The OECD’s recent World Agricultural Outlook 2023-32 report notes that meat consumption is declining in affluent countries. The reasons cited include concerns about animal welfare, the environment and health. Those concerns may be true, but it also correlates with the fact that the median age in rich countries is rising, and humans need less animal protein as they move beyond age 30. Older adults tend to consume more carbohydrates for basic energy rather than tissue-building protein. 

It is important to note that during adolescence and early adulthood, males consume considerably more animal protein than females. The OECD follows recent trends and predicts that poultry meat will increasingly replace some of the intake of beef a...