Meat

The meat industry is the large-scale breeding, confinement, transport, and killing of animals for human consumption. It operates as a production system in which animals are treated as inputs – optimised for growth, efficiency, and yield.

While practices vary by species, the underlying structure remains consistent.

See it by species

This index includes species that are bred, traded, and killed for human consumption within organised systems – regardless of scale, geography, or cultural normalisation.

Developments

United States 2025 – Federal executive order and DOJ investigation into meatpacking antitrust conduct

China 2015 – State Council Water Ten Plan – environmental closure of pig farms in ban-zones

United States 2018 – California Proposition 12 – Farm Animal Confinement Initiative

Germany 2022 – Federal restriction on live animal exports to non-EU countries

United Kingdom 2013 – Horse meat scandal – adulteration of beef supply chain exposed

United Kingdom 2018 – Mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses regulations (England)

Germany 2021 – ban on subcontracting in meat industry

United States 2023 – National Pork Producers Council v. Ross

United Kingdom 2024 – Livestock Exports Act – ban on livestock exports for slaughter

New Zealand 2022 – Amendment Act – ban on livestock sea exports

United States 2022 – HPAI H5N1 multi-year epizootic and poultry and dairy depopulations

China 2021 – African swine fever second wave and breeding sow herd losses

Australia 2024 – Phase-out of live sheep exports by sea

Australia 2025 – Collapse in live sheep export volumes following phase-out announcement

Australia 2019 – Northern hemisphere summer live sheep export prohibition

Australia 2025 – Full Court constructive trust over covert abattoir footage (Game Meats v FTI)

China 2018 – African swine fever outbreak and national pig herd collapse

United States 2014 – HPAI H5N2 outbreak and commercial poultry mass depopulation

New Zealand 2018 – Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme

United States 2020 – COVID-19 slaughter plant shutdowns and emergency farm depopulation

Germany 2020 – African swine fever first detection and domestic pig production controls

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