In January 2026, a Selangor government plan to centralise pig farming met with stiff resistance. Intended to modernise the industry and curb pollution, it quickly drew opposition. Critics cited religious sensitivities and odour pollution.
Such reactions are unsurprising – who would welcome any large livestock operation as a neighbour? Intensive livestock farming is not a pretty business – it’s smelly, noisy, brutal, and bloody.
Yet it’s an inescapable, mounting reality. The stark truth is that we consume vast amounts of meat, and our appetite is growing.
Malaysia’s chicken consumption is one of the world’s highest, per capita. In 2020, we ate about 50kg per person – far more than nearby countries such as Singapore (36kg), Indonesia (14kg), and Cambodia (3kg). Meat features in every meal for some Malaysians, from nasi lemak with chicken at breakfast to beef rendang at night.
What is often overlooked is the massive impact of such consumption – on the planet, climate, environment, our health, and not least, the animals.
The Earth today is effectively a giant farm. Humans aside, the vast majority of mammals alive exist to be eaten by us. According to Our World in Data, livestock outnumber wild mammals by 15-1, accounting for 94% of (non-human) mammal biomass. Surely we should take stock of this.
Most meat comes from intensive “factory farms” where animals are extremely confined, kept in unnatural and unsanitary conditions, and painfully mutilated (for instance, hens are debeaked). Livestock farming also uses large amounts of land and water and is a major source of global water pollution, largely from fertilisers and animal waste.
The climate impact is huge. “Sufficient attention has not been given to the food industry as a key contributor to climate change,” says Meenakshi Raman, president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia.
Agrifood systems contributed about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 – twice that of global transport (16%). We think about the climate cost of cars, but do we consider the impact of eating a steak?
Here’s the “beef” on beef: kilo for kilo, it emits 50 times more greenhouse gases than coal. It has one of the worst climate impacts, far greater than other meats. Cattle produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and require vast areas of land for feed. Since 85% of Malaysia’s beef is imported, the carbon footprint is even heavier.
Consumption has grown with affluence. Malaysians are now the largest beef consumers in South-East Asia, eating about 9.5kg per person annually, The Star reported in January 2026. That’s roughly one (200g) steak a week per person. This is a sharp departure from the past, when beef was eaten on occasion, mostly at festivals or a kenduri (feast).
Diets high in red meat are linked to higher risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, which are all rising here. Another key concern, says Meenakshi, is the routine use of antibiotics in livestock, which contaminates waterways and the food system, leading to anti-microbial resistance.
Globally, concerns about health, climate, and animal welfare are driving a shift away from meat, especially among the young, even in traditionally meat-heavy countries such as Germany and Brazil. This has fuelled growth in plant-based foods and meat alternatives that innovatively use peas and soy.
In Malaysia, consumer demand is driving more ethical farming, with parts of the egg industry going cage-free, led by Liang Kee Farming. The plant-based sector is also rapidly growing here, producing burgers out of jackfruit and mushrooms, alongside cultivated meat research at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
In November 2025, Malaysia launched its National Planetary Health Action Plan, aligned with the global Planetary Health Diet (PHD) developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission (a global interdisciplinary group of world-leading researchers with expertise in nutrition, health, agriculture, sustainability, social justice, and policy). The Plan is a “crucial” step to look at systemic links between human and planetary health, explains Prof Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health.
The PHD recommends 500g of fruits and vegetables and 75g of legumes a day, and treats red meat as a “limited food” at 14g a day. Similarly, half the plate in Malay-sia’s “Suku-Suku Separuh” Health Ministry eating guide comprises fruit and veg.
A 2024 study led by Centre for Planetary Health researchers comparing the Malaysian diet and PHD found a profound legume deficit (3.6% vs the 23% PHD target), while intake of sugar and meat was more than double (about 12%) recommended levels.
A successful PHD transition hinges on “making plant-based proteins financially accessible and culturally resonant”, says Dr Jemilah.
Legumes – such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peas – need repositioning as primary proteins rather than side dishes. As soy is often highly processed, sugar-laden, and imported from the Americas, diversifying to local legumes – such as petai, kacang panjang or kacang bunis – would improve soil health and build a more resilient food system, says the Centre.
A flexitarian diet should not be difficult to promote in Malaysia, says Dr Say Yee-How, a researcher in the 2024 study. Many traditional meals used meat sparingly and were largely plant-based, such as ulam with sambal, tempeh or tofu dishes, lei cha (tea rice), dhal, and thosai.
“The main challenge is not cultural resistance but modern food trends,” he says. Promoting flexitarian eating would work best “when framed not as a new or restrictive diet, but as a return to familiar, culturally rooted foods”.
