livestock

China is among the world’s largest producers and consumers of livestocks. Although current per capita consumption of livestock is lower in China than in wealthier nations, it is increasing rapidly as China’s economy and personal incomes grow. China has the potential to become a growing market for feedstuffs or animal protein imports, as demand for meats, fish, eggs, and milk is expected to outstrip domestic feedgrain supplies. Because of the sheer size of China’s livestock sector, relatively small changes in either livestock inventory growth or meat demand trends can have important implications for projections of global trade in feedstuffs or animal proteins. China is already the world’s largest consumer of most livestock meat products. However, due to China’s relatively low income levels, per capita animal protein intake remains much lower than its neighbors’. For example, citizens of South Korea eat 5 times as much animal protein per capita as those of China, Japan 7 times, Taiwan 9 times. Per capita animal protein intake in the U.S. is 11 times greater. 2007 is expected to see noticeable changes in the livestock industry. Livestock farm structure may go through great changes. Livestock farms have to meet the challenge of food safety. Hog futures trading is to be launched at Dalian Commodity Exchange, and so on and so forth.