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Factory Farms and Climate Change
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Factory Farms and Climate Change
improved soil health.27 In some cases, converting Reductions in animal agriculture’s climate footprint
FURSȴHOGVWRJUD]LQJSDVWXUHFDQWUDQVIRUPOLYHVWRFN will only come about with policy changes in our fed-
systems into carbon sinks.28 However, other types of eral, state and local governments that support a rapid
land conversion (such as converting forest to pasture) transition away from the factory farm system. This
FDQKDYHWKHRSSRVLWHHHFWDQGLQVWHDGUHVXOWLQDQ will require:
increased carbon footprint.29 Careful management of
• Additional funding and support for research on
JUD]LQJV\VWHPVDQGDWWHQWLRQWRUHJLRQDOGLHUHQFHV
the greenhouse gas emissions generated by dif-
is key. In the end, sustainable grazing may continue
ferent agricultural systems and methods.
to be an important source of food on land that is not
• A ban on new factory farms and on the expansion
suitable for crop production. 30
of existing ones.
Conclusion and Recommendations • Federal, state and local governments enforcing
environmental laws that hold factory farms ac-
We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by convert-
countable for their pollution.
ing food animal production to smaller operations that
• Technical assistance and funding from federal and
use sustainable methods. However, we will also need
state governments that promote integrated crop
to reduce our consumption of meat and animal prod-
and animal operations and build the infrastruc-
XFWVLQRUGHUWRPDNHVLJQLȴFDQWFXWVLQJUHHQKRXVH
ture to support them.
gas emissions. This means rethinking the role of meat
in our diets. The U.S. population overconsumes pro- Shifting away from factory farms is necessary in our
tein; if we reduced our protein to recommended lev- ȴJKWDJDLQVWFOLPDWHFKDQJH:RUNLQJWRZDUGDPRUH
els by reducing our intake of animal-based products, VXVWDLQDEOHIDUPLQJV\VWHPZLOOQRWRQO\EHQHȴWRXU
we would cut per person agricultural greenhouse gas planet but will revitalize rural communities, reduce
emissions by 40 to 45 percent.31 DQLPDOVXHULQJDQGEHQHȴWFRQVXPHUV
foodandwaterwatch.org 3
Factory Farms and Climate Change
Endnotes
/XVN31DWLRQDO5HQHZDEOH(QHUJ\/DERUDWRU\Ȋ0HWKDQHUHFRYHU\
IURPDQLPDOPDQXUHVWKHFXUUHQWRSSRUWXQLWLHVFDVHERRNȋ15(/
SR-580-25145.) September 1998 at 1 to 2; Katers, John and Ryan
1 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014). “Sum-
Holzem. “4 reasons why anaerobic digesters fail.” Progressive Dairy-
mary for policymakers.” In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adapta-
man-XQH%DOVDP-RKQDQG'DYH5\DQ1DWLRQDO&HQWHU
tions, and Vulnerability&DPEULGJH8.DQG1HZ<RUN&DPEULGJH
for Appropriate Technology. “Anaerobic digestion of animal wastes:
University Press at 4 to 6.
)DFWRUVWRFRQVLGHUȋ$775$1DWLRQDO6XVWDLQDEOH$JULFXOWXUHΖQIRU-
8QLWHG1DWLRQVParis Agreement3DULV8QLWHG1DWLRQVDW mation Service. 2006 at 4 and 6; Fanelli, Joseph. “Methane fueled
Article 2; IPCC (2014) at 10 and 24; Food and Agriculture Organiza- H[SORVLRQDW$XPVYLOOHGDLU\IDUPFDXVHVȴUHȋPortland Oregonian.
WLRQRIWKH8QLWHG1DWLRQV)$2Ȋ7KH6WDWHRI)RRGDQG$JULFXOWXUH July 25, 2012; Kurtz, Jake. “Dane county manure digester put on
Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security.” 2016 at 72 and 74 hold.” Waterloo (WI) Courier'HFHPEHUȊ5HVLGHQWVDVN'15
to 76. to deny digester air pollution permit.” Waunakee Tribune (WI). July
24, 2015.
3 Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). [Fact sheet] “Big
PHDWDQGGDLU\ȇVVXSHUVL]HGFOLPDWHIRRWSULQWȋ1RYHPEHU 20 Liebrand, Carolyn Betts and K. Charles Link. USDA Rural Devel-
opment. “Cooperative Approaches for Implementation of Dairy
4 Hovhannisyan, S. V. and K. A. Grigoryan. “The main problems and
Manure Digesters.” Research Report 217. April 2009 at 4; Penn State
features of the global and local meat production.” Annals of Agrarian
Extension. “Anaerobic Digestion: Biogas Production and Odor Re-
Science. Vol. 14. 2016 at 316 and Table 1 on 317.
GXFWLRQ)URP0DQXUHȋ$WDQG$YDLODEOHDWKWWSH[WHQVLRQSVX
5 IATP (2017). HGXQDWXUDOUHVRXUFHVHQHUJ\ZDVWHWRHQHUJ\UHVRXUFHVELRJDV
6 Gerber, P. J. et al. (2013). Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock: SURMHFWVJDQGRQȴOHDW)RRG :DWHU:DWFK$FFHVVHG6HSWHP-
A Global Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Opportunities. Rome: ber 14, 2016.
FAO at xii. 86'$1DWXUDO5HVRXUFHV&RQVHUYDWLRQ6HUYLFHȊ$QDHURELF'LJHVW-
7 Starmer, Elanor and Timothy A. Wise. Tufts University. Global Devel- HUȋ&RQVHUYDWLRQ3UDFWLFH6WDQGDUG1R6HSWHPEHU
opment and Environment Institute. “Living High on the Hog: Factory 22 EPA AgStar. “Funding On-farm Anaerobic Digestion.” September
Farms, Federal Policy, and the Structural Transformation of Swine 2012.
3URGXFWLRQȋ:RUNLQJ3DSHU1R'HFHPEHUDWWRDQG
23 de Vries, M., C. E. Middelaar and I. J. M. de Boer. “Comparing en-
11 to 13.
vironmental impacts of beef production systems: A review of life
8 Pradhan, Prajal et al. “Embodied crop calories in animal products.” cycle assessments.” Livestock Science. Vol. 178. 2015 at 284 to 285.
Environmental Research Letters. Vol. 8. 2013 at 2, Table 2 at 5, and 7.
24 Whoriskey, Peter. “’Why the hell am I paying more for this?’ Major
9 Ibid. egg operation houses ‘USDA Organic’ hens at three per square
10 Shepon, A. et al. “Energy and protein feed-to-food conversion ef- foot.” Washington Post. July 13, 2017; Whoriskey, Peter. “Why your
ȴFLHQFLHVLQWKH86DQGSRWHQWLDOIRRGVHFXULW\JDLQVIURPGLHWDU\ ‘organic’ milk may not be organic.” Washington Post. May 1, 2017.
changes.” Environmental Research Letters. Vol. 11. 2006 at Figure 1 at 2. 25 Dunkley (2014) at 6; Aguirre-Villegas and Larson (2017) at 16 and 20
11 Gerber et al. (2013) at xii and 20. to 22; Gerber, Pierre J. et al. (Eds.). (2013). Mitigation of Greenhouse
Gas Emissions in Livestock Production: A Review of Technical Options for
12 Ibid. at xii. Non-CO2 Emissions. Rome: FAO at ix to xi.
13 Kellogg, Robert L. et al. United States Department of Agriculture 1LJJOL8HWDOȊ/RZ*UHHQKRXVH*DV$JULFXOWXUH0LWLJDWLRQDQG
86'$Ȋ0DQXUH1XWULHQWV5HODWLYHWRWKH&DSDFLW\RI&URSODQGDQG Adaptation Potential of Sustainable Farming Systems.” FAO. 2009 at
3DVWXUHODQGWR$VVLPLODWH1XWULHQWV6SDWLDODQG7HPSRUDO7UHQGV 1 to 3.
IRUWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVȋ136'HFHPEHUDW([HFXWLYH
Summary and 89 to 92. 27 Teague, W. R. et al. “The role of ruminants in reducing agricul-
WXUHȇVFDUERQIRRWSULQWLQ1RUWK$PHULFDȋ Journal of Soil and Water
14 Aguirre-Villegas, Horacio A. and Rebecca A. Larson. “Evaluat- Conservation.9RO1R0DUFK$SULODWWR6WDQOH\
ing greenhouse gas emissions from dairy manure management Paige L. et al. “Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle
practices using survey data and lifecycle tools.” Journal of Cleaner JUHHQKRXVHJDVHPLVVLRQVLQ0LGZHVWHUQ86$EHHIFDWWOHȴQLVKLQJ
Production. Vol. 143. February 1, 2017 at 16 and 22. systems.” Agricultural Systems. Vol. 162. 2018 at 250 and 256 to 257.
15 Ibid. at 20 to 21. 28 de Vries, van Middelaar and de Boer (2015) at 285 to 286.
16 Dunkley, C. S. and K. D. Dunkley. “Review: Greenhouse gas emission 29 Cederberg, Christel et al. “Including carbon emissions from defor-
from livestock and poultry.” Agriculture, Food & Analytical Bacteriol- estation in the carbon footprint of Brazilian beef.” Environmental
ogy. Vol. 3, Iss. 1. 2013 at Figure 3 at 25; Shepon et al. (2006) at 5. Science & Technology. Vol. 45. 2011 at 1773 to 1774 and 1777.
17 Dunkley, Claudia S. University of Georgia Extension. “Global warm- 30 Stanley et al. (2018) at 257; de Vries, van Middelaar and de Boer
ing: How does it relate to poultry?” Bulletin 1382. Revised July 2014 (2015) at 286 to 287.
at 3 and 4.
31 Ranganathan, Janet et al. World Resources Institute. “Shifting Diets
+ULEDU&DUULH1DWLRQDO$VVRFLDWLRQRI/RFDO%RDUGVRI+HDOWK>5H- for a Sustainable Food Future.” Installment 11 of “Creating a Sus-
port.] “Understanding concentrated animal feeding operations and tainable Food Future.” April 2016 at 36 to 37.
their impact on communities.” 2010 at 4 to 6.
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