Although these smaller systems appear to be environmentally sustainable, considerable evidence suggests otherwise.
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The Myth of Sustainable Meat - NYTimes.com - 0 views
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Grass-grazing cows emit considerably more methane than grain-fed cows.
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If we raised all the cows in the United States on grass (all 100 million of them), cattle would require (using the figure of 10 acres per cow) almost half the country’s land (and this figure excludes space needed for pastured chicken and pigs).
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Advocates of small-scale, nonindustrial alternatives say their choice is at least more natural. Again, this is a dubious claim. Many farmers who raise chickens on pasture use industrial breeds that have been bred to do one thing well: fatten quickly in confinement.
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In essence, what we see as natural doesn’t necessarily conform to what is natural from the animals’ perspectives.
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confinement pays
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confinement pays.
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These businesses — no matter how virtuous in intention — would gradually seek a larger market share, cutting corners, increasing stocking density and aiming to fatten animals faster than competitors could.
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Barring the strictest regulations, it wouldn’t take long for production systems to scale back up to where they started.
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advocates of alternative systems make one undeniably important point about the practice called “rotational grazing” or “holistic farming”: the soil absorbs the nutrients from the animals’ manure, allowing grass and other crops to grow without the addition of synthetic fertilizer.
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In other words, raising animals is not only sustainable, but required.
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employs chickens to enrich his cows’ grazing lands with nutrients.
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he feeds his chickens with tens of thousands of pounds a year of imported corn and soy feed
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How Using Antibiotics In Animal Feed Creates Superbugs : The Salt : NPR - 0 views
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antibiotics in livestock feed give rise to antibiotic-resistant germs that can threaten humans.
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an antibiotic-susceptible staph germ passed from humans into pigs
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it became resistant to the antibiotics tetracycline and methicillin
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And then the antibiotic-resistant staph learned to jump back into humans.
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"It's like watching the birth of a superbu
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whole-genome analysis on a staph strain called CC398 and 88 closely related variations.
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emerged within the past decade in pigs and has since spread widely in cattle and poultry as well as pigs.
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the animal bacterium jumped back into humans with close exposure to livestock.
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This "pig MRSA" has been detected in nearly half of all meat sampled in U.S. commerce
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we think it may be changing gears, so to speak, and gaining the capacity to be passed from person to person.
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Price says the new data provide an early warning of what might become a major public health problem.
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in some areas of the Netherlands, it's causing as many as 1 in 4 human MRSA cases
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"our inappropriate use of antibiotics ... is now coming back to haunt us."
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the solution is clear — banning antibiotics in livestock feed, as the European Union has done.
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Most antibiotics sold in the U.S. go to animals, mostly in their feed, where they act as a growth promoter and damp down infection outbreaks in large feedlots.
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It said it would focus instead on "voluntary reform" by the meat industry to limit use.
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Harold Brown ~ ARZone Chat Transcript of 16/17 October 2010 - Animal Rights Zone - 0 views
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In my opinion there isn't a heck of a lot of difference between these "animal protection" organizations and the industry and its proxies. Another way to think of this situation is what we have seen in the environmental movement since the 1980's. What I have observed is that once any organization grows to a certain critical mass things change. There is always a disconnect from the grassroots and survival of the corporate entity is job one. It was a back room trade off. An "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine." The industry is changing of its own volition due to recent developments in animal husbandry and the re-engineering of the animals them selves. As far as I know these "animal protection" organizations have never put into print, spoke of or promoted animal rights. It is the media that has conflated these animal husbandry reform organizations with animal rights and many well meaning activists become confused and support them thinking that they are convertly animal rights organizations.
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You talk about cattle and dairy culture being validated by TV advertisements; about a dominating culture of indoctrination; and how frightening social change can seem.
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Where the animal movement has gone wrong for over 30 years is the story they shared. It is a message of suffering, cruelty and harm.
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what Will Tuttle calls radical inclusion.
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rom the other side of the fence and I knew that
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Guilt and shame never changed anyone’s heart or mind.
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They now have a new sow that gives birth to about 20 piglets and that her body size is such that the old crates are too small, that they literally won't fit into the old crates.
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There is NO humane solution to dairy other than just making it stop
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that most calves are sent to auction 24-72 hours after birth.
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the coming convergence of global warming, peak oil, population growth, ecological disaster and other factors will force a remedy upon us.
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I am the eternal optimist and believe that people are capable of great things if given the opportunity. I have seen it time and again. It is about creating a safe place and a community where people can come and deconstruct their indoctrination.
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I think it is important that although you may want to give up cheese it isn't all your fault that you can't, despite your will power. there is a component in the protein of milk called casomorphine. Yup, morphine. You are addicted as are so many vegetarians that want to eat a plant based diet. It is a tough addiction to break but to be informed goes a long way. One we understand that there isn't anything in any animal product that we need then it is recognized that it is only a want. Wants are easy to leave behind.