Earth Day is April 22, and the whole month of April is Animal Cruelty Prevention Month.
Factory farming joins the two issues.
Factory farms differ from smaller farms because they raise tens of thousands of animals for food in very crowded facilities. They have become widespread throughout the United States, and they cause problems for animal welfare, the environment and public health. They produce giant quantities of manure, which can lead to tainted water and severe air pollution. Consumers, too can end up with meat loaded with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and milk containing bovine growth hormone.
Factory farming is one of the biggest contributors to the most serious environmental problems. A recent United Nations report concluded that the meat industry causes almost 50 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all of the world's transportation systems - including all the cars, trucks, SUVs, planes and ships in the world combined.
Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule that would let factory farms get out of reporting their releases of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other toxic air pollutants caused by the breakdown of animal manure in massive lagoons.
“Under pressure from agriculture industry lobbyists and lawmakers from agricultural states, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to drop requirements that factory farms must report their emissions of toxic gases, despite findings by the agency's own scientists that the gases pose a health threat,” as reported by The Washington Post.
As an example, just one giant dairy in Oregon, housing some 50,000 cows, reported that it releases more than 15,000 pounds of toxic ammonia into the air every day. Such reports are usually the only information that neighbors of these facilities get concerning what they are being exposed to.
If you are concerned about this issue, visit foodandwaterwatch.org. There you can send quick comments to the Environmental Protection Agency and also see a factory farm map plus more on the agriculture industry and pollution and its use of fossil fuels.
As to the cruelty that is rampant on factory farms and also on some smaller farms, I'll quote the words of Farm Sanctuary, “The animals on those farms are treated like unfeeling commodities and their basic needs are completely ignored. They are crowded in warehouses and confined so tightly that they cannot walk, turn around or lie down. They are debeaked, de-toed and tail docked.”
And further, the practices used when farm animals are transported and in the slaughter houses would make you sick.
The average vegetarian saves the lives of approximately 95 to 100 animals every year. At each meal, we make a decision to support this cruelty or to make a statement against it.
Judy Vorreuter is the founder and director of Animal Advocates of the Finger Lakes. Contact her at judy@cayugaanimaladvocates.org
Factory farms differ from smaller farms because they raise tens of thousands of animals for food in very crowded facilities. They have become widespread throughout the United States, and they cause problems for animal welfare, the environment and public health. They produce giant quantities of manure, which can lead to tainted water and severe air pollution. Consumers, too can end up with meat loaded with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and milk containing bovine growth hormone.
Factory farming is one of the biggest contributors to the most serious environmental problems. A recent United Nations report concluded that the meat industry causes almost 50 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all of the world's transportation systems - including all the cars, trucks, SUVs, planes and ships in the world combined.
Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule that would let factory farms get out of reporting their releases of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other toxic air pollutants caused by the breakdown of animal manure in massive lagoons.
“Under pressure from agriculture industry lobbyists and lawmakers from agricultural states, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to drop requirements that factory farms must report their emissions of toxic gases, despite findings by the agency's own scientists that the gases pose a health threat,” as reported by The Washington Post.
As an example, just one giant dairy in Oregon, housing some 50,000 cows, reported that it releases more than 15,000 pounds of toxic ammonia into the air every day. Such reports are usually the only information that neighbors of these facilities get concerning what they are being exposed to.
If you are concerned about this issue, visit foodandwaterwatch.org. There you can send quick comments to the Environmental Protection Agency and also see a factory farm map plus more on the agriculture industry and pollution and its use of fossil fuels.
As to the cruelty that is rampant on factory farms and also on some smaller farms, I'll quote the words of Farm Sanctuary, “The animals on those farms are treated like unfeeling commodities and their basic needs are completely ignored. They are crowded in warehouses and confined so tightly that they cannot walk, turn around or lie down. They are debeaked, de-toed and tail docked.”
And further, the practices used when farm animals are transported and in the slaughter houses would make you sick.
The average vegetarian saves the lives of approximately 95 to 100 animals every year. At each meal, we make a decision to support this cruelty or to make a statement against it.
Judy Vorreuter is the founder and director of Animal Advocates of the Finger Lakes. Contact her at judy@cayugaanimaladvocates.org
