Number of animals killed
Page updated: 02.10.23
1.2 billion land animals are killed for meat in the UK.
Over one billion fish and 4.4 billion shellfish.
Land animals
- Chickens – 1,128,000,0001Agriculture in the UK, 2022. Chapter 8: Livestock – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Turkeys – 10,000,0001Agriculture in the UK, 2021. Chapter 8: Livestock – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Sheep and Lambs – 14,443,0001Agriculture in the UK, 2021. Chapter 8: Livestock – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Pigs – 10,964,0001Agriculture in the UK, 2021. Chapter 8: Livestock – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Cattle – 2,844,0001Agriculture in the UK, 2021. Chapter 8: Livestock – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Ducks and Geese – 9,000,0001Agriculture in the UK, 2021. Chapter 8: Livestock – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Goats – 24,9602UK Food Standards Agency. Freedom of information request FOI 3238, August 24, 2023.
- Horses – 20,5773UN FAOSTAT food and agriculture data (2021): https://www.fao.org/faostat
- Deer – 73,4454FSA. Freedom of information request: FOI 3174, 20 November 2023. (an estimated 350,000 are culled each year in the UK)
- Rabbits – 572 million rabbits were slaughtered for meat worldwide in 2021, 98,746,000 of them in Europe3UN FAOSTAT food and agriculture data (2021): https://www.fao.org/faostat
Aquatic animals
- Wild Fish – 1.5-2.7 billion (does not include bycatch)55. Estimated numbers of individuals in average annual fish capture (FAO) by country fishing fleets (2007-2016): http://fishcount.org.uk/studydatascreens/2016/numbers-of-wild-fish-B0-2016.php?countrysort=United%2BKingdom%2Fsort2
- Farmed Fish – 28-77 million66. Estimated numbers of individuals in aquaculture production (FAO) of fish species (2017) http://fishcount.org.uk/studydatascreens2/2017/numbers-of-farmed-fish-B0-2017.php?countrysort=United%2BKingdom%2Fsort2
- Shellfish – 4.4 billion (does not include bycatch)7Calculation based on tonnage by species as reported by MMO and Cefas and shellfish market sizes provided by FAO: https://animalclock.org/uk
78.7 billion land animals are killed for meat and many trillions of fish and shellfish.
Land animals
- Chickens – 73,791,052,0001FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Turkeys – 603,557, 0001FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Sheep and Lambs – 617,255,6371FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Pigs – 1,400,092,1051FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Cattle – 331,952,0421FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Ducks – 4,309,522,0001FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Goose and Guinea Fowl – 748,725,0001FAOSTAT, 2022. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Goats – 500,872,7861FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Horses – 4,595,6501FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
- Rabbits – 572,120,0001FAOSTAT, 2023. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en
Aquatic animals
- Wild Fish – 790 billion to 2.3 trillion2Fishcount http://fishcount.org.uk/*
- Farmed Fish – 51 to 167 billion fish2Fishcount http://fishcount.org.uk/*
- Shellfish – many trillions2Fishcount http://fishcount.org.uk/*
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.
Slaughter: how animals are killed
Every year in the UK around 1.2 billion land animals are slaughtered for human consumption. This includes over 1 billion chickens, 15 million turkeys, 14 million sheep, 2.8 million cattle, over 10 million pigs and almost 15 million sheep and lambs. In addition, almost one billion fish are killed and trillions of shellfish.
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