Land use and degredation

How animal agriculture impacts land resources

"Agricultural production accounts for over half of Australia’s total land mass. A shocking 86% of that is for animal agriculture."

~ State of the Environment Report: Animal Agriculture, a key driver of deforestation and wildlife habitat loss

Intense competition for land resources exists across Australia. Today, over half of our continent is used for agriculture, with a staggering 86% of that taken up by animal agriculture. Aside from the sheer scale of land taken up by farm animals, raising animals for food and fibre has a vast and largely negative impact on native vegetation, soil and biodiversity.

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Fast Facts

86%

Today, over half of the Australian continent is used for agriculture, with a staggering 86% of that taken up by animal agriculture.

79%

of land cleared in Australia between 2016-2022 was for animal agriculture, vs just 4% for crop production.

66%

Of Australian soil is considered degraded

100x

it takes about 100 times as much land to produce a kilocalorie of beef or lamb versus plant-based alternatives

Land Useage

INEFFICIENT AND DESTRUCTIVE

Today, over half of the Australian continent is used for agriculture, with a staggering 86% of that taken up by animal agriculture. Most land used for animal agriculture has been cleared from forested or wooded land.

Animal agriculture is inefficient land use; it takes about 100 times as much land to produce a kilocalorie of beef or lamb versus plant-based alternatives.

Animals raised for food and fibre are fed from two sources – lands on which the animals graze and land on which feeding crops, such as soy and cereals, are grown. Those grazing pastures often have their diet supplemented with hay or grains transported in. Animals in feedlots and intensive farming systems are fed large amounts of grain.

''If everyone shifted to a plant-based diet, we would reduce global land use for agriculture by 75%. This large reduction of agricultural land use would be possible thanks to a reduction in land used for grazing and a smaller need for land to grow crops." ~ Our World in Data

While not all land currently used for grazing animals is suitable for growing crops, this land could be reforested, replacing habitats for wildlife and increasing carbon capture.

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Deforestation

PRIMARY DRIVER OF DEFORESTATION

Between 2016 and 2020, 1.6 million hectares of Australian forested land were cleared to rear livestock. This accounts for 79% of all land cleared over these five years while, for comparison, crop production was responsible for only 4% of land clearing. All other activities contributing to deforestation, from timber plantations to mining to residential infrastructure, amounted to 17% when combined.

The State of the Environment report, released in 2022, clearly shows the animal agriculture industry is a primary driver of deforestation, leading to critical habitat loss for Australian animals, including our beloved koalas.

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Land Degredation

66% OF AUSTRALIAN SOILS ARE DEGRADED

Soil quality is not something that many of us consider often when we think about the environment, but we should. Soil is a foundation for biodiversity. Vibrantly alive, teeming with thousands of kilograms of biological life in every acre, soil supports food production, filters our water, and is a cost-effective reservoir for capturing carbon.

Yet over the last 150 years, we've lost much of the building blocks that make soil productive. Reports state that “globally, around 24% of the world's agricultural land is considered degraded. In Australia, this figure is estimated to be close to two-thirds (66%).”

Land degradation is "the deterioration or loss of the productive capacity of the soils for present and future." Land degradation poses a global challenge that can impact everyone via food insecurity, increased food costs, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Animal agriculture leads to land degradation through:

Deforestation - animal agriculture is the leading cause of land clearing both in Australia and across the globe.
Increased ammonia-based organic matter (animal waste) leads to acidification of soils. This makes it difficult to grow vegetation, and crops that do grow may increase their uptake of heavy metal contaminants of cadmium. Acidification can lead to desertification.
The use of chemicals (pesticides and fertilisers) in animal agriculture and in producing crops (most of which are grown to feed animals) can kill microbes that create healthy soil environments (such as B12).
Overgrazing: animals graze areas to the point where vegetation cannot survive, resulting in a lack of vegetation cover and soil erosion.
Desertification: the process by which vegetation in arid and semi-arid lands, such as grasslands or shrublands, decreases and eventually disappears. Overgrazing of animals often leads to desertification.

As highlighted by World Wildlife Fund, “The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land. It has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging these waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. Degraded lands are also often less able to hold onto water, which can worsen flooding.”

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