U.S. Meat Production: Protect U.S. Meat Production: Protect Your Health and the Your Health and the

EnvironmentEnvironment

Gretchen Miller, Project Coordinator Campaign for Safe Food

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Oregon Physicians for Social Oregon Physicians for Social ResponsibilityResponsibility

National org. started in 1961by a group of physicians looking at the health effects of nuclear weapons.

Oregon chapter started in 1980

Expands beyond nuclear bombs/war – global warming, environmental health, Campaign for Safe Food

Campaign for Safe FoodCampaign for Safe FoodEstablished in 2003 – to advance

a sustainable food system that does not use genetic engineering.◦rBGH◦Biopharmaceuticals◦Sustainable Meat Production

GoalsGoals↑ awareness of problems

associated with the U.S. meat system

↓ negative health, environmental, and animal welfare impacts associated with meat production

↑ support for sustainable meat purchasing

Industrial Meat SystemIndustrial Meat System

VS.

Industrial Meat SystemIndustrial Meat System

•Large CAFOs make up only 5% of livestock operations but produce more than 50% of our food animals.

•A large CAFO operation contains more than 1,000 beef cattle, 2,500 hogs or 100,000 broiler hens.

VS.

Industrial Meat ProductionIndustrial Meat ProductionCAFOs/factory farms are where the

majority of meat comes from – 67% poultry and 42% pork

Done to produce the highest output at the lowest cost

Requires many inputs for economic viability (pesticides, antibiotics, feed, etc.)

ImpactsImpactsHealth

Environment

Animal Welfare

HealthHealthAntibiotic ResistanceDiet Related DiseaseAdditional Concerns

Health - Antibiotic Health - Antibiotic ResistanceResistance

What is it? ◦Bacteria develop ability to withstand

the effects of certain antibiotics, making treatment difficult

Slide adapted from Keep Antibiotic’s Working. Antibiotic Resistance – An Emerging Public Health Crisis

Health – Antibiotic Health – Antibiotic ResistanceResistance

How does antibiotic resistance affect us?◦Monetarily: Estimated that resistant

infections cost $30+ billion annually◦Health: Resistant infections and illnesses

afflict millions each year Campylobacter, Salmonella, MRSA

Slide adapted from Keep Antibiotic’s Working. Antibiotic Resistance – An Emerging Public Health Crisis

Health - Antibiotic Health - Antibiotic ResistanceResistanceNon-therapeutic antibiotics:

◦ Administered in animal feed and water to compensate for poor living conditions and promote growth

◦ Antibiotics also enter feed through crops grown on soil fertilized with manure (human food exposure as well)

◦ Many of these drugs are the same or similar to what is used in human medicine

Health - Antibiotic Health - Antibiotic ResistanceResistance

Health - Diet Related Health - Diet Related DiseaseDisease

Diets high in red and processed meat are associated with greater incidence of Type 2 diabetes and mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease

Saturated fats ↑ cholesterol levels which ↑ risk of heart disease and stroke

Animals raised on grain fed diets may have more total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories and less Vitamin E, beta carotene, Vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids

Health Additional Health Additional ConcernsConcerns

Cloned Animals◦↑ antibiotics and hormones◦Few studies have looked directly at

food safety◦No long-term studies have looked at

food safetyGenetically Engineered Animals

◦Allergenicity◦Bioactive proteins/peptides◦Toxicity from novel protein

expression

Health Additional Health Additional ConcernsConcerns

Growth Hormones◦rBGH - ↑ antibiotic resistance,

possible increase in cancers◦6 other FDA approved steroid growth

hormones widely used in meat production that may interfere with human hormones such as estrogen and progesterone – increase cancer?

Endocrine disruptors

EnvironmentEnvironmentGlobal WarmingWaterLand DegradationGenetic Engineering

Environment – Global Environment – Global WarmingWarming

Livestock contribution◦Worldwide – 18% - more than all

transportation◦U.S. – 3-5% on farm

U.S. emissions come from enteric fermentation, manure management, and soil management

Environment – Global Environment – Global WarmingWarming

Effects of global warming:◦Drought:

Difficulties with accessing potable water Loss of agricultural crops - ↑ food prices Devastation to forests - ↑ wildfires

◦Rising Temps Heat related illness Endangered species

◦Flood Displacement Death

Environment - WaterEnvironment - WaterContamination

◦Nitrates and other nutrients, heavy metals, and antibiotics found in manure leak from lagoons, runoff from fields and contaminate water “Blue Baby Syndrome,” spontaneous

abortion, gastrointestinal problems “Dead zones” (Gulf of Mexico 5-8k

miles2 ) Fish kills

◦In just 22 states, 35,000 river miles polluted with animal waste

Environment - WaterEnvironment - WaterOveruse

◦Estimated that it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1lb. of meat It take only 25 gallons to produce 1lb. of

wheat

◦Irrigation for feed crops accounts for much of water use It takes 10 lbs. of grain to produce one lb.

of meat ~80% of grain (corn and soy) in U.S. goes

to livestock production

Environment – Land Environment – Land DegradationDegradation

Forests and native habitats are converted to crop and grazing land for animal feed

Unsustainable grazing practices lead to erosion

Environment – Genetic Environment – Genetic EngineeringEngineering

Genetically Engineered Animals:◦↓ in biodiversity from reproduction with

non-GE species (e.g., fish, insects, mice, etc.)

Genetically Engineered Crops for Feed:◦Contamination, “super weeds,” harmful to

beneficial insects, increased pesticide use 80% of corn and 92% soybeans planted in the

U.S. are genetically engineered 80% of corn and at least 50% of soybeans go to

livestock feed

Animal WelfareAnimal WelfareConfinement/ConcentrationGE & Cloned Animals

Animal Welfare - CAFOsAnimal Welfare - CAFOsConfinement – Cannot act out

innate behaviors, unable to naturally mate, aggressive behaviors

Sanitation – Increase in disease (directly related to antibiotic resistance)

Animal Welfare – Cloned Animal Welfare – Cloned AnimalsAnimals

Cloned Animals:◦90%+ prenatal failure◦50% Large Offspring Syndrome (LOS)◦↑ rates of diabetes and heart

damage

Animal Welfare – Genetically Animal Welfare – Genetically Engineered Animals Engineered Animals

Genetically Engineered Animals:◦Variable/uncontrolled gene

expression - illness and death◦↑ in utero death, infertility,

developmental defects◦↑ diabetes and parasites

What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Reduce your meat consumption

◦Meatless Monday Abstaining from red meat one day a week

could result in a 4-5% decrease in GHG emissions related to food intake in avg. household.

What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Move meat off the center of your

plate/↓ portion sizes – USDA nutritional guidelines

$ saved can be used for increased fruit and vegetable consumption or purchasing sustainably raised meat.

What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Vote with your dollars:

◦Purchase sustainably produced meat – environmentally responsible, without antibiotics, humanely raised

◦Avoid products that are known to be GE or cloned

Sustainable OptionsSustainable OptionsThird Party Certified Labels

◦Organic, Food Alliance, Humanely Raised

USDA Approved Label Claims◦No hormones added, raised without

antibiotics, grass-fedLocal

◦Farmers’ markets, CSAs, U-Pick, etc.◦Make sure choices are sustainable

What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Educate others:

◦Friends, colleagues, students

Encourage change:◦Hospitals◦School Cafeterias◦Senior Centers◦Catered Events

What Can You Do?What Can You Do?Weigh in on the issues:

◦Submit comments on proposed rules◦Write to your congress person regarding

introducing or supporting legislation

Sen. Ron WydenSen. Jeff Merkely Rep. David WuRep. Greg WaldenRep. Earl

BlumenauerRep. Pete DeFazioRep. Kurt Schrader

Thank You!

Gretchen Miller, Project CoordinatorCampaign for Safe Food

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibilitygretchen@oregonpsr.orgOffice: (503) 274-2720Cell: (503) 953-6804