Intensive Cow Farming

You may or may not be aware that there have been plans recently to bring intensive cow farming to Britain. It is something more commonly placed in the USA. However, it has already spread to China, India, the Philippines, Australia and Brazil (WSPA, 2010). In this practice cows are housed in large quantities on small amounts of land, usually in doors all of their life on concrete floors shuffling about in their own faeces. In order to maintain this environment the cows need to be given antibiotics regularly and artifical feed.

In Britain we have a tradition of small livestock farms. However, these have become less profitable over the years due to the nature of supermarkets competitive prices. The savins we make at the supermarket are almost always to the loss of the farmer. Therefore, these intensive methods of farming are far more profitable for them. There are 2 intensive farms (for cows) planned for the UK at present; Nocton and South Witham. For details about the set-up planned check this link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/revealed-how-zerograzing-is-set-to-bring-usstyle-factory-farming-to-britain-2010107.html.

It is clear to most that these systems are cruel to animals. However, what is not so clear is the impact these farms have on the environment. For each cow we rear we are creating twice as much of a carbon footprint because we are growing food to be fed to the cows, food which we could eat ourselves. The monoculture of this farming creates more lameness in the animals as well as many other diseases which are kept under control with antibiotics. Antibiotics which leak into our systems when we eat them or directly into our water supplies. The faeces created by the cows is not used as an energy source but is washed away into the water supplies causing great amounts of pollution to the water system by over-loading it with nitrate and can cause higher risks of miscarriage amongst humans. They also lead to a loss of soil fertility. In Brazil, the Amazon rainforest is being felled to make room for these farms.

I hope that adds some more depth to the ethical/vegetarian/vegan etc.etc. argument. Even if you do eat meat (as I do) it's possible to do it with more attention when you have all the facts.

REFERENCE: WSPA (2010) [online] http://www.wspa-international.org/Images/cattleleaflet_tcm25-2619.pdf [Accessed: 19/07/2010]