U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Environment Rick North Campaign for Safe Food Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Download ReportTranscript U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Environment Rick North Campaign for Safe Food Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility.
U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Environment Rick North Campaign for Safe Food Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility Goals ↑ awareness of problems associated with the U.S. meat system ↓ negative health, environmental, and animal welfare impacts associated with meat production ↑ support for sustainable meat purchasing Industrial Meat System VS. •Large CAFOs make up only 5% of livestock operations but produce more than 50% of our food animals. •A large CAFO operation contains more than 1,000 beef cattle, 2,500 hogs or 100,000 broiler hens. Industrial Meat Production CAFOs/factory farms are where the majority of meat comes from – 67% poultry and 42% pork Done to produce the highest output at the lowest cost Requires many inputs for economic viability (pesticides, antibiotics, feed, etc.) Impacts Health Environment Animal Welfare Health - Antibiotic Resistance What is it? ◦ Bacteria develop ability to withstand the effects of certain antibiotics, making treatment difficult Slide adapted from Keep Antibiotic’s Working. Antibiotic Resistance – An Emerging Public Health Crisis Health – Antibiotic Resistance How does antibiotic resistance affect us? ◦ Monetarily: Estimated that resistant infections cost $30+ billion annually ◦ Health: Resistant infections and illnesses afflict millions each year Campylobacter, Salmonella, MRSA Slide adapted from Keep Antibiotic’s Working. Antibiotic Resistance – An Emerging Public Health Crisis Health - Antibiotic Resistance Non-therapeutic antibiotics: ◦ Administered in animal feed and water to compensate for poor living conditions and promote growth ◦ Antibiotics also enter feed through crops grown on soil fertilized with manure (human food exposure as well) ◦ Many of these drugs are the same or similar to what is used in human medicine Health - Antibiotic Resistance Health - Diet Related Disease Diets high in red and processed meat are associated with greater incidence of Type 2 diabetes and mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease Saturated fats ↑ cholesterol levels which ↑ risk of heart disease and stroke Animals raised on grain fed diets may have more total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories and less Vitamin E, beta carotene,Vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids Health Additional Concerns Cloned Animals ◦ ↑ antibiotics and hormones ◦ Few studies have looked directly at food safety ◦ No long-term studies have looked at food safety Environment – Global Warming Livestock contribution ◦ Worldwide – 18% - more than all transportation ◦ U.S. – 3-5% on farm U.S. emissions come from enteric fermentation, manure management, and soil management Environment – Global Warming Effects of global warming: ◦ Drought: Difficulties with accessing potable water Loss of agricultural crops - ↑ food prices Devastation to forests - ↑ wildfires ◦ Rising Temps Heat related illness Endangered species ◦ Flood Displacement Death Environment - Water Contamination ◦ Nitrates and other nutrients, heavy metals, and antibiotics found in manure leak from lagoons, runoff from fields and contaminate water “Blue Baby Syndrome,” spontaneous abortion, gastrointestinal problems “Dead zones” (Gulf of Mexico 5-8k miles2 ) Fish kills ◦ In just 22 states, 35,000 river miles polluted with animal waste Environment - Water Overuse ◦ Estimated that it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1lb. of meat It take only 25 gallons to produce 1lb. of wheat ◦ Irrigation for feed crops accounts for much of water use It takes 10 lbs. of grain to produce one lb. of meat ~80% of grain (corn and soy) in U.S. goes to livestock production Environment – Land Degradation Forests and native habitats are converted to crop and grazing land for animal feed Unsustainable grazing practices lead to erosion Environment – Genetic Engineering Genetically Engineered Animals: ◦ ↓ in biodiversity from reproduction with non-GE species (e.g., fish, insects, mice, etc.) Genetically Engineered Crops for Feed: ◦ Contamination, “super weeds,” harmful to beneficial insects, increased pesticide use 80% of corn and 92% soybeans planted in the U.S. are genetically engineered 80% of corn and at least 50% of soybeans go to livestock feed Animal Welfare - CAFOs Confinement – Cannot act out innate behaviors, unable to naturally mate, aggressive behaviors Sanitation – Increase in disease (directly related to antibiotic resistance) Animal Welfare – Cloned Animals Cloned Animals: ◦ 90%+ prenatal failure ◦ 50% Large Offspring Syndrome (LOS) ◦ ↑ rates of diabetes and heart damage What Can You Do? Reduce your meat consumption ◦ Meatless Monday Abstaining from red meat one day a week could result in a 4-5% decrease in GHG emissions related to food intake in avg. household. What Can You Do? Move meat off the center of your plate/↓ portion sizes – USDA nutritional guidelines $ saved can be used for increased fruit and vegetable consumption or purchasing sustainably raised meat. What Can You Do? Vote with your dollars: ◦ Purchase sustainably produced meat – environmentally responsible, without antibiotics, humanely raised ◦ Avoid products that are known to be GE or cloned Sustainable Options Third Party Certified Labels ◦ Organic, Food Alliance, Humanely Raised USDA Approved Label Claims ◦ No hormones added, raised without antibiotics, grass-fed Local ◦ Farmers’ markets, CSAs, U-Pick, etc. ◦ Make sure choices are sustainable What Can You Do? Educate others: ◦ Friends, colleagues, students Encourage change: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Hospitals School Cafeterias Senior Centers Catered Events What Can You Do? Weigh in on the issues: ◦ Submit comments on proposed rules ◦ Write to your congress person regarding introducing or supporting legislation Sen. Ron Wyden Sen. Jeff Merkley Rep. David Wu Rep. Greg Walden Rep. Earl Blumenauer Rep. Peter DeFazio Rep. Kurt Schrader “Every choice we make can be a celebration of the world we want.” Frances Moore Lappe -