Pork Scratchings from the WTO
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In 1980, some 76% of the global human population was found in developing countries and these people consumed one-third of the world’s meat and milk.
It is estimated that by 2020, they may account for 80% percent of the world’s population, but two-thirds of direct consumption of meat and 60% of milk consumption.
So says a paper on the globalisation livestock sector, presented recently to a committee of United Nations food/agriculture organisation FAO. It also noted how pork had been a major part of the growing meat demand in developing countries.
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The consumption of pork in the developing nations grew by 60% between 1983 and 1997, it said. What is more, they remain among the Top 20 exporters and importers in value terms for livestock products including pigs and pork.
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But the paper warned that the developing countries still face a difficult trading environment internationally, even after the actions taken under World Trade Organisation rules to liberalise market access.
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It also contained some warnings about health risks from globalisation. Longer market chains and sourcing of products from wider geographical areas may be a fact of life in the modern age, it indicated, but they increase the risk of spreading disease and heighten the challenge of traceability. Although approximately 10% of the livestock produced worldwide are now traded across international borders, up from only 4% in the early 1980’s, the developed countries of the world prefer to trade with partners of a similar health status.
