The report points out that US Department of Agriculture’s December forecast indicates that this year will see “another sharp drop” in consumption levels, which have been falling since 2008. It says the data suggests that the average American will consume 12.2% less meat and poultry in 2012 then they did in 2007.
The report blamed the decline on growing exports, higher production costs and government anti-meat policy. It said that it was “no coincidence” that the decline in consumption coincided with the rapid growth of biofuel production in the US, which pushed up feed prices and thus the cost of meat. It claimed that the US federal government had “waged war” on meat consumption for many years, as had NGOs opposing meat consumption for environmental and animal welfare reasons.