Global demand for meat set to grow as production rises
© Adobe Stock Global meat consumption is expected to increase over the next five years, with demand for red meat and poultry projected to climb.
Dr Phil Hadley, secretary general of the International Meat Secretariat, said: “There is a growing demand for protein across the world, and that’s the gap that we have to try and fill.
“There are more mouths to feed, standards of living are increasing, wealth is increasing, and that drives protein consumption.”
See also: Strong beef prices fail to prevent falling cattle numbers
He added that meat consumption was growing in the US, stable in Europe and falling in Asia, and was experiencing modest growth across other regions.
International meat consultancy firm Gira has forecast that global meat production will increase by 19m tonnes by 2030, with the majority of gains coming from the poultry sector.
However, Dr Hadley said increases in consumption were still expected to exceed these production gains.
“We still need more protein,” he said.
The poultry sector has already started to capitalise on this increased demand for protein, with production rising.
However, global cattle numbers are generally declining in the key production regions such as North America, Europe and Australia.
Beef production is still growing in other regions, with Brazil overtaking the US as the world’s largest beef producer.
Carcass weights have lifted, offsetting some of the decline in herd numbers, according to Dr Hadley.
He noted that animal diseases were having a significant impact on global trade, with New World screwworm in Mexico, foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa, lumpy skin disease and African swine fever all having an impact.
Export growth
Scottish red meat exports were valued at £164m in 2025, up 19% in value and 4% in volume.
Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) estimated that Scotch beef exports were worth £101m and Scotch lamb exports £61m.
QMS business development director Tom Gibson said exports to EU countries continued to dominate, accounting for 98% of total export revenues.
France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Belgium were the top five markets by value.
“The EU also represented 85% of fifth quarter sales, demonstrating its critical importance to maintaining carcass balance,” said Mr Gibson
“Scottish exporters supply beef to 18 countries, lamb to seven countries and fifth quarter product to 19 countries.”
He added: “Export markets offer us the opportunity to maximize the price premium we can access for cuts that are not in demand in our home markets.
“With reducing herds and flocks in the EU and increasing populations across Europe, the future demand for our product is set to remain strong.”