Beef and Dairy Farming Responsible for 41% of Agriculture-Linked Biodiversity Loss

A study from Oxford Martin School found that beef and dairy production account for 41% of the biodiversity damage attributable to global farmland. The research highlights the outsized environmental footprint of livestock agriculture compared to other food systems. Biodiversity loss linked to farming is driven largely by land use changes required to support cattle grazing and feed crop production. The findings underscore growing scientific concern about the role of animal agriculture in accelerating habitat and species decline worldwide.