Number of animals killed

The number of animals killed in the UK per year for meat, fish or shellfish

1.2 billion land animals are killed for meat each year in the UK.

Also, almost one billion fish and 4.4 trillion shellfish.

Land animals

Chickens – 1,137,000,000¹DEFRA. 2019a. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2018
Turkeys – 15,000,000¹DEFRA. 2019a. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2018
Sheep and Lambs – 14,908,000¹DEFRA. 2019a. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2018
Pigs – 10,476,000¹DEFRA. 2019a. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2018
Cattle – 2,835,000¹DEFRA. 2019a. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2018
Ducks – 14,500,000²FAOSTAT. 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA.
Goose and guinea fowl – 644,000²FAOSTAT. 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA.
Goats – 19,296³DEFRA. 2019b. Results of the 2018 FSA Survey into Slaughter Methods in England and Wales. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778588/slaughter-method-survey-2018.pdf
Horses – 20,550²FAOSTAT. 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA.
Deer – 350,000 (estimate culled – no farmed deer stats available)
Rabbits – 180,000,000 (EU – UK numbers not recorded)⁴European Union. 2017. Commercial Rabbit Farming in the European Union. http://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/overview_reports/act_getPDF.cfm?PDF_ID=1193.

Aquatic animals

Wild Fish – 876,000,000 (does not include bycatch)⁵Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. 2012. Aquaculture statistics for the UK, with a focus on England and Wales 2012. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405469/Aquaculture_Statistics_UK_2012.pdf
Farmed Fish – 77,000,000⁶Mood, A., 2017. ‘Estimated numbers of individuals in aquaculture production of fish species’. Fishcount. Available at http://fishcount.org.uk/studydatascreens2/2017/numbers-of-farmed-fish-B0-2017.php?countrysort=United%2BKingdom%2Fsort2 [Accessed 28 April 2020].
Shellfish – 4,394,000,000 ( does not include bycatch)⁵Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. 2012. Aquaculture statistics for the UK, with a focus on England and Wales 2012. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405469/Aquaculture_Statistics_UK_2012.pdf

References

DEFRA. 2019a. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2018
FAOSTAT. 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
DEFRA. 2019b. Results of the 2018 FSA Survey into Slaughter Methods in England and Wales. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778588/slaughter-method-survey-2018.pdf
European Union. 2017. Commercial Rabbit Farming in the European Union. http://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/overview_reports/act_getPDF.cfm?PDF_ID=1193
Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. 2012. Aquaculture statistics for the UK, with a focus on England and Wales 2012. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405469/Aquaculture_Statistics_UK_2012.pdf
Mood, A., 2017. ‘Estimated numbers of individuals in aquaculture production of fish species’. Fishcount. Available at http://fishcount.org.uk/studydatascreens2/2017/numbers-of-farmed-fish-B0-2017.php?countrysort=United%2BKingdom%2Fsort2 [Accessed 28 April 2020].

The number of animals killed in the world for meat, fish or shellfish

75 billion land animals are killed for meat and many trillions of fish and shellfish.

Land animals

Chickens – 66,566,725,000¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Turkeys – 663,605,000¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Sheep and Lambs – 567,720,570¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Pigs – 1,485,986,756¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Cattle – 304,414,858¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Ducks – 3,011,798,000¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Goose and guinea fowl – 657,031,000¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Goats – 464,598,299¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Horses – 4,772,356¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Rabbits – 971,951,000¹FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA

Aquatic animals

Wild Fish – 97 to 2.74 trillion wild fish²Mood, A. and Brooke, P. 2010. Estimating the Number of Fish Caught in Global Fishing Each Year. http://fishcount.org.uk/published/std/fishcountstudy.pdf
Farmed Fish – 0.45 to 1.3 trillion fish
Shellfish – many trillions

References

FAOstat, 2017. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QA
Mood, A. and Brooke, P. 2010. Estimating the Number of Fish Caught in Global Fishing Each Year. http://fishcount.org.uk/published/std/fishcountstudy.pdf

Introduction to Factory Farming

Whilst it is often claimed that the UK has some of the highest welfare standards in the world, the reality is far worse. Read our intro to factory farming.