The following table and charts depict the extent of land animal slaughter and meat production from 1961 to 2016. They are based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Bank. The FAO does not publish figures for all species, but hopefully the information gives some of idea of the staggering, almost unimaginable scale of the animal holocaust.

These figures are for the United Kingdom. Please see other pages for tables and charts for the World, Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand and the USA.

Behind the charts

These images, courtesy of Manchester Pig Save, show some of the reality behind the table and charts. These pigs are on the way to slaughter. In their natural environment, pigs never defecate or urinate where they live and sleep. However, in piggeries and trucks, they are given no choice. The journey to the slaughterhouse is usually the first day they will have seen anything of the outside world.