Environmental Considerations

Livestock and the Environment

A United Nations 1996 report, "Livestock and the Environment," pointed out that the earth's natural resources are being obliterated a variety of ways. These include the degradation of land, the pollution and consumption of water, the extinction of rare and diverse animal breeds and, of course, global warming.

The report targeted livestock production as one of the biggest contributors to the problem. At the time the UN report was published, "animal agriculture" was the primary source of income for an estimated 220 million families around the world. However, livestock used a total of "more than two-thirds of the world's surface under agriculture and one-third of the total global land area," the report stated.

Hazardous Animal Waste

Animal manure in sewage ponds or piles sends up astronomical amounts of methane gas, which contributes to greenhouse gases, in turn contributing to global warming. Livestock production is also a factor in water depletion, which has been a serious problem in the western half of the United States. About half of the grain and hay fed to beef cattle is grown on irrigated land. Thus, it takes an estimated 390 gallons of water to produce about a pound of beef.

Animal waste from massive farms and feed lots is one of the foremost pollutants of the earth's ground water and rivers. Other problems associated with animal agriculture include acid rain from ammonia emissions and the production of greenhouse gases. That is why the UN report advocated "win-win" good management scenarios.

Educate the public

With generation after generation of citizens in developing countries, however, livestock-raising and meat consumption are important parts of the cultural history. Tthe UN did not recommend attempting to change that. However, in industrialized areas of the world, the report suggested an educational approach about the health risks associated with eating meat, such as cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. This is in an effort to "reduce consumption as one option of mitigating the negative aspects of livestock production," the report stated. Education and awareness efforts in the United States, led by a number of documentary filmmakers, must not slow down if we hope to see the earth thrive for future generations.