Introduction
Increasing demand for products from farmed animals has been
widely acknowledged as provoking the ‘livestock revolution’,
particularly in Asia where economic growth has continued at a
remarkable pace and is geographically widespread (World
Bank 2013). Higher incomes amongst urban consumers have
led to diversification of their diet with the inclusion of more
meat products (WHO 2007; FAO 2012). Between 1997 and
2009, total meat consumption per capita per year in China
increased from 43 to 58 kg and in Southeast Asia from 18 to
26 kg with projections to grow at around 3.1 and 3.0 % per
annum to reach 73 and 30 kg by 2020, respectively (Delgado
2003; FAO 2012). In Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao
PDR or Laos), total meat consumption per capita per year in
2009 was approximately 21 kg with projections to grow
around 4.5 % (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry