RED, WHITE OR GREEN???

The Omnivorian or Vegetarian State of Mind and its Effect on the Environment

 By Felecia Hunter and Leslie–Ann Reid–Bacchus, Borough of Manhattan Community College

        Mentor, Prof. Cheryl J. Fish

      In the case of chickens, their pens are cleaned about once every eighteen  months, and on feedlots, every one to twelve months. These conditions create breeding grounds for different bacteria (like E.Coli and Salmonella) and diseases, and supposedly to prevent the animals from becoming ill: they are treated with a variety of antibiotics. According to reports in 2007 by the National Institutes of Health, serious questions have been raised regarding the practice of regularly feeding antimicrobial medicines to large populations of cattle, and if this in turn encourages  the development of drug-resistant germs, thus  making human antibiotics less effective.  In addition to these drugs, the animals are given hormones as well-estrogen in the beef cattle to make them gain forty to fifty lbs more than they would usually gain, and bovine growth hormone (BGH) to dairy cows to stimulate milk production between pregnancies. Consequently, trace residues of these muscle-building hormones (whose safety for humans remains under debate) are evident in some of the meat that ends up on our family’s table . “Livestock in the U.S. produce 291 billion pounds of wet manure each year-six times more than the amount of human sewage in this country”. To add to that shocking news, we found out that “farmers in one year routinely feed 25 million pounds of antibiotics to pigs, poultry and cattle in the U.S. Some of which are passed out in their manure and these somehow end up in our water supply”.  The manure is either stored in huge open-air pits which are about twenty- five feet deep and as large as several football fields, or it is liquefied and legally sprayed into the air over crops or farm fields.  In both instances, the gases, bacteria and nutrients in the feces get into our water supply (via leakage or being airborne).  In addition to affecting humans directly: it affects entire ecosystems in the water and as a result, either kills or pollutes the fish and other animal life in the water.  So, even though we may not drink the polluted water, the contamination may be passed to us upon eating the fish.

There is a way for people to consume meat and dairy products and be able to do so with less guilt.  This option is called pasture-based farming: these farms are small and have a manageable number of animals in spacious pastures. They eat grass and clover so there is no need for corn or the fertilizers associated with its cultivation, and most importantly, the animals are very rarely/if ever given hormones. Grass fed cattle emits less methane gas into the atmosphere than corn fed, because corn digestion causes the cows’ rumen (stomachs) to become more acidic; therefore, more eructation (burping) occurs. Conventional farming and agriculture contaminates the soil, uses chemical pesticides that are not only harmful to humans, but also the land itself. For decades the use of chemicals, such as DDT, Alar and DES, in farming and agriculture has caused irreparable harm to the land and its inhabitants. However, despite irrefutable evidence from scientific research- regarding the environmental and health hazards posed by the use of such chemicals- the farming industry blatantly chose to ignore the dangers and continued its widespread use of pesticides for many years. Currently, in light of trends being dictated by a more socially and environmentally conscious consumer market, even farmers  who routinely used fertilizing methods have finally begun to move ahead with the times by utilizing a low-spray program called IPM (Integrated Pest Management) to manage their crops. Another method is the introduction of “beneficial insects” to kill the other insects that damage or destroy crops.

Organic farming is rapidly becoming an alternative to conventional; however, this concept does have its drawbacks.  Most locally grown produce is cultivated under the tenets of Organic regulations, but are not certified because the certification process is an expensive and arduous one.  As a result of the methods used, there is little, if any, contamination to the groundwater and soil. Still, local farms find themselves struggling in the shadow of their competitors: mainstream organic farms and cheap imports. Organic farming requires more land to produce the same amount of fruit as conventional because “yields of organic crops may be lower due to increased cosmetic damage and greater losses to insects, fungi, and bacteria”.  Also, “wider plant spacing used in organic production allows air and sunlight to reduce disease, but also reduce total plants and yields per acre”. Therefore, organic farming is only half as productive as conventional, but it is more beneficial to the environment and the consumer. The choice to live an omnivorous or vegetarian lifestyle, whether for dietary or environmental reasons, is a matter of personal preference. Each individual must decide for his or herself, and by extension the community at large.

Sustainability is not just a state of being– it’s a state of mind.

Throughout history meat has often played a key role in the diets of many. Studies have found a very strong correlation between the amount of meat a person consumes, and the onset of the following ailments among others: heart disease, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, hypertension and constipation . The conclusions have been the same- we need to eat less meat.  The average American consumes sixty six pounds of beef annually.  On the other side of that coin, meat is touted (by the meat and dairy industry) as being one of the greatest and most affordable sources of protein available on the market today.  Meat can be inexpensive and a good source of protein (arguably, so are soy products, legumes, whole grains and nuts), but some of us will always choose a burger and fries over a spinach salad. Nevertheless, what the average consumer does not know is that eating too much meat-therefore too much protein-contributes to the onset of osteoporosis.  This occurs because too much protein makes our bodies acidic, and so our bones release calcium to neutralize the acidity: leaving brittle bones in its wake. Mankind’s calls for a constant, if not, increasing supply of meat, escalate our demands on the environment, to the extent of abuse. The driving force behind this ill-treatment is Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation , commonly known as factory farming-most meat and dairy production has moved out of the hands of individual farmers and into the clutches of mega-corporations. This is a result of the increasing costs of land, stagnant beef prices, cattle surplus, cattle imports, beef safety scares,  beef subsidies, and also the rise of fast food consumption.  Presently, there are four meatpacking firms that slaughter over eighty-four percent of the cattle in the country. These corporately owned farms operate on a much grander scale than a lone farmer could ever do.  The average number of animals on factory farms are as follows: egg farms-one million hens, broiler farms (the chickens we eat)-20 000 to 30 000 chickens, pig farms-40 000, cattle feedlots-100 000 and dairy farms-4000 cows .

As an alternative…    

Poisonous Tactics and their Repercussions

All You Can Eat

The Organic Option

Citations:

Sara and Sally Kneidel, Veggie Revolution

Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation

Sarah Wexler, Marie Claire

Doug Hamilton, PBS

Lisa Ko, King Corn

Charles Hall, Richard Edwards and Jeff Johnson, Sustainable Production

Systems

Pictures Courtesy of:

NRCS.USDA.GOV

Special Thanks To

Lisa Hawkins