Food for thought.
Put your imaginative cap on and envision for a moment that your county has up to thirty farms each privately owned and maintained by families. Picture the differences in your surroundings. The vast space, the green blur of grass, trees and shrubs. Now think about the impact such a change would play within your community. If each county was agriculturally self-sufficient, there would be an obligation to uphold certain standards of quality in order to keep local customers satisfied. Farming practices would not be kept secret and the farmer, a once-upon-a-time celebrated figure, would unify people through nutritious food grown within the bounds of your own neighborhood.
The multitude of these tiny economies was the reality of America before the mass consolidation of recent years turning small-scale farms into the four meat processing tycoons of today: Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef. These food manufacturing moguls now dominate the industry controlling over 80 percent of all beef slaughtering. The focus of these large meat-processing plants is no longer to produce quality products, but to sell goods cheaply and quickly. While meat is getting less expensive, what exactly are paying for?
Hidden health costs
With enormous restructuring, the meat industry has suffered serious consequences. Cows are pooled together in such close quarters that massive feedlots and slaughterhouses are vulnerable to bacterial contamination causing widespread food contamination. Every year there is approximately 76 million reported cases of food borne illnesses in the United States alone. Tainted meat gets past the system and even when detected rarely are there consequences because of the cozy relations between the meat industry and key lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile defective food winds up on our plates and we unknowingly serve loved ones Chicken cacciatore (a.k.a diarrhea with stomach cramps and a side of nausea).
In addition to the scary possibility of food related illnesses, antibiotic resistance is another concern within the modern meat market. Anywhere from 50-70 percent of the antibiotics used in this country are used on livestock. These antibiotics are primarily used to increase growth rate in order to cater to the populations demand for cheap large cuts of meat. Today, not only are we ingesting more meat but we are also consuming the drugs administered to the animals during their short lives. The main concern with antibiotic use, however, has more to do with the body’s natural tendency to build up immunity. Over periods of time, just like humans, animals begin to develop a defense against these antibiotics and begin retaining certain strains of bacteria. These “super-germs” are especially troubling because normal treatments and medicine may or may not be strong enough to combat with these new and resilient bugs.
Friends in Washington
It seems the meat industry cares more about cashing-in at the expense of public health than about producing quality products. These large meat corporations have been getting away with murder with the help from powerful organizations in Washington like American Meat Institute and National Meat Association. These protective regulators and lobbyists prevent the implementation of many new health laws and safety initiatives backed by the Health Department. For example, in 1995 after the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak that infected about 700 people, the meat industry was able to delay any new regulations for up to two years effectively killing the measure. Thus, leaving intact the same inspection system since the early 1900’s in the days when Upton Sinclair wrote the novel The Jungle. It’s also common knowledge that many state representatives accept payment from these powerful meat organizations in return for their support on measures that benefit the meat industry.
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
- Upton Sinclair
Environmental degradation
The unethical behavior of large meat corporations goes beyond public health and extends into the very land that supports their practices. The manner in which livestock is raised not only effects human health, but can have a lasting impression on the environment. Certain factory farming methods such as overuse of machinery and the mishandling of chemicals, largely contributed to global warming and are responsible for an estimated 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to air pollution, the over-application of pesticides and fertilizers gets into our water supply and contaminates local lakes and streams. Farming is one of the largest potential source for water pollution killing fish and disturbing precious aquatic life. It is estimated about 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states have been contaminated due to excrement getting into our groundwater. Poor farming practices not only effect the quality of our air and water, but also causes soil erosion, land degradation, as well as loss of biodiversity.
Despite all that is wrong with industrial farming, don’t despair! There are things you can do to protect yourself and the world you love. First, be conscious and vote with your wallet. Buy grass-fed, USDA-certified meat and think of the extra dollars spent as support to all the farmers who care more about their customers than their wallet. Also, try instilling “Meatless Mondays” to lower the demand for meat while taking power and money away from corrupt meat industries. Supply and demand 101!
Anything is possible with the passion for change.
Over and out,
Brittany Lawrence
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