1. Environmental Effects of Producing More Meat

2. Background Facts Meat, milk & cheese – High quality protein 1950 – 2005 – Meat production increased more than 5 fold – Expected to double in next decade Reasons for increase – Increased affluence in developing countries – China leads world in meat production & consumption – India is largest & most efficient producer of milk

3. 2 Systems of Livestock Raising Graze on Grass – Unfenced rangelands, enclosed pastures Industrialized Feedlots – Densely packed – Cattle, chickens, pigs – Fed grain or fish meal – Antibiotics – Growth hormones Banned in Europe since 1988

4. Feedlots 43% world’s beef production Half of all pork produced worldwide ¾ of world’s poultry 68% of egg production In US – 70% corn harvest is used for feed 80% world’s soybean production – 1950 – 2005 increased for animal feed

5. Advantages Increase production Higher profits Less land use Reduces overgrazing Reduces soil erosion Disadvanta ges Need large input of grain, fish meal, water, & fossil fuels (17% of US total Energy use) Water Pollution Antibiotic resistance Increased Methane

6. Result of Increased Production Increase pressure on world’s grain supply – 1 hectare of land used for grain will feed more people than 1 hectare of land used for livestock Increase pressure on fish supply Huge consumer of water 1 cal of beef takes 33% more fossil fuel energy than 1 cal of potatoes Flatulence – increased methane Danger to meatpackers Livestock produce 20% more waste than humans

7. Feedlot density – Organisms cause diseases Avian flu, mad cow, foot-and-mouth disease – Can spread from animal to human – Save money by feeding crop residues (stalks & stems) and pieces of other animals (bones, meat, feathers, etc) left from slaughtering back to cattle

8. Grazing vs. Feedlot No grain Eliminates need for pesticides Reduce/eliminate energy costs Provided animals not allowed to overgraze

9. Producing Meat more Efficiently & Sustainably Shift from grain-fed forms (beef, pork) to less grain-fed forms (poultry, herbivorous farm fish) Since 1996 Poultry has surpassed beef Farm raised fish may exceed beef within 10 years

10. Global Food Security Grow own vegetables/chickens/fish in urban areas – China Reduce Food Waste – 70% food is wasted Spoilage, inefficient processing, plate waste – US households toss $43 billion food/year – $24 billion/year to end hunger & malnutrition

11. Government Policies Control Prices – Artificially low Provide Subsidies – Tax breaks, encourage production – 20 Billion/year in US to farmers – May produce more food than can be sold Let Marketplace Decide – Eliminate price controls – Let farmers respond to demand w/o interference – Reward stewardship