtilapia have much lower levels of omega-3
compared to their wild counterparts.
While feeds can be supplemented withfishmeal, fish oil and various vegetableoils containing omega-3, there are serious
concerns that our current food system will
not be able to meet the future fatty acidneeds of our growing global population.

1970’sSUSTAINABLE
DIETS
We already produce
enough to feed the world.
But overconsumption,
inequality, waste, andinadequate production
and distribution systems
stand in the way of enoughfood for everyone andspace for wildlife. To feed
the world in an equitableand environmentally
sustainable way, we needto consume and produce
food differently.
Significant environmental benefits could
be achieved by simply sticking to thenutritionally recommended amount ofprotein. If everyone reduced theamount of animal products thatthey ate to meet their nutritional
requirements, the total agriculturalland required would decline by 13%.
That means nearly 650 million hectares –or an area 1.5 times the size of the European
Union – would be saved from agricultural
production.
WWF’s Livewell Plates and six Livewellprinciples are good guides on how to put
this into action. They illustrate how we
can ensure people get their necessary
nutritional requirements without a further
increase in agricultural land area andstill contribute towards meeting the Paris
Agreement commitment to keep global
warming well below 2°C. Eating less animal
protein would also make production
systems with lower environmental impact
and healthier, more nutritious outputs thatmuch more possible.

© naturepl.com / Juan Carlos Munoz / WWF

12 APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION

13

Livewell principles

Eat more plants

Eat a variety of foods

Enjoy vegetables
and whole grains.

Have a colourful plate.

Waste less foodModerate your meat
consumption, both red
and white

One third of food producedfor human consumption islost or wasted.

Enjoy other sourcesof proteins such aspeas, beans and nuts.

Buy food that meetsa credible certified
standard
Consider MSC,
free-range
and fair trade.

Eat fewer foods highin fat, salt and sugar
Keep foods such as cakes,
sweets and chocolate
as well as cured meat,fries and crisps to an
occasional treat. Choosewater, avoid sugary drinks
and remember that juices
only count as one of your5-a-day however muchyou drink.

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15

FEED INNOVATIONS

Conclusion

Along with reducing our consumption of animal protein,
we also need to produce feeds with lower resource
requirements that don’t compromise the nutritional
content of animal products. A number of innovative
options are being considered as potential feed ingredientsto replace terrestrial crops such as soy and maize.

The growth in intensive industrial farming
coupled with an increased need for proteinand energy-rich animal feed has had adevastating impact on nature. Feed crops
threaten the biodiversity of many of Earth’s
most valuable and vulnerable areas.

Microalgae and macroalgae (or seaweed)
are one promising alternative. Algal growth
is relatively straightforward, as they only
need a basic form of energy (such as lightand sugars), CO2, water and a few inorganic
nutrients to grow. Trials to date have shown
positive impacts on both livestock nutrition
and aquatic environments.
Another example is integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA), a synergistic
approach to aquatic production whichuses the waste products from one species
to provide feed or fertiliser for another.
This approach has potential benefits interms of improving the final yield of both
species with less waste and improved
environmental and economic performance.

Feeding animals with crops that could be eaten by humans is not only
an inefficient way to add protein to our diet; it’s also having a knockon effect on our health. This perpetuates the negative impacts of theWestern diet which is already linked to health concerns such as heart
attack, stroke and type II diabetes.

Using flies, crickets and other insects
as food and feed for livestock could also
reduce the mounting pressure on land andbiodiversity. Insects can produce the sameamount of edible protein as soy and animal
products, with less land, lower greenhousegas emissions and similar amounts ofenergy. Trials have shown that piglets’gut health improved when their feed was
supplemented with insect protein, while
chickens fed on insect protein performed
as well as those given current commercial
feeds; research also shows that insect
meal could replace up to 50% offish feed without affecting animal
performance.

We believe it’s possible, and essential, to change food production
systems and consumption patterns to secure enough nutritionallycomplete and environmentally sustainable food for everyone on Earth.
Adopting a healthy, sustainable diet is one part of the solution:
WWF’s six Livewell principles form the basis of a sustainable dietand a well-functioning food system. But we also need to produce foodand feed differently.

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To achieve our vision, we welcome theopportunity to work with business andpolicy-makers to create a food system
which provides us with healthy food,sustainable feed, and thriving biodiversity

COVER © Martin Harvey / WWF