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Judith McGeary
Austin, TX
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Judith signed the petition | -
Judith signed the petition | -
Judith commented on the article |Headlines can be deceiving. Check out the actual studies. Although they don't clearly state all of their factors, it appears that they based the calculations on standard industrial methods of raising meat.
Meat from a factory confinement farm, where the animals are fed grain, is NOT environmentally friendly, or animal friendly, or human health friendly regardless of whether or not it is "local."
Meat from a sustainable, pasture-based farm that is close to where it is bought is an entirely different system.
The studies cited in the article look at just the one factor -- local versus not-local -- and then the headline claims to make findings that are much broader.
From one of the underlying studies the article links to: “The calculations, which are based on standard industrial methods of meat production in Japan … Over two-thirds of the energy goes towards producing and transporting the animals' feed. … A Swedish study in 2003 suggested that organic beef, raised on grass rather than concentrated feed, emits 40 per cent less greenhouse gases and consumes 85 per cent less energy” --http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19526134.500-meat-is-murder-on-the-environment.html
And from the specfic study in the article: “the more extensive supply chains of meat production (i.e., moving feed to animals)” ... if they're moving fed to animals, it's not a sustainable grass-based operation. (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es702969f?cookieSet=1)
And none of the studies appear to have looked at the carbon sequestration from well-managed grasslands. -
Judith signed the petition | -
Judith commented on the article |Katie, perhaps you'd like to re-write your statement so that it actually fits the facts?
If you were referring to store-bought eggs produced in factory farms, you're right. Whether they are the regular eggs, "free range" or even (sadly) "organic", it's an almost certainty that the hens were caged. "Not caged" typically means simply that the hends were loose in a large building, but still under cramped conditions where they never got sunlight, fresh grass, or fresh air.
But the blanket statement that "chickens are caged up all of their life" is simply false. I know many farmers whose chickens roam freely, or within a fenced area, during the daytime, and are brought into some sort of shelter for the night. Our chickens are confined to a brooder area (a small building with heat lamps) for the first few weeks of their lives until they have enough feathers to survive the outdoors. They then roam freely and are never, ever confined. -
Judith commented on the article |As a starting point, I have no desire to convince anyone what they should eat. Whether it's a vegan or vegetarian or omnivorous diet that suits your physical and ethical makeup, that's each person's decision to make.
Starting with the global warming issue, I do not consider a summary of a study (that does not even include a link so that people can read the study for themselves) "compelling data." What "organic, free-range chickens" were studied? Were they a factory farm with 10,000 birds in a building, having access to a small outdoor area that consist of bare dirt, and all their food brought in from factory organic farms? That does qualify as "organic" and "free range" under the laws.
Or were they part of a diversified, small farm where the majority of their food came from weed seeds and picking through the manure of ruminants for the fly larvae and parasites that would otherwise become pests? The environmental impact of those chickens is completely different.
Check out http://www.holisticmanagement.org/n7/climate_07.html Many of the people in this organization have devoted their lives to managing land in a way that is beneficial for the environment, looking at everything from carbon sequestration to biological diversity.
I don't think there's a simple answer. I used to view agriculture, as Natasha says, as "ecological sacrifice zones." I got into sustainable agriculture almost entirely because I came to recognize the potential it has for being a positive benefit for the environment and for human health. Natural systems are complex and intricate, and I have yet to see a "one size fits all" solution that actually worked well when people tried to impose it onto Nature. -
Judith signed the petition | -
Judith commented on the article |Great list, thanks!
For folks interested in more information on the first bullet point (the role of animals in healthy ecosystems), check out http://www.holisticmanagement.org/ I've seen incredible examples of very degraded lands being restored to diverse, functioning grassland ecosystems through holistic management. -
Judith signed the petition | -
Judith signed the petition |
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