Global boom in livestock farming since 2006 is piling pressure on nature, report finds

Chickens in an intensive farming environment. About 90% of water withdrawn from natural systems for irrigation is now used to grow animal feed. Photograph: Tim Scrivener/Alamy

The number of mammals and poultry farmed worldwide has increased by half in the last two decades, research shows, and the amount of cropland used for feeding livestock has increased by about a quarter.

These increases are putting rising pressure on natural systems, threatening wildlife and plant species and adding to the climate crisis.