FAO report: Livestock contribute 40% of the global value of agricultural output and support the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people.

“The rapid transition of the livestock sector has been taking place in an institutional void,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf in the foreword of the report. “The issue of governance is central. Identifying and defining the appropriate role of government, in its broadest sense, is the cornerstone on which future development of the livestock sector must build.”

The Have’s and Have Nots

By global decree: The report warns that “a widening gulf is emerging between those who can take advantage of growing demand for livestock products and those who cannot.”

Broader rural development strategies creating off-farm jobs should help those that may be unable to adapt and compete in a rapidly modernizing sector.

Environment

FAO Crystal Ball for your future: Market-based policies, such as taxes and fees for natural-resource use or payments for environmental services, would encourage producers to ensure that livestock production is carried out in a sustainable way.

Health

Since new pathogenic agents will continue to emerge, investments in national animal-health and food safety infrastructure are required to reduce the risks of animal diseases to humans.

Efforts are needed to ensure that this rapidly growing sector contributes fully to food security and poverty reduction, moving towards a ‘more responsible livestock sector’, Diouf said.