As mentioned, I'm here today to speak to beef producers' role in addressing food insecurity by continuing to produce our high-quality, sustainable and nutrient-dense protein that feeds millions of people every year.
There are several factors that need to be considered when discussing global food security that I'll touch on today, and these include trade, labour and sustainability.
Trade is important for food security as it increases utilization and consumer choice, increasing food options at home and abroad. The year 2021 was the sixth year in a row of hitting record export values. Canada produced 181 thousand tonnes of cattle and 1,381 thousand tonnes of beef, of which 50% was exported. This volume is up 3.8% compared with 2020.
Canada exports cuts that are not used or purchased in the domestic market to obtain a higher price. We then import cuts that have strong demand here but that Canada does not produce enough of. In Canada we import about 20% of our annual beef consumption. In essence, trade allows us to decrease food loss and meet consumer needs in Canada and around the world.
We export beef to vast regions of the world due to demand. Despite this increasing demand for protein, there are threats that impact our ability to produce, including chronic labour shortages. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council is developing a long-term strategic plan to address the industry's chronic labour issues. The beef industry is involved in the process. We're optimistic the plan will offer a strategy for all stakeholders, including government, that will help Canada's food production system.
Canadian beef producers are well positioned to meet the global protein demand, leading the way internationally in sustainable production practices. While production methods differ by region and landscape, our goal is aligned to contribute to Canada's economy and food production while conserving and protecting Canada's environment. Our industry recognizes that we can't separate the food security crisis from the climate crisis, because how we respond to one will impact how we are able to respond to the other.
The Canadian beef industry takes our responsibility to produce beef sustainably seriously. We have one of the lowest greenhouse gas intensities for beef in the world, and we've developed an ambitious target to reduce the emission intensity of Canadian beef by 33% by 2030. Our 2030 goals put us on track to meet or exceed the government's absolute target.
Note that the 2030 beef strategy goals focus on emissions intensity. It means we're improving efficiency, regardless of how many cattle we raise or how much we produce. As an industry, we're contributing to the food security crisis by feeding the world's demand for beef with the most sustainable option. That's how we're addressing the food security crisis. If Canada's cattle production is reduced, the world may be left more dependent on less environmentally friendly beef from other nations. The world needs more environmentally friendly food products, not fewer, and Canada has a competitive advantage when it comes to producing high-quality sustainable beef.
Global food security is complex, with many factors to consider, and we're confident in saying that Canadian beef producers are part of the solution. As producers, we're having these conversations domestically and internationally through platforms like the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. We're attending COP27 coming up in Egypt as well as the Biodiversity Conference, COP15, in Montreal.
We need government to work with us to achieve our goals and to speak proudly of beef production here in Canada. The world needs more highly nutritious protein, and the world needs more Canadian beef.
Thank you for inviting us. We're looking forward to the discussion today.