McDonald ’s hamburgers are n’t the only things disseminated from manufactory farm anymore . Anew studyout of Texas designate thatantibiotics , feedlot - infer bacterium and desoxyribonucleic acid coded for antibiotic resistanceare travel off - farm , too . ( Gulp . )
The study published byThe Institute of Environmental & Human Health at Texas Tech Universityis extremely timely given a number oflawsuits filed last calendar month , asking Margaret Court to make the Environmental Protection Agency do something about factory farming . While theairand water around hard animal eating trading operations ( CAFOs ) have never been consideredclean , the EPA has n’t tried shape it for whatever intellect .
In 2009 , the Humane Society of the United States petition the EPA , and in 2011 , the Environmental Integrity Project petition the agency to regulate about 20,000 manufacturing plant farm under the Clean Air Act , which would reduce ammonia , hydrogen sulphide , particulate matter and other air pollutant . The EPA never reply to these request , instigating the organisation — plus the Sierra Club , Friends of the Earth , the Center for Food Safety , Clean Wisconsin , Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and the Association of Irritated Residents — to take action at law .
kick to Back Up the title
The Southern High Plains , where the Texas Tech study took place , is a windy bite of nation . Incidentally , so are a lot of the plane , open area where CAFOs are often locate . This wind can pick up bad - news show particles and carry them off to far - away place — as far as hundreds of Roman mile , and perchance even around the world .
The cogitation is n’t a total shock : When you have farm create between 1.2 to 1.37 billion slews of waste each year , there ’s bound to be some spoiled stuff released into the surroundings . In fact , there ’s so much to sleep with about how CAFOs are affect communities that theNational Association of Local Boards of Healthhas a 30 - page issue explaining it all . The hazardous effects of manufactory agriculture are certainly being comment . Here are just a few stats that will make you cringe :
With this information , along with heighten public awareness of antibiotic - resistive bacteria resulting in part fromantibiotic overuse in livestock , the organizations suing the EPA might have a good grammatical case . While outwit government oversight is n’t something that ’s dainty to think about , neither is blatant disregard for environmental and human health in the name of meat output .
More Food For Thought
Unrelated to the study or the suit , Food and Water Watchhas an interesting history of factory - farm regulations , as well as a website where you canlocate the CAFOs near you .
