Meat Exhaustion Day: How Meat is Eating Up Our Planet

Does our meat consumption fit within planetary boundaries and health recommendations? The short answer is: no. 

Every year, sometime in June, we reach a sobering milestone: ‘Global Meat Exhaustion Day’. It marks the moment when the average person has already consumed the maximum amount of meat considered healthy for humans and sustainable for the planet.  

And the year isn't even halfway through.  

This calculation is based on the "Planetary Health Diet" of the EAT Lancet Commission, an international dietary recommendation by experts in climate research and nutritional science. 

Experts are clear: global meat consumption should be no more than 15.7 kilograms per person per year – that’s less than 302 grams per week. Of this amount, it is recommended that:

• 16% comes from beef,

• 16% from pork,

• and 67% from poultry. 

In reality, however, the global average is more than double that, sitting at 33 kilograms per person annually, of which:

• 23% is beef,

• 36% is pork meat,

• and 41% is poultry. 

So, how did we get so far off track? 

And who – or what – is paying the real price? 

The Hidden Victims: Farmed Animals 

Behind these numbers are real lives and immense suffering. In 2023 alone, 84.5 billion animals were slaughtered for human consumption.  

To meet the demand for cheap and massive amounts of meat, the world relies heavily on factory farms – a system that causes unimaginable cruelty to animals by prioritising production speed and profit over welfare.  

In fact, 70.2 billion land animals are kept in the cruel, dreadful conditions on factory farms, which equates to roughly 74% of all farmed animals. 

“Billions of animals are suffering horribly and are being slaughtered just to end up on plates. Most of them live in cramped, horrendous conditions in factory farming. We need to stop this mass cruelty. Each and every one of us can make a difference by reducing, refining and replacing animal-based products,” - Herman van Bekkem, Head of Animals Farmed in Inappropriate Conditions at FOUR PAWS

FOUR PAWS calls for:  

• An end to factory farming,  

• Moving towards sustainable farming that promotes high animal welfare, 

• Drastic reduction of farmed animal populations.  

The Consequences Go Far Beyond the Plate 

High meat consumption affects more than just animals. Studies show that excessive meat intake increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and even certain cancers. 

Public health is perpetually threatened by our current intensive and cruel system that causes the onset and transmission of zoonotic diseases and that increases antimicrobial resistance.  

Environmentally, the consequences are equally alarming. Factory farming contributes to the detrimental pollution of soil and water, the destruction of ecosystems, and the loss of biodiversity.

The climate crisis is also exacerbated by our food production system with 1/6th of man-made greenhouse gas emissions being caused directly by animal agriculture. 

“The only real solution is to reduce meat consumption. The federal government (of Switzerland) also confirms this in its Climate Strategy for Food and Agriculture 2050, in which it emphasizes that numerous studies conclude that a diet rich in plant products and less meat is beneficial for both health and the environment." - Nicolas Roeschli, Campaigner for Farm Animals and Nutrition at FOUR PAWS Switzerland 

Rich Countries are Consuming More And Reach Their Meat Exhaustion Day Very Early in the Year

To do less harm to animals, humans and the planet, our global meat consumption needs to be reduced by half. However, meat intake is not the same across all communities on the planet.  

People living in high-income countries consume more meat than is healthy or sustainable.  

In countries like the USA, Australia and parts of Western Europe, meat consumption can reach up to 2 kilograms per week. The USA and Australia both reached their Meat Exhaustion Day by March, which means that by the end of year, they would have consumed more than 4 times the maximum recommended amount. 

To put that into perspective: our calculations show that the average person in the USA consumes the equivalent of 13 burgers per week (1.6 kg), while in Austria, it’s around seven schnitzels per week (1.1 kg). 

As a result, the ‘Global North’ countries have a bigger responsibility to change local policies, production systems, and consumer behaviour.  

To better understand the scale and urgency of the problem, FOUR PAWS calculated the ‘Meat Exhaustion Day’ for a selection of countries where we operate. Each country presents a different picture of overconsumption and its consequences.  

Explore the factsheets to know about the local average meat consumption, and the multiple negative impacts it has in each context, for: 

• 🇺🇸 USA – 1.62 Kg/week 

• 🇦🇺 Australia – 1.4 Kg/week 

• 🇫🇷 France – 1.1 Kg/week 

• 🇦🇹 Austria – 1.1 Kg/week 

• 🇳🇱 Netherlands – 1 Kg/week

• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – 1 Kg/week 

• 🇩🇪 Germany – 992 g/week  

• 🇨🇭 Switzerland – 877 g/week  

• 🇿🇦 South Africa – 825 g/week  

The Shift to Poultry is Not the Solution 

Although some of these countries' populations have slightly decreased their overall meat consumption, many still rely on animal protein, and are instead shifting towards a higher consumption of poultry, in particular chicken.  

Research published in 2019 found that poultry raises cholesterol at similar rates as red meat. 

Even more concerning, one in two chickens from Europe’s largest slaughterhouses were found to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant pathogens. 

In both France and Switzerland, poultry consumption has increased respectively by 20% and 22% between 2007 and 2023.

FOUR PAWS France is advocating for the establishment of quantified objectives to reduce meat, including poultry, in the French Food Climate and Nutrition strategy.  

FOUR PAWS Germany is pointing out how poultry meat is being wrongly advertised as a healthy alternative to red and processed meat and ringing the alarm with its 1199 campaign, highlighting that every minute, 1,199 chickens are killed in Germany.  

What Can Be Done? 

Governments need to urgently address the structural issues driving meat overconsumption. This includes: 

• Ending subsidies and ensuring that meat is priced at its true cost, 

• Establishing policies that impose product labelling of animal welfare standards, keeping conditions and origin, in trade and gastronomy 

• Promoting plant-based alternatives through policies that make their production subsidised and their consumption more accessible 

• Align national dietary guidelines with the Planetary Boundaries framework, as outlined in the Planetary Health Diet. For instance, while the USA recommends a weekly meat intake of up to 737 grams, this figure still exceeds by more than double the amount advised by global health and climate experts.

• Leading the change and improving public meals, such as those served in schools and hospitals, to reduce, replace and refine with plant-based alternatives. 

Small Changes, Big Impact: The 3Rs 

At the individual or consumer level, FOUR PAWS encourages individuals to reduce animal suffering and environmental harm through the 3Rs approach:  

• Reduce: Reduce your consumption of animal products. Less is better for your health, for the animals and the planet. 

• Refine: Choose products from farms that have high animal welfare standards. Read labels: buy more consciously, ask yourself where your food comes from, and what are the hidden costs it carries.  

• Replace: Favour plant-based alternatives. Try something new. 

Our choices can help build a more compassionate and sustainable future. 

Learn More & Take Action 

🌱 Dive into the Meat Exhaustion Day and global data:  https://www.four-paws.org/campaigns-topics/topics/climate-and-animal-welfare/meat-exhaustion-day 

💌 Support the fight against factory farming: https://donate.four-paws.org/s/factory-farming?_gl=1*xwen05*jts_ga*MTk2MjE5NTc0Ni4xNzI3Nzg4NzI3*jts_ga_YCG9R2PW56*czE3NTI1MDQwMjQkbzIyMSRnMSR0MTc1MjUwNTMwOCRqNDEkbDAkaDA.&_jtsuid=94636172526803138497766