Gitnux/Report 2026

Animal Agriculture Industry Statistics

The global meat market reached 375 million tonnes in 2025, explore the figures behind growth, companies and trends in animal agriculture.
217Statistics
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Animal Agriculture Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The animal agriculture industry at a glance

Global animal agriculture produced 375 million tonnes of meat in 2025, with poultry driving growth while tighter ruminant supplies lifted beef and sheep-meat prices.

375 Mt[2]
Global meat production, 2025
$165B[62]
U.S. meat-animal cash receipts, 2025
$81.7B[62]
U.S. poultry sector sales, 2025
81%[49]
Cattle share of global milk, 2024
Market size
Global meat production reached 375 million tonnes carcass-weight equivalent in 2025. In the United States, cattle and hog production generated $165 billion in cash receipts in 2025, while poultry sector sales totaled $81.7 billion.[2][62]
Forecast & CAGR
Global meat production is projected to increase 12% over the 2026–2035 outlook period, equivalent to about 43 million tonnes. More than half of the increase is expected in Asia, and poultry is projected to account for roughly two-thirds of the additional output.[2]
Market share & regions
Asia is expected to generate more than half of projected global meat-production growth through 2035. Latin America remains a major exporting region, supported by feed and land availability, while Southeast Asia is projected to account for 39% of global consumption growth by 2035.[2]
Segmentation
Animal agriculture is segmented into meat, dairy, eggs and poultry, with further divisions by species and production system. FAO reported 374 million tonnes of global meat, 985 million tonnes of milk and 100 million tonnes of eggs in 2024; cattle milk represented 81% of milk production and hen eggs 94% of egg production.[49]
Key players & concentration
The available official data indicate strong concentration by product category rather than a single industry-wide share: in U.S. poultry, broilers represented 54.6% of 2025 sector value, eggs 38.6%, and turkeys 6.8%. U.S. livestock production also relies heavily on integrated poultry firms and production contracts.[3][62]
Pricing
The FAO International Meat Price Index rose 5% in 2025, with bovine and ovine prices reaching historical highs while poultry and pig-meat prices declined as supply increased. OECD–FAO projects real beef and sheep-meat prices to peak in 2026 before easing as herds rebuild.[2]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is being driven by population growth, rising incomes, urbanization, productivity gains and poultry’s feed-conversion efficiency. Major challenges include HPAI, African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, drought-related herd reductions, feed and energy costs, trade restrictions and climate-related production risks.[2][51]
Consumer behavior & competition
Global meat consumption is projected to reach approximately 412 million tonnes by 2035, while average consumption rises to about 30 kilograms per person annually. Poultry is gaining share because of relative affordability and rapid supply response; health, environmental and animal-welfare considerations are also increasing demand segmentation.[2]
Regulation
USDA APHIS requires additional testing and reporting for HPAI in livestock and milk under a Federal Order issued December 6, 2024. The agency’s 2026 livestock guidance addresses H5N1 requirements and recommendations for state officials, veterinarians and producers, while USDA is supporting poultry and dairy biosecurity and response programs.[63][51]
Latest news
As of November 11, 2026, USDA APHIS reported H5N1 detections in U.S. dairy cattle, including a confirmed Indiana dairy-herd detection on November 2, 2026 and Washington dairy-herd updates on November 4 and October 8, 2026. The agency continues surveillance and producer-support programs for livestock and poultry.[51]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Animal Agriculture Industry

The leading companies in the animal agriculture industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Cargill stands out for animal nutrition and animal protein operations because it includes food, agriculture, animal nutrition and animal protein businesses, while JBS focuses on poultry and egg products since it describes itself as a global producer of beef, pork, poultry, lamb, fish and egg products.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in animal protein

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.1 · Animal protein

    Why we picked it: It operates across animal nutrition and animal protein, spanning food, agriculture and feed-linked activities.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  2. Leader in poultry and eggs

    JBS

    BR

    Ranked #2 · 9.1 · Poultry and eggs

    Why we picked it: It describes itself as a global producer of beef, pork, poultry, lamb, fish and egg products.

    See in ranking ↓Visit jbs.com.br ↗

  3. Leader in animal feed

    Nutreco

    NL

    Ranked #3 · 8.6 · Animal feed

    Why we picked it: Its feed and aquaculture nutrition segment targets formulation and nutrition for animal agriculture supply chains.

    See in ranking ↓Visit nutreco.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the animal agriculture industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Cargill

Animal protein · US

9.1
2

JBS

Poultry and eggs · BR

9.1
3

Nutreco

Animal feed · NL

8.6
4

Mowi

Salmon farming · NO

8.4
5

Marfrig

Beef processing · BR

8.4
6

Arla Foods

European dairy processing and branded dairy · DK

8.2
7

De Heus

Global compound feed and animal nutrition · NL

8.2
8

Tyson Foods

U.S. beef, pork, chicken and prepared foods · US

8.1
9

Fonterra

Global dairy ingredients and foodservice · NZ

7.9
10

Charoen Pokphand Foods

Integrated feed, poultry, pork and aquaculture · TH

7.8

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the animal agriculture industry. In Animal Agriculture Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/animal-agriculture-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

United States total milk production

United States total milk production grew from 218,444 million pounds in 2019 to 225,868 million pounds in 2024.

218.4K million pounds
Start
+0.67%
CAGR · 5y
225.9K million pounds
Projected
20192024
source-verifiednass.usda.gov2024

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI use is already widespread in U.S. operations, with about 50% of surveyed farmers and ranchers using tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini in 2026.

AI in the animal agriculture industry

  • About 50% of surveyed U.S. farmers and ranchers regularly used AI tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini in 2026.[1]
  • 47.9% of Spanish livestock farms reported using at least one artificial-intelligence system in 2022, while 24.9% used AI for automatic environmental control.[2]
  • 21.0% of Spanish livestock farms reported using AI to analyze farm-generated data in 2022.[2]
  • More than 30% of surveyed U.S. farmers and ranchers used AI models for livestock-nutrition insights or business management in 2026.[1]

Automation in the animal agriculture industry

  • 16% of New Zealand dairy farms reported using cow wearables in 2023, up from 3% in 2018.[2]
  • 6% of U.S. milk was produced using robotic milking systems in 2021, up from 4% in 2016.[3]
  • 19% of large-scale U.S. milk-producing farms adopted robotic milking, according to USDA data for 2021.[4]
  • 73.4% of Spanish livestock farms reported at least one automated activity in 2022.[2]
  • 13% of U.S. dairy farms with 150–499 cows used robotic milking in 2021.[3]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[5]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[5]
  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[6]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[5]
  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[5]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[2]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[2]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[2]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[2]
  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[2]
  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[2]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[5]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[5]
  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[7]
  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[7]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In Germany, 5.0% of surveyed farms used artificial-intelligence or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[2]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 307 startups focused on artificial intelligence and big data were formed between 2015 and 2023.[5]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 17% used big-data technologies in 2023.[5]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[5]

IoT in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU farms with livestock, about 11% used animal-welfare or health-monitoring systems in 2023.[2]
  • Among agri-food companies investing more than 30% of annual turnover in digital technologies, 5.41% prioritised Internet of Things technologies in 2024.[5]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data governance and validation remain the friction points, with 44% of manufacturing respondents saying AI projects failed due to poor data quality in 2025.

Business intelligence in the animal agriculture industry

  • 73.4% of livestock farms in Spain reported at least one automated activity in 2022.[2]
  • 226,092 U.S. farms used at least one precision-agriculture practice, including electronic tagging, precision feeding or robotic milking, in the 2022 Census of Agriculture.[2]
  • 70% of large U.S. farms used guidance auto-steering in 2023, compared with 9% of small farms.[2]
  • 22% of U.S. farms reported using precision-agriculture practices to manage crops or livestock in 2025.[2]

Data analytics in the animal agriculture industry

  • 33.3% of Spanish livestock farms used soil sensors in the 2022 digital-agriculture survey.[2]
  • 25.9% of U.S. dairy-farmer survey respondents reported adopting automatic milking systems in a 2026 study.[8]
  • 4.9% of Spanish livestock farms used satellite imagery for agricultural data capture in 2022.[2]
  • 18.1% of Spanish livestock farms used environmental sensors or weather stations in 2022.[2]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[9]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[10]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[10]
  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[10]
  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[9]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[10]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[11]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[12]
  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[11]
  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[10]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[11]

KPIs in the animal agriculture industry

  • 40.5% of U.S. animal and animal-product cash receipts came from cattle and calves in calendar year 2023.[13]
  • 26.9% of U.S. animal and animal-product cash receipts came from poultry and eggs in calendar year 2023.[13]
  • 18.4% of U.S. animal and animal-product cash receipts came from dairy in calendar year 2023.[13]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Demand growth stays tied to Asia and poultry output, with global meat production projected to rise 12% in the 2026–2035 outlook period.

Growth in the animal agriculture industry

  • Global meat imports are projected to grow 10% in the decade to 2034, compared with 37% growth during the previous decade.[2]
  • $133.7 billion in U.S. cattle and calf receipts accounted for 44.0% of total agricultural receipts in 2024.[3]
  • $48.9 billion in U.S. dairy receipts accounted for 16.1% of total agricultural receipts in 2024.[3]
  • $81.7 billion in U.S. poultry and egg receipts accounted for 26.9% of total agricultural receipts in 2024.[3]

Differentiation in the animal agriculture industry

  • 25% was the real increase in U.S. direct-marketed food sales between 2017 and 2022, reflecting expanded use of local, regional and value-added positioning.[3]
  • 88% of U.S. direct sales to institutions were edible products in 2024, indicating a strong food-oriented differentiation opportunity for farms serving schools, hospitals and other institutions.[3]
  • $520 million was the reported acquisition value for Invetx, an animal-health therapeutics developer, by Dechra in July 2024, supporting differentiation through biologic products.[14]

Mergers and acquisitions in the animal agriculture industry

  • €2.2 billion was the reported value of CVC Capital Partners’ 2026 acquisition of Animal Nutrition & Health.[15]
  • Phibro Animal Health completed its acquisition of Zoetis’ medicated-feed additive and water-soluble product portfolio in October 2024.[16]
  • $138.5 million was the reported value of Advent International’s acquisition of Chinese pet-food manufacturer Seek Pet in August 2024.[14]
  • $520 million was the reported value of Dechra Pharmaceuticals’ acquisition of Invetx, an animal-health therapeutics developer, in July 2024.[14]

Strategic partnerships in the animal agriculture industry

  • 2 strategic partnerships with global pet-food companies had been formed by Bond Pet Foods by April 2024, including its joint-development agreement with Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition.[17]
  • 1 joint-development agreement was announced in April 2024 between Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition and Bond Pet Foods to create precision-fermented ingredients for pet-food applications.[17]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Labor constraints show up strongly in producer surveys, with 71% of Texas dairy producers reporting hiring, turnover, training or retention problems in 2026.

Hiring in the animal agriculture industry

  • Animal-agriculture H-2A workers increased from about 7,500 in 2015 to more than 17,500 in 2024.[18]
  • 71% of surveyed Texas dairy producers reported labor problems involving hiring, turnover, training or retention in 2026.[18]
  • 81% of surveyed Texas beef-cattle producers reported labor problems involving hiring, turnover, training or retention in 2026.[18]
  • More than 65% of U.S. agricultural and food employers reported difficulty finding candidates with needed skills in the 2025 Agriculture & Food HR Review.[19]

Employee retention in the animal agriculture industry

  • 60% of surveyed millennial employees in food and agribusiness left their employer within three years in 2021.[20]
  • 51% of surveyed millennial food-and-agribusiness employees said changing employers was essential to meeting long-term career goals in 2021.[20]
  • Employee turnover in agricultural workplaces was estimated at 20%–35%, with much of it occurring during the first 30–90 days.[20]
  • 80% of surveyed millennial food-and-agribusiness employees had left a previous employer within three years in 2021.[20]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[21]
  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[22]
  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[23]
  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[22]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 35% of U.S. agriculture and food employers offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024.[23]
  • 13% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred full-time on-site work in 2024.[24]
  • Across employers discussed in a food-industry hybrid-work survey, about 90% had adopted some form of hybrid work, although the figure was not limited to agriculture and food production.[25]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed in 2024, 36% reported having no work-at-home days per week.[25]
  • 44% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred part-time remote work in 2024.[24]

Upskilling in the animal agriculture industry

  • 29% of surveyed millennial food-and-agribusiness employees said changing employers might be necessary to achieve long-term career goals in 2021.[20]
  • 71% of surveyed Texas dairy producers reported challenges involving hiring, turnover, training or retention in 2026.[18]
  • 20% of respondents in a 2024 animal-welfare workforce survey disagreed that they could voice a contrary opinion without fear of negative consequences.[26]
  • 81% of surveyed Texas beef-cattle producers reported challenges involving hiring, turnover, training or retention in 2026.[18]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[27]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[28]
  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[28]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[28]
  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[28]

DEI in the animal agriculture industry

  • 2.1% of Mississippi’s animal-production and aquaculture workforce was Hispanic or Latino, according to 2023 demographic estimates.[29]
  • 26.4% of U.S. hired farmworkers were women in 2022.[3]
  • 19.6% of the animal-production and aquaculture workforce in Gulf of America states was Hispanic or Latino, according to 2023 demographic estimates.[29]
  • 23% of respondents in a 2024 animal-welfare workforce survey disagreed that they had adequate input into decisions affecting them.[26]

08 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Social-channel activity is high for producers, including 75% using WhatsApp daily in the United Kingdom in 2024 and 62% using Facebook daily.

Marketing in the animal agriculture industry

  • $104.6 billion in U.S. meat sales was recorded in 2024, with pounds sold increasing 2.3% from 2023.[30]
  • 65% of surveyed farmers used social media for business purposes in the United Kingdom in 2023.[31]
  • 55% of surveyed farmers spent more than one hour per day on social media in the United Kingdom in 2023.[31]
  • 77% of surveyed farmers followed farming influencers on social media in the United Kingdom in 2023.[31]

Digital marketing in the animal agriculture industry

  • 75% of surveyed farmers used WhatsApp daily in the United Kingdom in 2024.[31]
  • 62% of surveyed farmers used Facebook daily in the United Kingdom in 2024.[31]
  • 37% of surveyed farmers used Instagram daily in the United Kingdom in 2024.[31]
  • 73.33% of surveyed livestock farmers reported moderate-to-high social-media exposure in India in 2025.[4]

Branding in the animal agriculture industry

  • 61.2% was the U.S. private-label dollar share of frozen seafood in 2023.[32]
  • 56.2% was the U.S. private-label dollar share of dairy milk in 2023.[32]
  • 65.1% was the U.S. private-label dollar share of refrigerated meat in 2023.[32]
  • 61.9% was the U.S. private-label dollar share of fresh eggs in 2023.[32]

Social media in the animal agriculture industry

  • 67% of Australian farming women using social media reported Instagram as their second-most-used platform in 2025.[33]
  • 92% of Australian farming women using social media reported Facebook as their most-used platform in 2025.[33]
  • 46% of beef cattle farmers who used social media spent one to three hours there daily in the United Kingdom in 2023.[31]
  • 51% of dairy farmers who used social media spent one to three hours there daily in the United Kingdom in 2023.[31]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[34]
  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[34]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[34]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[34]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 392 billion impressions globally in 2023.[34]

09 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Recall and cost-pressure remain operational realities, including 46 U.S. meat and poultry recalls in 2024 and a 15.6% 2025 rise in JBS inventory and input costs.

Process optimization in the animal agriculture industry

  • 27% of U.S. farms and ranches used precision-agriculture practices to manage crops or livestock in 2023.[35]
  • 19% of large-scale U.S. farms producing milk had adopted robotic milking in 2022.[3]
  • 12% of large-scale U.S. farms with livestock commodity sales had adopted wearable technologies in 2022.[3]

Operational efficiency in the animal agriculture industry

  • 46% of Spanish dairy farms used herd-management systems in 2022.[2]
  • 30% of Spanish beef farms used barn camera monitoring in 2022.[2]
  • 53% of Spanish dairy farms used barn camera monitoring in 2022.[2]
  • 24% of Spanish beef farms used herd-management systems in 2022.[2]

Quality management in the animal agriculture industry

  • 7.7 million food-safety and food-defense procedures were conducted at 7,100 U.S. establishments regulated by FSIS in 2024.[36]
  • 43 of the 46 U.S. meat and poultry recalls in 2024 were classified as Class I recalls.[37]
  • 46 U.S. meat and poultry recalls occurred in 2024, including 8 beef, 13 poultry, 13 pork and 12 multispecies recalls.[37]
  • More than 8 million pounds of U.S. meat and poultry products were recalled in 2024.[37]

Supply chain in the animal agriculture industry

  • 15.6% was the 2025 increase in JBS inventory, raw-material and production-input costs, primarily reflecting higher cattle costs.[38]
  • 86.9% of JBS revenue was represented by cost of sales in 2025.[38]
  • $26.4 billion was the 2025 U.S. trade value of exported animal slaughtering and processing products.[22]
  • 2.3% was JBS's increase in global sales volume in 2025 compared with 2024.[38]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[39]
  • About 12% of firms in the 11-country World Bank Firm-level Adoption of Technology sample outsourced at least one food-processing function, compared with about 18% in apparel.[40]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[41]
  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[42]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[39]

10 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Margins diverge by segment, including a 5.2% adjusted operating-income margin for JBS in 2025 and 2.0% total operating margin for Tyson Foods in fiscal 2025.

Pricing strategy in the animal agriculture industry

  • 9.0% was the 2023 year-over-year dollar-sales growth for U.S. refrigerated meat.[32]
  • -5.2% was the 2023 year-over-year dollar-sales change for U.S. fresh eggs.[32]
  • 0.9% was the 2023 year-over-year dollar-sales growth for U.S. frozen poultry.[32]
  • 9.1% was JBS's increase in average sales prices in 2025 compared with 2024.[38]

Cost reduction in the animal agriculture industry

  • 20% was the reported 2025 increase in JBS cattle costs, which was partly offset by higher prices and volumes.[43]
  • $602 million was Tyson Foods' fiscal-2025 increase in inventory, driven primarily by higher average inventory costs and livestock volumes.[44]
  • 14.2% was JBS's increase in cost of sales in 2025 compared with 2024.[38]

Profitability in the animal agriculture industry

  • $2 billion was JBS's net income in 2025.[43]
  • 7.9% was JBS's 2025 adjusted EBITDA margin under IFRS.[45]
  • 5.2% was JBS's 2025 adjusted operating-income margin under IFRS.[45]
  • 2.0% was Tyson Foods' total operating margin in fiscal 2025.[46]

Financial planning in the animal agriculture industry

  • 18% of total U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program liability was attributable to livestock and animal products in 2024.[3]
  • $192 billion was the total U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program liability in 2024.[3]
  • 13% of lowland grazing-livestock farms in England had animal or crop insurance in 2024/25.[47]
  • 12% of U.S. livestock operations purchased federal crop insurance according to USDA data for 2020.[48]

11 Statistics

Product & Service

Public research investment is material, with $63.4 million in base funding supporting USDA food-animal-production research projects in fiscal year 2024.

Product development in the animal agriculture industry

  • 92 USDA scientists led 29 food-animal-production research projects at 16 U.S. locations in fiscal year 2024.[13]
  • 29 congressionally appropriated research projects covered beef and dairy cattle, swine, sheep, goats and poultry in the United States in fiscal year 2024.[13]
  • $63.4 million in base funding supported USDA food-animal-production research projects in the United States in fiscal year 2024.[13]

Value proposition in the animal agriculture industry

  • $67.1 billion in U.S. poultry and egg cash receipts represented 26.9% of animal and animal-product receipts in calendar year 2023.[13]
  • 47.9% of total U.S. agricultural commodities were animal and animal products in the 2023 data cited by USDA.[13]
  • $45.9 billion in U.S. dairy cash receipts represented 18.4% of animal and animal-product receipts in calendar year 2023.[13]
  • $101.1 billion in U.S. cattle and calf cash receipts represented 40.5% of animal and animal-product receipts in calendar year 2023.[13]

12 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Emissions remain a large footprint, with 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent from global livestock emissions in 2024.

Sustainability in the animal agriculture industry

  • 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent came from global livestock emissions in 2024.[49]
  • 18.5 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent were emitted by global agrifood systems in 2024.[49]
  • 7.9 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent came from crop and livestock farm-gate emissions globally in 2024.[49]
  • Global agrifood-system emissions increased 21% between 2001 and 2024.[49]

ESG in the animal agriculture industry

  • Danone reduced milk emissions by more than 1 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent in 2024.[50]
  • 22% of global agrifood-system emissions came from land-use change in 2024.[49]
  • 51.4% of Danone’s agricultural carbon footprint came from milk-related emissions in 2024.[50]
  • 35% of global agrifood-system emissions came from pre- and post-agricultural production activities in 2024.[49]

Ethics in the animal agriculture industry

  • 77% of U.S. farms adopting robotic milking cited labor-time savings as a reason in 2023.[3]
  • 19% of large-scale U.S. farms producing milk had adopted robotic milking in 2023.[4]
  • 12% of large U.S. livestock farms had adopted wearable livestock technologies in 2023.[4]
  • 1% of small U.S. livestock farms had adopted wearable livestock technologies in 2023.[4]

Circular economy in the animal agriculture industry

  • 90% of agricultural emissions growth from 2001 to 2024 came from manufacturing inputs, transport, packaging, retail and household consumption combined, based on FAO’s reported increase from 3.4 to 6.5 billion tonnes.[49]
  • 2.0 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent came from global agrifood-waste disposal in 2024.[49]

Carbon footprint in the animal agriculture industry

  • 2.3 tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent per person was the global agrifood-system emissions intensity in 2024.[49]
  • 1.8 kilograms of carbon-dioxide equivalent per international dollar was the global agrifood-system emissions intensity in 2024.[49]

14 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade growth is selective by protein, with 40.2 million metric tons of meat exported globally in 2024, a 2% increase from 2023.

Globalization in the animal agriculture industry

  • 40.2 million metric tons of meat were exported globally in 2024, a 2% increase from 2023 after two years of decline.[2]
  • 12.990 million metric tons of beef were exported globally in 2024, measured in thousand metric tons carcass-weight equivalent.[57]
  • 13.733 million metric tons of chicken meat were exported globally in 2024, according to USDA estimates.[57]
  • 10.317 million metric tons of pork were exported globally in 2024, measured in thousand metric tons carcass-weight equivalent.[57]

Cultural adaptation in the animal agriculture industry

  • 43% of British halal consumers surveyed by AHDB reported buying halal meat at least once a week, demonstrating a distinct recurring market segment for animal agriculture.[58]
  • 150,000 Muslims, 91 halal grocery stores and a $20 million halal goat-meat market were identified in Minnesota in a livestock-market assessment.[59]
  • 86% of halal-aware U.S. consumers rated food safety as important when buying animal proteins in an IFANCA consumer survey.[60]
  • 25% of halal-aware U.S. consumers rated kosher certification as important when buying meat and poultry, compared with 40% among consumers familiar with halal.[60]

Supplier management in the animal agriculture industry

  • 7% of U.S. farms used marketing or production contracts in 2020 to manage the disposition of commodities, including livestock production.[3]
  • 42% of production expenses at U.S. greenhouse and nursery operations were wages, salaries and contract labor in 2022, compared with 12% for all farms.[3]
  • 2% of U.S. farms used production contracts in 2020, a share that USDA reported had remained stable since 1996.[3]
  • 5% of U.S. farms used marketing contracts in 2020, compared with 11% in 1996, according to USDA’s farm-contract data.[3]

Stakeholder management in the animal agriculture industry

  • 57.8 years was the average age of U.S. agricultural producers in 2022, highlighting generational-transition considerations for livestock and poultry businesses.[61]
  • 409,965 U.S. producers were classified as new or beginning farmers in 2022, representing a major stakeholder group for animal agriculture succession and support programs.[61]
  • 96% of U.S. farms were family farms in 2022, making farm families a central ownership and stakeholder group in animal agriculture.[61]
  • 1,224,726 agricultural producers operated U.S. farms in 2022, including livestock, poultry and mixed-production stakeholders.[61]

Distribution channels in the animal agriculture industry

  • $5.6 billion was sold to intermediate markets by nonfamily U.S. farms in 2024, compared with $3.2 billion to retail markets and $1.3 billion to institutions.[3]
  • 60,332 U.S. farm operations sold through direct channels to retail outlets, institutions or intermediate markets in 2022, more than double the 2017 figure.[3]
  • $17.5 billion of food was sold through direct marketing channels by U.S. producers in 2022, including livestock and poultry products.[3]
  • $14.2 billion was sold through U.S. direct channels to retail outlets, institutions and intermediate markets in 2022, up 33.2% in real terms from 2017.[3]

Key questions about the animal agriculture industry

How large is the global animal agriculture market in 2025?
Global animal agriculture produced 375 million tonnes of meat in 2025.
What is the 2026 outlook for global meat production growth?
Global meat production is projected to increase 12% over the 2026–2035 outlook period, equivalent to about 43 million tonnes.
Which companies lead the animal agriculture industry?
Cargill stands out for animal nutrition and animal protein operations because it includes food, agriculture, animal nutrition and animal protein businesses, while JBS focuses on poultry and egg products since it describes itself as a global producer of beef, pork, poultry, lamb, fish and egg products.
Where are technology and automation shifts showing up in livestock production?
Around 50% of surveyed U.S. farmers and ranchers regularly used AI tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini in 2026.
How concentrated is the industry structure by product category in the U.S.?
In U.S. poultry for 2025, broilers represented 54.6% of sector value, eggs 38.6%, and turkeys 6.8%.
What compliance pressure is rising for animal health in 2026?
USDA APHIS requires additional testing and reporting for HPAI under a Federal Order issued December 6, 2024, and the agency’s 2026 livestock guidance addresses H5N1 requirements and recommendations.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Animal Agriculture Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/animal-agriculture-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Animal Agriculture Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/animal-agriculture-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Animal Agriculture Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/animal-agriculture-industry-statistics.

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