Why Gulf researchers have beef with global meat consumption

Red meat production must be reduced at a much higher rate than previously estimated to help tackle global food security issues, scientists in the Gulf have found.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have called for red meat consumption to be cut by 70 per cent by 2050 and replaced by seafood so degraded land can be restored and the effects of climate change curbed.

That is one of the strictest measures yet, with a previous report from the Lancet medical journal calling for a 50 per cent cut in all meat consumption for health and environmental reasons, while the UK's Committee on Climate Change said beef, lamb and dairy production should be reduced by 20 per cent.

Those behind the latest calls, set out in a study in Nature, added that 10 per cent of worldwide vegetable consumption should be replaced by seaweed, in a move that also aims to ease the pressure on land from agriculture.

Food production already uses about a third of the Earth’s ice-free land, said the study’s lead author, Fernando Maestre, a professor of environmental science and engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

“Food systems also cause about 21 per cent of global greenhouse gases, 80 per cent of deforestation and 70 per cent of freshwater use, so tackling land degradation is central to a safe, food-secure future,” Prof Maestre told The National.

Without change, as populations increase and demand for food grows, this could increase the damage to soil, worsen water stress, harm biodiversity and contribute to climate change, the research shows.

By restoring land, reducing food waste and changing people’s diets, 43.8 million square kilometres of land could be restored or would be spared from being used for agriculture by 2050, researchers said.

Growing in numbers

Globally, meat consumption has increased more than fivefold in recent decades, from 70 million tonnes in 2017 to 365 million tonnes in 2024, figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show.

Meat consumption worldwide averaged 44.5kg a year for each person in 2022, according to figures published by the German government. In the US, the figure was 122.9kg, in China, it was 70.6kg, in Nigeria, it was 7.6kg and in India, it was 6.6kg.

An increase in seafood production, reducing the number of animals reared to supply red meat, would “ease pressure on scarce land and water”, cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the use of chemicals and freshwater, Prof Maestre said.

“The Middle East has the potential to significantly increase its seafood production, particularly through aquaculture, to meet rising demand and reduce reliance on imports,” he added.

Fishing for solutions

The number of fish farms in the UAE has increased in recent years, with some sites using artificial inland pools, although globally aquaculture has sparked animal concerns over issues such as lice infestations.

Replacing 10 per cent of vegetable consumption with seaweed would free up hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of land, the research suggests.

Prof Maestre said regional powers such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia had shown “growing interest” in seaweed farming, because it was sustainable and could promote economic diversification.

“While the region isn’t a major seaweed producer currently, initiatives are under way to leverage its coastal biodiversity and develop seaweed-based industries like fertilisers, food products and potentially even biofuels,” he said.

The researchers call for half of all degraded land to be restored by the middle of the century, something that could be promoted by efforts such as shifting agricultural subsidies away from large-scale farms to smallholders.

The study also calls for food waste to be cut by 75 per cent. Currently, about a third of food is wasted, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification said.

The study said measures such as a ban on the rejection of “ugly” produce could help, as well as efforts to encourage retailers to sell food cheaply when it nears its expiry date.

Food waste has become a priority in the UAE, with the government announcing in 2023 that it wanted to halve the amount of food thrown away by 2030. In May, the National Baseline Study, which is to measure how much food is wasted across all seven emirates, was launched by Ne’ma, the UAE’s food waste initiative.

No consensus

Some meat producers disagree with the conclusions of the study, published last week. Lucas Daglish, sustainability manager at the British Meat Processors Association, told The National that the research did not distinguish between intensive livestock farming and predominantly pasture-based systems.

“In countries like the UK, much pastureland is unsuitable for crops but ideal for grazing,” he said. “Removing livestock from such marginal land wouldn’t necessarily lead to more food production and could reduce biodiversity maintained by grazing.

“We have perfect conditions for turning inedible grass into nutrient-rich food while supporting biodiversity, rural livelihoods and carbon-storing grasslands. Calls for drastic, blanket reductions in meat consumption risk undermining these benefits.”

Mr Daglish also said meat was a “vital source of high-quality protein”, vitamin B12 and iron. The environmental footprint of UK meat was much lower than the global average, he added.