meatmeanzmurder

Save the world with your knife and fork.

The facts.

• At least 70% of all agricultural land in Britain is used to feed animals.
• Animal dung is a major cause of acid rain - in Holland and Belguim the major cause. - Wageningen University.
• Deserts spread wider every year - by an area the size of England and Scotland. Livestock grazing is the main cause.
• Most of the world's major fisheries are on the point of environmental collapse. - United Nations.
• If Britain went vegetarian, less than half the current farm land would be needed - vegan, less than a quarter. - Reading University.
• Rainforests are still being felled to graze hamburger cattle. Every person who goes vegan saves one acre of forest a year. - Cornell University. 
• Every year in Britain, 4.5 billion litres of pesticides are used - 500 chemicals, many suspected of causing cancer. - Soil Association.
• Farmed animals rank second for causing global warming - biomass burning for grazing, methane from prolific farting and belching.
• Amount of water needed to produce 1kg of beef - 9,680 litres. For 1kg of onions - 140 litres.

Facts provided by Viva! (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals)

Sir Paul McCartney sums it all up, “If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That’s the single most important thing you could do. It’s staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty."

   

A Vegetarian Diet Is Essential In The Fight To Protect The Planet From Climate Change And Ecological Damage
by Nitin Mehta

It seems Albert Einstein made another great contribution to the Human race when he said: ‘Nothing will improve the chance of survival of the Earth as a step towards a Vegetarian life style.’

Meat production indeed is a single most cause for the sorry state of our planet. The rainforests of South America—the lungs of the planet will disappear if present trends continue, by 2030. Beef production and Soya cultivation are the two main causes of destruction of the rain forests. The Soya is produced to feed the animals not humans. Deforestation is responsible for 20% of all carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere. 20% of all methane gas emissions are due to farm animals and animal manure releases ammonia causing acid rain which kills fish, trees and poisons water. There are 15.4 billion chickens, 1 billion pigs and 1.3 billion cattle at any time in the world. These animals produce 1 billion tones of waste which further pollute our rivers and water ways. The total number of animals raised and killed for meat every year is a staggering 55 billion---our planet is simply not big enough to sustain these numbers. Almost 80% of worlds water resources are used up in meat production—a criminal waste in an already thirsty world. Soil erosion is another victim of meat production (due to overgrazing )—top soil is essential for human survival—entire civilizations have disappeared due to loss of top soil.

Such is our insatiable desire for meat that developing countries are using up precious land to grow fodder for animals raised for meat in the West. India uses 37% of its arable land to grow animal fodder for animals raised and killed for export. The growing middle classes in China and India are also consuming more and more meat—the result is that China which was net exporter of wheat is now an importer—as the crop is diverted to feed animals for meat. Almost 4 billion people could be fed by the amount of grains fed to animals. Almost 50% of Maize which is a staple diet of most of Africa is fed to animals. The human population is set to grow by 2.5 billion to almost 9 billion by 2010—mass starvation is inevitable unless grains are rediverted to feed humans rather then animals.

Our craving for so called, sea-food is destroying the ecosystems of the Oceans. Deep sea fishing is destroying all marine life from turtles to dolphins. Mangrove forests which can act as buffers in a Tsunami like situation are being cleared away in South East Asia and Latin America. Fish waste, antibiotics and pesticide further pollute our rivers and oceans.

According to Ed Ayers the editorial director of the prestigious Washington based environmental body, ‘World Watch Institute’, ‘ in the long run we can lose our memory of eating animals and we will discover the intrinsic satisfaction of a diverse plant based diet as millions of people already have’. Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘let us be the change we seek in the world’. Each one of us should make that change for the sake of our planet and future generations.

    Livestock's Long Shadow

The following findings were compiled from the executive summary of Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, a 2006 report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization:

	Hog farm waste lagoons in Georgia (above) and North Carolina (below). Photos courtesy of USDA; click images for larger views.

Climate change: With rising temperatures, rising sea levels, melting icecaps and glaciers, shifting ocean currents and weather patterns, climate change is the most serious challenge facing the human race. The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport….Livestock are also responsible for almost two-thirds (64 percent) of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems.

Water: The livestock sector is a key player in increasing water use, accounting for over 8 percent of global human water use, mostly for the irrigation of feedcrops. It is probably the largest sectoral source of water pollution, contributing to eutrophication, “dead” zones in coastal areas, degradation of coral reefs, human health problems, emergence of antibiotic resistance and many others. The major sources of pollution are from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feedcrops, and sediments from eroded pastures.

Manure runoff from a Maryland dairy farm (click image for larger view; courtesy of USDA).

Land degradation: Expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation, especially in Latin America where the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring – 70 percent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures, and feedcrops cover a large part of the remainder.

Biodiversity: Indeed, the livestock sector may well be the leading player in the reduction of biodiversity, since it is the major driver of deforestation, as well as one of the leading drivers of land degradation, pollution, climate change, overfishing, sedimentation of coastal areas and facilitation of invasions by alien species.

*Note: The term “livestock” refers to all farmed animals, including pigs, birds raised for meat, egg-laying hens, and dairy cows.

“The way that we breed animals for food is a threat to the planet. It pollutes our environment while consuming huge amounts of water, grain, petroleum, pesticides and drugs. The results are disastrous.” David Brubaker, PhD,  Environmental News Network, 9/20/99

 

	Algae bloom from runoff.

The growing scale and concentration of AFOs [animal feeding operations] has contributed to negative environmental and human health impacts. Pollution associated with AFOs degrades the quality of waters, threatens drinking water sources, and may harm air quality.

By definition, AFOs produce large amounts of waste in small areas. For example, a single dairy cow produces approximately 120 pounds of wet manure per day. Estimates equate the waste produced per day by one dairy cow to that of 20–40 humans per day.

	Runoff of waste.

Manure, and wastewater containing manure, can severely harm river and stream ecosystems. Manure contains ammonia which is highly toxic to fish at low levels. Increased amounts of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from AFOs can cause algal blooms which block waterways and deplete oxygen as they decompose. This can kill fish and other aquatic organisms, devastating the entire aquatic food chain.

“A single dairy cow produces about 120 pounds of wet manure per day, which is equivalent to the waste produced by 20–40 people. That means California’s 1.4 million dairy cows produce as much waste as 28–56 million people.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Notes from Underground, Fall 2001

 

In 2002, after collecting thousands of records from state and federal regulatory agencies, Sierra Club researchers compiled a report and database called The RapSheet on Animal Factories, documenting “crimes, violations or other operational malfeasance at more than 630 industrial meat factories in 44 states.”

The two-and-a-half-year investigation revealed that “environmental violations by the meat industry add up to a rap sheet longer than War and Peace.” Among other findings, the RapSheet documents:

• Government files show that approximately 50 corporations, or their managers, racked up a total of more than 60 misdemeanor or felony indictments, charges, convictions or pleas. Criminal fines total nearly $50 million. The criminal counts included animal cruelty, bribery, destroying records, fraud, distributing contaminated meat and pollution.

• Millions of gallons of liquefied feces and urine seeped into the environment from collapsed, leaking or overflowing storage lagoons, and flowed into rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and groundwater. Hundreds of manure spills have killed millions of fish.

Despite lax federal and state law enforcement, these companies were assessed tens of millions of dollars in fines, penalties and court judgments. More than 20% of the 220 companies profiled in detail have been hit with criminal charges or convictions.

Intensive pig farms have made the air so unbearable in some rural communities that some residents must wear masks while outdoors and made some people sick. Poultry and pig waste has contributed to the growth of pathogenic organisms in waterways, which have poisoned humans and killed millions of fish. From 1995 to 1997, more than forty animal waste spills killed 10.6 million fish.

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