Have you ever traveled through the farm
fields of the Midwest and wondered why there is nothing but corn and
soybeans as far as the eye can see? I'm sure it's not a question
many Americans ask themselves because, by and large, we've lost our
ability and our need to make connections between our food and the
earth it comes from. All those fields of corn and soybeans are part
of the huge portion of the United States that's devoted to producing
the meat and dairy products that dominate our diet.
But not all Americans eat so much meat
and dairy. Many vegans and vegetarians are opposed to the eating of
animal products for environmental and/or animal rights
reasons. From the perspective of the animal rights activist, animal
production is inhumane, while to the environmentalist it is an
inefficient use of land. Eating lower on the food chain is thought
to have much less impact on the planet because, given the amount of
plant matter required to feed animals, it would be more efficient to
eat the plants ourselves.
It's easy to see how anyone could come
up with many arguments as to why in the 21st century the
industrial production of meat and other animal products could be
considered cruel and unsustainable. It's estimated that livestock
worldwide account for 20 percent of the total terrestrial animal biomass, a number that clearly illustrates our impact on life on the
planet. Vast acreage is devoted to growing grain to feed livestock
that are raised in inhumane conditions in factory farms and feedlots,
all to provide a meat-based diet for those in affluent countries. As
well, a UN report found that livestock are currently responsible for
18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Those
consuming meat and animal products have little awareness of the lack
of sustainability of and cruelty inherent to their food system.
Unfortunately, in arguments against animal agriculture often no distinction is made between the production of animals in factory farms and the more humane, small-scale keeping of livestock that has been the human norm for thousands of years. It is true that a vegetarian diet can require less land for a given population size, however, in terms of sustainability, there is evidence to support that making use of livestock in our food production system will be more sustainable over the long term. Livestock were raised sustainably for thousands of years before modern times, so it's obvious that livestock are not the problem; the number of them and the practices we use to raise them today are the problem. In the coming decades we will all have to find alternatives to fossil fuel if we are to survive. By doing away with livestock production we would be tossing out one of humanity's simplest and most valuable alternatives to fossil fuel and a vital means of lessening our impact on the planet.
Unfortunately, in arguments against animal agriculture often no distinction is made between the production of animals in factory farms and the more humane, small-scale keeping of livestock that has been the human norm for thousands of years. It is true that a vegetarian diet can require less land for a given population size, however, in terms of sustainability, there is evidence to support that making use of livestock in our food production system will be more sustainable over the long term. Livestock were raised sustainably for thousands of years before modern times, so it's obvious that livestock are not the problem; the number of them and the practices we use to raise them today are the problem. In the coming decades we will all have to find alternatives to fossil fuel if we are to survive. By doing away with livestock production we would be tossing out one of humanity's simplest and most valuable alternatives to fossil fuel and a vital means of lessening our impact on the planet.
