Ninety two billion! That’s how many animals we raise and kill worldwide every year for food. It’s a number so large that it staggers the imagination. The most recent data about land animals bred, kept and slaughtered for consumption has revealed a figure higher than ever before. An estimated 92 billion land animals are kept and slaughtered annually in the global food system, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Making matters worse is that if we add in all the fish captured or bred and killed, that number goes even higher.

It’s not just about how many farm animals are killed but also the suffering they endured while they were raised. The majority of the world’s farm animals are raised in dismal conditions in what’s known as factory farms. Pigs are held in cramped, stressful conditions, living a life in chronic discomfort and distress. Cows’ calves are taken away from them, so that the milk they produce is available for human consumption, a practice under which both the mother and the calf suffer. Many animals are castrated without anesthetic. Chickens are often debeaked to stop them from fighting with other chickens out of discomfort and pain; many cannot turn around their entire lives.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Viewed from the other side, this means that the benefits of reducing and finally ending meat consumption are massive. Change is happening. The sales of meat, egg and dairy substitutes are soaring. Every time you have a meal without any animal ingredients you make a difference.