NYT
May 31, 2008
Editorial
The Worst Way of Farming

In the past month, two new reports have examined how farm animals are
raised in this country. The report funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts
calls the prevailing system “industrial farm animal production.” The
report from the Union of Concerned Scientists prefers the term
“confined animal feeding operations.”

No matter what you call it, it adds up to the same thing. Millions of
animals are crowded together in inhumane conditions, causing
significant environmental threats and unacceptable health risks for
workers, their neighbors and all the rest of us.

The astonishing increase in the number and size of confined animal
operations has been spawned largely by the very structure of American
farm supports, which always has been skewed in a way that concentrates
farming in fewer and fewer hands. As both of these reports make clear,
the so-called efficiency of industrial animal production is an
illusion, made possible by cheap grain, cheap water and prisonlike
confinement systems.

In short, animal husbandry has been turned into animal abuse. Manure —
traditionally a source of fertilizer — has been turned into toxic
waste that fouls the air and adjacent water bodies. Crowding creates
health problems, resulting in the chronic overuse of antibiotics.

And, because the modest profits in confinement operations require the
lowest possible labor costs, including automated feeding, watering and
manure-handling systems, these operations have helped empty and
impoverish rural America.

The Pew report recommends new laws regulating pollution from
industrial farms as rigorously as pollution from other industries, a
phasing-out of confinement systems that restricts “natural movement
and normal behavior,” a ban on antibiotics used only to promote animal
growth and the application of antitrust laws to encourage more
competition and less concentration.

These are all useful guideposts for the next Congress and a new
administration.

On 1 Jun, 23:40, Lance  wrote:
> NYT
> May 31, 2008
> Editorial
> The Worst Way of Farming
>
> In the past month, two new reports have examined how farm animals are
> raised in this country. The report funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts
> calls the prevailing system “industrial farm animal production.” The
> report from the Union of Concerned Scientists prefers the term
> “confined animal feeding operations.”
>
> No matter what you call it, it adds up to the same thing. Millions of
> animals are crowded together in inhumane conditions, causing
> significant environmental threats and unacceptable health risks for
> workers, their neighbors and all the rest of us.
>
> The astonishing increase in the number and size of confined animal
> operations has been spawned largely by the very structure of American
> farm supports, which always has been skewed in a way that concentrates
> farming in fewer and fewer hands. As both of these reports make clear,
> the so-called efficiency of industrial animal production is an
> illusion, made possible by cheap grain, cheap water and prisonlike
> confinement systems.
>
> In short, animal husbandry has been turned into animal abuse. Manure —
> traditionally a source of fertilizer — has been turned into toxic
> waste that fouls the air and adjacent water bodies. Crowding creates
> health problems, resulting in the chronic overuse of antibiotics.
>
> And, because the modest profits in confinement operations require the
> lowest possible labor costs, including automated feeding, watering and
> manure-handling systems, these operations have helped empty and
> impoverish rural America.
>
> The Pew report recommends new laws regulating pollution from
> industrial farms as rigorously as pollution from other industries, a
> phasing-out of confinement systems that restricts “natural movement
> and normal behavior,” a ban on antibiotics used only to promote animal
> growth and the application of antitrust laws to encourage more
> competition and less concentration.
>
> These are all useful guideposts for the next Congress and a new
> administration.

Criticisms like this have been made for years.  Modern farming methods
treat animals rather like vegetables to be grown, harvested and
marketed at maximum profit.

Dave

On Jun 2, 1:05 pm, Dave Smith  wrote:
> On 1 Jun, 23:40, Lance  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > NYT
> > May 31, 2008
> > Editorial
> > The Worst Way of Farming
>
> > In the past month, two new reports have examined how farm animals are
> > raised in this country. The report funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts
> > calls the prevailing system “industrial farm animal production.” The> > report from the Union of Concerned Scientists prefers the term
> > “confined animal feeding operations.”
>
> > No matter what you call it, it adds up to the same thing. Millions of
> > animals are crowded together in inhumane conditions, causing
> > significant environmental threats and unacceptable health risks for
> > workers, their neighbors and all the rest of us.
>
> > The astonishing increase in the number and size of confined animal
> > operations has been spawned largely by the very structure of American
> > farm supports, which always has been skewed in a way that concentrates
> > farming in fewer and fewer hands. As both of these reports make clear,
> > the so-called efficiency of industrial animal production is an
> > illusion, made possible by cheap grain, cheap water and prisonlike
> > confinement systems.
>
> > In short, animal husbandry has been turned into animal abuse. Manure —> > traditionally a source of fertilizer — has been turned into toxic
> > waste that fouls the air and adjacent water bodies. Crowding creates
> > health problems, resulting in the chronic overuse of antibiotics.
>
> > And, because the modest profits in confinement operations require the
> > lowest possible labor costs, including automated feeding, watering and
> > manure-handling systems, these operations have helped empty and
> > impoverish rural America.
>
> > The Pew report recommends new laws regulating pollution from
> > industrial farms as rigorously as pollution from other industries, a
> > phasing-out of confinement systems that restricts “natural movement
> > and normal behavior,” a ban on antibiotics used only to promote animal> > growth and the application of antitrust laws to encourage more
> > competition and less concentration.
>
> > These are all useful guideposts for the next Congress and a new
> > administration.
>
> Criticisms like this have been made for years.  Modern farming methods
> treat animals rather like vegetables to be grown, harvested and
> marketed at maximum profit.
>
> Dave- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Yes I'm sure criticisms like this have been made for years. That
doesn't mean that they are not worth repeating yet again.

Lance

On 2 Jun, 13:31, Lance  wrote:
> On Jun 2, 1:05 pm, Dave Smith  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On 1 Jun, 23:40, Lance  wrote:
>
> > > NYT
> > > May 31, 2008
> > > Editorial
> > > The Worst Way of Farming
>
> > > In the past month, two new reports have examined how farm animals are
> > > raised in this country. The report funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts> > > calls the prevailing system “industrial farm animal production.” The
> > > report from the Union of Concerned Scientists prefers the term
> > > “confined animal feeding operations.”
>
> > > No matter what you call it, it adds up to the same thing. Millions of
> > > animals are crowded together in inhumane conditions, causing
> > > significant environmental threats and unacceptable health risks for
> > > workers, their neighbors and all the rest of us.
>
> > > The astonishing increase in the number and size of confined animal
> > > operations has been spawned largely by the very structure of American
> > > farm supports, which always has been skewed in a way that concentrates> > > farming in fewer and fewer hands. As both of these reports make clear,> > > the so-called efficiency of industrial animal production is an
> > > illusion, made possible by cheap grain, cheap water and prisonlike
> > > confinement systems.
>
> > > In short, animal husbandry has been turned into animal abuse. Manure —
> > > traditionally a source of fertilizer — has been turned into toxic
> > > waste that fouls the air and adjacent water bodies. Crowding creates
> > > health problems, resulting in the chronic overuse of antibiotics.
>
> > > And, because the modest profits in confinement operations require the
> > > lowest possible labor costs, including automated feeding, watering and> > > manure-handling systems, these operations have helped empty and
> > > impoverish rural America.
>
> > > The Pew report recommends new laws regulating pollution from
> > > industrial farms as rigorously as pollution from other industries, a
> > > phasing-out of confinement systems that restricts “natural movement
> > > and normal behavior,” a ban on antibiotics used only to promote animal
> > > growth and the application of antitrust laws to encourage more
> > > competition and less concentration.
>
> > > These are all useful guideposts for the next Congress and a new
> > > administration.
>
> > Criticisms like this have been made for years.  Modern farming methods> > treat animals rather like vegetables to be grown, harvested and
> > marketed at maximum profit.
>
> > Dave- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Yes I'm sure criticisms like this have been made for years. That
> doesn't mean that they are not worth repeating yet again.
>
> Lance- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I agree,  but actions are required as well as words.

Dave