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Facts about Modern Animal Agriculture
Our shared obligation to maintain efficient, highly productive, sustainable food production
On the heels of an announcement by the United Nations Chief stating food price increases have led to a global crisis, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is proposing that farmers move away from food animal production systems that allow plentiful production of meat, milk and eggs. The UCS prefers that we move to systems requiring more land mass; which expose our animals to dangers including inclement weather conditions, predators, and disease; which could lead to more carbon emissions and limit the amount of food that can be produced for the world.
In 1900, the population of the United States was about one-fourth of what it is today (76 million in 1900; 303+ million in 2008). The number of people involved in food production has gone from nearly 100 percent of the population producing at least some (if not all) of the food their families consumed in the early 1900s to less than two percent of the population producing food for everyone.
Here are some facts about today's consumers and animal agriculture:
The American population is growing an average of one percent per year.
Domestic and global per capita consumption of meat, milk and eggs is increasing rapidly. Exports are on the rise: in 1960 the U.S. exported 161,306 tons of meat; in 2006 the U.S. exported 4,572,409 tons of meat. The number of producers has drastically decreased while the number of animals producing milk, meat and eggs has drastically increased. This has been necessary because livestock prices have not kept up with inflation, forcing the need to consolidate operations and produce more animals to stay economically viable as a business.
In the 1950s most food animal production was "free-range" - the same type of production system the UCS prefers for all involved in animal agriculture. Here is a view of what was common under free-range production systems:
Animals were raised outdoors which did not allow for farmers to protect them from:
Extreme heat, cold, wind, rain, snow, hail, etc. Dirty conditions Predators Disease and parasites
The animals' diets were much less controlled. Because animals' food intake was poorly regulated (it was routine for animals to be fed scraps or forced to live off of the land), the food product attributes were not consistent, nor controllable. Veterinarians and producers had a much more difficult job monitoring and maintaining the health of the animals because of the lack of environmental control. In 1947-1951, humans contracted a median of 395 cases of trichinosis (including 57 deaths) largely as a result of consuming pork. This was because pigs were routinely fed scraps and were exposed to wildlife. With production changes, from 1997-2001 there was a median of 12 cases of trichinosis annually (none of which resulted in death); the vast majority of these cases is attributable to consumption of wild animal meat.
In contrast, today's food animal production systems are much more sophisticated and produce a much higher quality food product. Here are some of the other positive outcomes of today's systems:
Animals are housed in barns which allow animal caretakers to constantly monitor herd health, ensure the comfort of the animals, keep the animals clean and protect the animals from predators, disease and extreme weather. Animals are fed carefully formulated diets that meet their nutritional needs and ensure a quality food product that meets the characteristics consumers demand. Animals are provided with the best care possible through the advice of veterinarians. Animal health products are provided to animals to prevent, control and treat disease as well as ensure nutritional efficacy. Because the animals' environment is sustained, this job is easier for both producers and veterinarians. Because of production advances that provide a healthy, balanced diet and are raised in scientifically designed, temperature controlled facilities, the number of cases of trichinosis per year has dropped to just 10-12 per year - the vast majority of those being attributable to wildlife.
Should legislative changes force the food animal industry to change its production methods to those that were commonplace decades ago, we can expect to face many of the challenges we have overcome in the past. Here are some specific examples of how the world may look:
Most importantly, the current food crisis will get much bleaker. The move away from modern production systems in exchange for those of yesteryear would be a monumental setback in food production. It could equate to major food shortages and outrageous food prices. Exposing food animals to uncontrollable factors in the natural environment could lead to transmission of disease like avian influenza (bird flu) which could then be transmitted to the general population.
The quality of meat, milk and eggs could decline significantly. Modern production practices allow animals to produce food that is consistent in quality and attributes. Shifting to systems which take away variation in the animals' diet and care also take away the ability to ensure a consistent, quality food product.
It is with great concern that the Animal Agriculture Alliance Coalition urges these points to be considered prior to making legislative mandates that do not consider the implications on the needs and welfare of the entire consuming public.
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