Post by south on Jun 24, 2021 14:42:32 GMT
This morning while listening to NPR they did a story on a fish farm near Turner Oregon. I couldn't believe my ears..more stories how wonderful fish farms are. Fish farms may be great for farmers but they are the plague to all native stocks of fish and mammals. There are 3 huge concerns with fish farms pollution, diseases and invasive species.
Any feedlot animal program in Oregon whether it be mammals, fish or bird farms has a negative effect on the environment. Ask any fishermen in British Columbia about the problems from fish farm diseases and pollution. The idea that fish farms could be built in remote areas in BC with little problems for native fish wasn't true. BC coho stocks are now in trouble.
Water is in short supply across the west. Do you know how water it takes to make a ham burger? Short answer: 1,800 gallons. It takes 1,800 gallons of this precious resource to produce just four quarter pounders from your favorite fast-food joint! That’s about 450 gallons per burger!
It’s not that cows are extra-thirsty. All aspects of beef production require water. However, the greatest guzzlers are the crops used for cattle feed. This accounts for a huge percentage of beef’s water footprint, as it takes 183,500 gallons of H2O just to grow the corn and soy required to raise a calf. And that’s just for two or three years, before they reach slaughter weight.
It is correct, however, that like all animals, cows do need water to stay hydrated. Their living space also needs to be periodically cleaned. These two factors also contribute to beef’s water footprint.
On top of using up a TON of H2O for beef production, the animal agriculture industry also pollutes a great amount of the little freshwater we do have. The main water pollutants from the animal agriculture industry are…
Nitrogen: 32% of all nitrogen used in the U.S goes to the animal agriculture industry.
Phosphorus: 33% of all phosphorus used in the U.S goes to the animal agriculture industry.
Antibiotics: 70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. go to farm animals used for the meat industry.
Pesticides: 37% of all pesticides used in the U.S are used on crops grown for animal feed.
Herbicides: 70% of herbicides used in the U.S are used on crops grown for animal feed.
At a time when many people don’t have access to fresh water, and some have to resort to drinking contaminated water from polluted rivers or streams, it’s super important to value this limited resource. After all, every living being requires water to live! Water is, in many ways, our planet’s life source.
It’s not that cows are extra-thirsty. All aspects of beef production require water. However, the greatest guzzlers are the crops used for cattle feed. This accounts for a huge percentage of beef’s water footprint, as it takes 183,500 gallons of H2O just to grow the corn and soy required to raise a calf. And that’s just for two or three years, before they reach slaughter weight.
It is correct, however, that like all animals, cows do need water to stay hydrated. Their living space also needs to be periodically cleaned. These two factors also contribute to beef’s water footprint.
On top of using up a TON of H2O for beef production, the animal agriculture industry also pollutes a great amount of the little freshwater we do have. The main water pollutants from the animal agriculture industry are…
Nitrogen: 32% of all nitrogen used in the U.S goes to the animal agriculture industry.
Phosphorus: 33% of all phosphorus used in the U.S goes to the animal agriculture industry.
Antibiotics: 70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. go to farm animals used for the meat industry.
Pesticides: 37% of all pesticides used in the U.S are used on crops grown for animal feed.
Herbicides: 70% of herbicides used in the U.S are used on crops grown for animal feed.
At a time when many people don’t have access to fresh water, and some have to resort to drinking contaminated water from polluted rivers or streams, it’s super important to value this limited resource. After all, every living being requires water to live! Water is, in many ways, our planet’s life source.