A study conducted at the University of Bath has found that factory farming increases the risk of pandemic development. Overuse of antibiotics, low genetic diversity, and a large number of animals increases the risk of animal pathogens transferring to humans. Viruses and bacteria that jump from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases. Some zoonotic … Read more
According to Food & Water Watch, a federal court approved a settlement agreement, ending years of litigation over the Environmental Protection AGency’s (EPA) release of concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This will protect the public’s access to information about factory farm pollution. Industry groups sued the EPA … Read more
In Minneapolis yesterday, a federal judge dismissed a challenge brought by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council against the EPA. Those groups wanted to block the EPA’s ability to release public information about polluting factory farms to citizens and groups concerned about clean water. Food & Water Watch, Iowa Citizens for … Read more
California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have curbed the use of antibiotics on factory farms. He stated that most major producers already go beyond the voluntary FDA standards (guidance) for their use and wants to look for other ways to reduce sub therapeutic antibiotic use. Most food safety and medical experts … Read more
Food & Water Watch, which has been working against the sub therapeutic use of antibiotics on factory farms, states that Reuters released a report stating that those uses are continuing. Industry data is usually kept private, even from the FDA. Use of antibiotics in this way is linked to the explosive growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. … Read more
A new report released by Center for Food Safety’s Cool Foods Campaign states that food security is jeopardized by climate change. The report is called Food and Climate: Connecting the Dots, Choosing the Way Forward. Climate change creates extremes in weather, from temperatures that are much hotter and cooler than normal, and rain and snow … Read more
NPR has a story on on mass production of meat in America is causing phosphorous pollution. The need for efficiency in food production is damaging the soil and water. Plants need phosphorous in order to grow. Most farmers used to get that mineral into their fields from animal waste. But then the inorganic fertilizer industry … Read more
Two scientists writing in the New England Journal of Medicine have proposed a way to control antibiotic use in farm animals in the United States. Dr. Aidan Hollis and Ziana Ahmed from the Department of Economics at the University of Calgary propose a user fee system instead of an outright ban on all antibiotic use … Read more
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) has analyzed the Pew Commission on Industry Farm Animal Production (PCIFAP) report and its recommendations to fix health, environmental, animal welfare, and rural community problems caused by industrial food animal production (IFAP). The original report, “Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America” was released … Read more