Livestock refers to domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals raised for consumption, and sometimes used to refer solely to farmed ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Horses are also considered livestock in the United States. The USDA classifies pork, veal, beef, and lamb (mutton) as livestock, and all livestock as red meat. Poultry and fish are not included in the category.
Livestock can be any breed or population of animal kept by humans for a useful, commercial purpose, whether for food, fiber, dairy, draft, breeding, sport purposes, or other product or labor. Livestock includes animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, and fur-bearing animals, but does not include farmed birds, fish, shellfish, amphibians, and reptiles. However, the term is not rigorously applied in all contexts and inclusion of poultry as livestock is not uncommon.
Livestock is an important component of modern agriculture and has been practiced in many societies since the transition to farming from hunter-gatherer lifestyles. The breeding, maintenance, slaughter, and general subjugation of livestock, called animal husbandry, is a part of modern agriculture and has been practiced in many cultures.
