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Livestock: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Livestock
The word livestock first emerged as a compound term between 1650 and 1660, merging live and stock to describe a specific category of domesticated animals, yet its definition has shifted dramatically over the centuries. In the early days of the term's usage, cattle and livestock were often used interchangeably, but by the 19th century, the meaning of cattle narrowed to refer specifically to domesticated bovines while livestock expanded to encompass a much wider array of creatures. Today, the United States federal legislation defines the term with surprising specificity, including cattle, swine, and sheep under the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999, while other disaster assistance laws from 1988 cast a wider net to include goats, poultry, equine animals used for food, and even fish designated by the Secretary. This legal ambiguity reflects the complex reality that horses are considered livestock in the United States, and the USDA classifies pork, veal, beef, and lamb as red meat, yet excludes poultry and fish from the category, likely because fish products fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA rather than the USDA. The concept of deadstock serves as the dark opposite of livestock, defined as animals that have died before slaughter, sometimes from illness or disease, and it remains illegal in many countries, including Canada, to sell or process meat from such animals for human consumption.
The Domestication Timeline
Animal rearing originated during the cultural transition to settled farming communities from hunter-gatherer lifestyles, marking a fundamental shift in how humans interacted with the natural world. Dogs were domesticated early, appearing in Europe and the Far East from about 15,000 years ago, serving as companions and hunters long before the first barn was built. Goats and sheep were domesticated in multiple events sometime between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia, while pigs were domesticated by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China. The domestication of horses dates to around 4,000 BC, revolutionizing transport and warfare, and cattle have been domesticated since approximately 10,500 years ago, providing meat, milk, and draught power. Chickens and other poultry may have been domesticated around 7,000 BC, and even micro-livestock like rodents and lagomorphs, such as rabbits, have been kept for meat, wool, and fur. Over time, the collective behavior, lifecycle, and physiology of livestock have changed radically, with many modern farmed animals now unsuited to life in the natural world, a stark contrast to their wild ancestors like the Tarpan, the African wild ass, or the Eurasian aurochs.
The Extensive and Intensive Divide
Common questions
When did the word livestock first emerge as a compound term?
The word livestock first emerged as a compound term between 1650 and 1660. It merged live and stock to describe a specific category of domesticated animals. The definition has shifted dramatically over the centuries since that initial usage.
Which animals are included in the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999?
The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 defines the term livestock to include cattle, swine, and sheep. Other disaster assistance laws from 1988 cast a wider net to include goats, poultry, equine animals used for food, and fish designated by the Secretary. This legal ambiguity reflects the complex reality that horses are considered livestock in the United States.
When were goats and sheep domesticated in Southwest Asia?
Goats and sheep were domesticated in multiple events sometime between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. Pigs were domesticated by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China. The domestication of horses dates to around 4,000 BC, revolutionizing transport and warfare.
What percentage of global livestock production value was estimated in 2013?
The value of global livestock production in 2013 has been estimated at 883 billion dollars. This figure is in constant 2005 to 2006 dollars. The economic implications of livestock production extend further to downstream industry including saleyards, abattoirs, butchers, and milk processors.
How much methane do cattle produce per day?
Cattle produce some 79 million tons of methane per day. Livestock enteric methane accounts for 30% of the overall methane emissions of the planet. Livestock are responsible for 34% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide through feed production and manure.
What percentage of livestock are raised in factory farms worldwide?
It is estimated that worldwide 74% of livestock are raised in factory farms. These farms are characterized by densely confined animals. Consumers are typically against intensive livestock farming when surveyed.
Traditionally, animal husbandry was part of the subsistence farmer's way of life, producing not only the food needed by the family but also the fuel, fertilizer, clothing, transport, and draught power. In the traditional system of transhumance, humans and livestock moved seasonally between fixed summer and winter pastures, with summer pastures located up in the mountains and winter pastures in the valleys. Animals can be kept extensively or intensively, with extensive systems involving animals roaming at will or under the supervision of a herdsman, often for their protection from predators. Ranching in the Western United States involves large herds of cattle grazing widely over public and private lands, and similar cattle stations are found in South America, Australia, and other places with large areas of land and low rainfall. In the uplands of the United Kingdom, sheep are turned out on the fells in spring and graze the abundant mountain grasses untended, being brought to lower altitudes late in the year, with supplementary feeding being provided in winter. At the other extreme, in the more Western parts of the world, animals are often intensively managed, with dairy cows kept in zero-grazing conditions with all their forage brought to them, beef cattle kept in high density feedlots, and pigs housed in climate-controlled buildings where they never go outdoors. In rural locations, pigs and poultry can obtain much of their nutrition from scavenging, and in African communities, hens may live for months without being fed, and still produce one or two eggs a week.
The Shadow of Predation
Livestock farmers have often dealt with natural world animals' predation and theft by rustlers, creating a constant tension between human agriculture and the wild. In North America, animals such as gray wolves, grizzly bears, cougars, and coyotes are sometimes considered a threat to livestock, while in Eurasia and Africa, predators include wolves, leopards, tigers, lions, dholes, Asiatic black bears, crocodiles, spotted hyenas, and other carnivores. In South America, feral dogs, jaguars, anacondas, and spectacled bears are threats to livestock, and in Australia, dingoes, foxes, and wedge-tailed eagles are common predators, with an additional threat from domestic dogs who may kill in response to a hunting instinct, leaving the carcass uneaten. The Northern Daily Leader reported on the 20th of May 2010 that dogs mauled 30 sheep and killed them, highlighting the ongoing conflict. This predation has shaped the history of livestock farming, influencing everything from the design of enclosures to the development of protective breeds and the implementation of government programs to control predator populations. The presence of predators has also influenced the cultural and economic practices of communities that rely on livestock, creating a complex relationship between humans, animals, and the environment.
The Disease and Antibiotic Crisis
Good husbandry, proper feeding, and hygiene are the main contributors to animal health on farms, bringing economic benefits through maximized production, yet animals remain susceptible to a number of diseases and conditions that may affect their health. Some, like classical swine fever and scrapie, are specific to one population of animals, while others, like foot-and-mouth disease, affect all cloven-hoofed animals. Where the condition is serious, governments impose regulations on import and export, on the movement of livestock, quarantine restrictions, and the reporting of suspected cases. Vaccines are available against certain diseases, and antibiotics are widely used where appropriate, but at one time, antibiotics were routinely added to certain compound foodstuffs to promote growth, and this is now considered poor practice in many countries because of the risk that it may lead to antibiotic resistance. Animals living under intensive conditions are particularly prone to internal and external parasites, with increasing numbers of sea lice affecting farmed salmon in Scotland. Reducing the parasite burdens of livestock results in increased productivity and profitability, but the Special Report on Climate Change and Land indicates that livestock diseases are expected to get worse as climate change increases temperature and precipitation variability. The European Union requires farmers to follow guidelines for treatment and to record the treatments given, ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of veterinary medicines.
The Global Biomass Dominance
Humans and livestock make up more than 90% of the biomass of all terrestrial vertebrates, and almost as much as all insects combined, a staggering statistic that underscores the dominance of domesticated animals on the planet. The value of global livestock production in 2013 has been estimated at 883 billion dollars, in constant 2005 to 2006 dollars, and the economic implications of livestock production extend further to downstream industry, including saleyards, abattoirs, butchers, milk processors, refrigerated transport, wholesalers, retailers, food services, tanneries, and upstream industry, including feed producers, feed transport, farm and ranch supply companies, equipment manufacturers, seed companies, and vaccine manufacturers. Livestock provide a variety of food and non-food products, the latter including leather, wool, pharmaceuticals, bone products, industrial protein, and fats, and for many abattoirs, very little animal biomass may be wasted at slaughter. Even intestinal contents removed at slaughter may be recovered for use as fertilizer, and livestock manure helps maintain the fertility of grazing lands. Manure is commonly collected from barns and feeding areas to fertilize cropland due to its nutrient-rich content, however, it can pose some biosecurity and health risks. In some places, animal manure is used as fuel, either directly, as in some non-Western countries, or indirectly, as a source of methane for heating or for generating electricity. In regions where machine power is limited, some classes of livestock are used as draft stock, not only for tillage and other on-farm use, but also for transport of people and goods. In 1997, livestock provided energy for between an estimated 25 and 64% of cultivation energy in the world's irrigated systems, and that 300 million draft animals were used globally in small-scale agriculture.
The Environmental Cost
Animal husbandry has a significant impact on the world environment, responsible for somewhere between 20 and 33% of the fresh water usage in the world, and livestock, and the production of feed for them, occupy about a third of Earth's ice-free land. Livestock production is a contributing factor in species extinction, desertification, and habitat destruction, with meat considered one of the prime factors contributing to the current sixth mass extinction. Animal agriculture contributes to species extinction in various ways, with habitat destroyed by clearing forests and converting land to grow feed crops and for animal grazing, and animal husbandry is responsible for up to 91% of the deforestation in the Amazon region. The newest report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that between the 1970s and 2000s agricultural emission increases were directly linked to an increase in livestock. The population growth of livestock, including cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats, is done with the intention of increasing animal production, but in turn increases emissions. Cattle produce some 79 million tons of methane per day, and livestock enteric methane accounts for 30% of the overall methane emissions of the planet. Livestock are responsible for 34% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide, through feed production and manure, and best production practices are estimated to be able to reduce livestock emissions by 30%.
The Ethics of Consumption
Animal ethics is a branch of ethics that examines human-animal relationships and the moral consideration of non-animals, with debates within the field addressing the moral implications of using animals for human consumption and the responsibilities humans have toward livestock. It is estimated that worldwide, 74% of livestock are raised in factory farms, characterized by densely confined animals, and consumers are typically against intensive livestock farming when surveyed. A majority are unaware of routine controversial practices such as break trimming, separation of calves from their mothers, and gas chamber slaughter, and three quarters of US adults surveyed believed the animal products they consumed came from animals that were treated humanely. Believing that livestock farming is cruel was cited as the most common reason for becoming vegan or vegetarian throughout the 2010s, reflecting a growing awareness of the ethical implications of animal agriculture. The social values in developed countries can also be considerable, with studies showing that ranching maintains traditional values and connects families to ancestral lands and cultural heritage, and that a sense of place, attachment to land, and the value of preserving open space were common themes. In the US, profit tends to rank low among motivations for involvement in livestock ranching, and instead, family, tradition, and a desired way of life tend to be major motivators for ranch purchase, and ranchers historically have been willing to accept low returns from livestock production.