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Table 5. Efficiency of meat production in LAC: Meat yields (weighted average) 2010 and % change, 2000-
2010
LAC U.S. World
Meat Yield Change Meat Yield Change Meat Yield Change
kg/head % kg/head % kg/head %
Cattle 222,8 6,9 341,0 4,2 205,3 2,5
Swine 82,6 15,1 92,3 5,3 79,4 1,5
Sheep 13,8 1,8 29,9 -0,7 14,2 0,2
Poultry 2,0 14,1 2,2 14,9 1,7 4,7
Dairy 1.544,1 22,2 9.232,7 14,9 987,6 5,1
Source: Calculated using data from fao (2012a).
LAC consumers shifting to poultry and pork
from beef and sheepmeat
lac consumers have increasingly moved away from
the consumption of beef and sheepmeat towards the
consumption of other protein sources, including poultry
meat, pork, eggs, and dairy products (table 3). The
growth of the commercial poultry and pork industries
and the associated growth in consumption have been notable
phenomena and powerful forces for change in the
Latin American livestock industry. Per capita consumption
of poultry has increased at double-digit percentage
rates across many Latin America countries, including
countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and
other countries where supplies of other protein sources
available for consumption have declined on a per capita
basis (table 3).
The rapid adoption and spread of more efficient poultry
and pork production technologies have made it possible
for many countries to export more of traditional sources
of dietary protein like beef and substitute growing supplies
of poultry and pork in domestic consumption. The
average per capita consumption of eggs in Latin America
jumped nearly 17% between 2000 and 2007 to 9.4 kg/
hab11 (fao, 2012a). In 2009, Mexico led the world in per
capita egg consumption at 354 eggs/year, much above
the U.S. at 247.7 eggs/year, followed by Colombia (230
eggs/person/year) and Argentina (222 eggs/person/year)
(Mendes, 2011).
11 The most recent FAO data for per capita egg consumption
is 2007. Obviously some changes have occurred in the
last few years but the data is indicative of egg consumption
trends in the region.
Argentina slips to second in per capita beef
consumption
Per capita beef consumption in Argentina, the world’s
top per capita beef consumer in 2000, experienced a 15%
decline from 45.2 kg/person to 38.5 kg/person in 2011,
slipping to second place in the world behind Uruguay
at 51.7 kg/person (table 3). Meanwhile, Argentina’s per
capita consumption of poultry grew by 31%. Uruguay’s
per capita beef consumption also declined slightly over
the last decade while its per capita consumption of poultry
jumped by nearly 46%. Even Brazil, where per capita
beef consumption grew by 6% over the last decade, experienced
a dramatic 62% increase in per capita chicken
consumption. The story has been much the same in
other major beef consuming countries in Latin America.
Strong production performances in Chile, Colombia, El
Salvador, Panama, and Ecuador substantially boosted
their per capita consumption of pork between 2000 and
2011 (usda, 2012a). Chile now has the highest per capita
consumption of pork in Latin America (table 3).
Dairy products have grown in popularity
Argentina consumes the highest amount of fluid milk
per capita in Latin America at 283.8 kg/person in 2011,
about the same as in the United States (usda, 2012a).
Uruguay exports the majority of its milk production and
has slipped to second place in Latin American per capita
milk consumption (gts, 2011). Uruguay is the leading
per capita consumer of all fresh dairy products at 158.5
kg/person (table 3).
A Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean
55