The impact meat production has on water consumption.
- Nearly half of all the water used in the U.S. goes to raising animals for food.
- It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce just 1 pound of meat, but it takes just 25 gallons to grow 1 pound of wheat.
- You save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you do by not showering for six months!
- It requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day to produce food for a typical meat-eater but only 300 gallons of water to produce food for a typical vegan.
https://www.peta.org/blog/meat-industry-wastes-water/
The global average water footprint of beef is 15,400 litres per kilo, which is predominantly green water – water from renewable sources – (94 per cent).
The water footprint related to animal feed takes the largest share with 99 per cent of the total, while drinking and service water contribute just one per cent to the total water footprint.
http://www.thecattlesite.com/news/49594/how-much-water-does-it-take-to-produce-meat/
Water required to produce one pound (1 lb.) of:
- Pork = 576 gallons of water
- Chicken = 468 gallons of water
- Soybeans = 206 gallons of water
- Wheat = 138 gallons of water
- Corn = 108 gallons of water
IME claim that water requirements to meet food demand in 2050 could reach between 10-13.5tn cubic metres per year – about triple the current amount used annually by humans.
Meat production requires a much higher amount of water than vegetables. IME state that to produce 1kg of meat requires between 5,000 and 20,000 litres of water whereas to produce 1kg of wheat requires between 500 and 4,000 litres of water.
https://www.quora.com/Water-How-does-meat-production-consume-a-high-amount-of-water
There is increasing recognition of the tension between livestock production and freshwater availability. Changes in freshwater availability can be generated by both freshwater consumptive and freshwater degradative use. Agriculture is a major water user, and beef cattle and sheep farming is an important agricultural activity in New Zealand (NZ). This study assessed potential environmental impacts associated with water use in beef cattle and sheep farming in NZ, following a water footprint method compliant with life cycle assessment principles with a focus on the water scarcity footprint and eutrophication potential (EP) impacts. The life cycle required for the production of beef cattle and sheep was analysed cradle-to-farm-gate, excluding animal transport or processing. Survey data from Beef and Lamb New Zealand for the year 2009/10 were used to cover a range of beef cattle and sheep farm types throughout NZ (426 farms averaged in seven farm classes), and water scarcity footprint and EP weighted averages were calculated for beef cattle and sheep.
- The total volume of permitted water takes has increased dramatically between1997 and 2004 – up 45% for groundwater and 108% for surface water. Increase in surface water takes by sector during the period are as follows:
- water supply – up 34%
- industry – up 44%
- agriculture – up 313%.
- Agricultural use moved from 23% of the total permitted water takes (by volume) in 1997 to 29% in 2004. (For surface water takes, the shift was from 32% to 51% of the total during the same period.) While the increase in agricultural use is mainly irrigation for dairy farms, stock drinking water and other on-farm requirements are a part of the added demand. Where land- use changes involve conversion to dairy farming the additional water requirements can be considerable, given the drinking-water needs of lactating cows and water used for milk cooling and plant and yard wash down.
https://www.boprc.govt.nz/media/470831/reasonable-stock-water-requirements-guidelines-horizons.pdf
Works Cited
How Much Water Does it Take to Produce Meat? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thecattlesite.com/news/49594/how-much-water-does-it-take-to-produce-meat/
The Meat Industry Wastes Water. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.peta.org/blog/meat-industry-wastes-water/
Water footprint of beef cattle and sheep produced in New Zealand: Water scarcity and eutrophication impacts. (2009, February 1). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262526727_Water_footprint_of_beef_cattle_and_sheep_produced_in_New_Zealand_Water_scarcity_and_eutrophication_impacts
Water: How does meat production consume a high amount of water? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Water-How-does-meat-production-consume-a-high-amount-of-water
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