Abstract

This paper examines changes in agricultural practices, focusing on developments in meat production. There are a number of interlinked processes and practices that will be examined: the key changes in animal food production, and the impact of very recent developments in animal food production on local, regional and global environments. The current scale of animal farming is intense, and there has been an incredible increase in the populations of farmed animals. The production of animals and animal feed crops has had a significant impact on localised food production systems, and the intensive production of stock is set to become the model for agricultural development in poor countries. Animal based food is seen as a solution to food poverty and helping to eliminate food insecurity. Yet this paper will suggest that the establishment of Western intensive production and the promotion of Western eating habits are more likely to increase social inequalities.