Search

Would a sudden loss of the meat and dairy industry, and all the ripple effects, destroy the economy?

Abbreviated Question: 
Would a sudden loss of the meat and dairy industry, and all the ripple effects, destroy the economy?
Answer: 

Agriculture and agriculture-related industries contributed $777.0 billion to the U.S. GDP in 2012, a 4.7% share. The value of U.S. livestock production output (dairy products, milk; meat animals; miscellaneous livestock; and poultry and eggs) contributed $167.4 billion of this sum, about 1.0% of GDP. The overall contribution of the livestock sector to GDP is larger than this because sectors related to livestock that rely on agricultural inputs in order to contribute additional value to the economy.