Ethiopia is an adequate performer (“C”) under the VACI, on par with Austria and Niger. Although it has low production and consumption of animal products per capita, Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa and its animal protection legislation is inadequate.
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Ethiopia slaughters around 1.1 land-based animals per person per year, compared with a global average of 10.1. The country’s dependence on farmed animals is also extremely low, with around 1.8 farmed animals per person, compared with a global average of 4.1. Animal production is small-scale and extensive. It takes place mostly in family or community-run farms.
The Ethiopian diet contains the lowest number of animals consumed per person among the 50 rated countries, and the second lowest proportion of animal protein per capita, after Nigeria. About 9% of the average Ethiopian’s diet is made up of land-based animal protein. This compares with a global average of 35.2%. It equates to each Ethiopian consuming around 5.7g of land-based animal protein per day, versus a global average of 27.2g.
Ethiopia is rated as a very poor performer (“F”) under the Animal Protection Index (API), and its farmed animal protection legislation achieved a worst performance rating (“G”) under the same index. The country’s animal protection laws apply only to public places (that is, cruelty to animals in private spaces is not prohibited). Learn more about the quality of Ethiopia’s legislative protections on the API here.