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The Water Footprint Of Beef: Industrial Vs. Pasture-Raised

1412 Words6 Pages

The trend to eat organic or natural foods has become so big that it is not hard to find a “natural” food store in most cities. People are starting to recognize the harmful things they are putting in their bodies. They are also recognizing the impact the food industry has on the environment, making healthier and more local food choices. Much of America has seen dry times and water shortages, most communities are aware of the need to conserve water. What most people don’t know is they could be helping conserve the nations water supply by changing the type of meat they buy. “Recent research has shown that about 27% of the water footprint of humanity is related to the production of animal products.” 98% of that is from water used to grow and process …show more content…

In the article “The Water Footprint of Beef: Industrial Vs. Pasture-Raised” by Robin Madel and Kai Olson-Sawyer, they explain the best way to reduce the water footprint is to not buy beef from factory farms. The industrial cattle farms will pack way too many animals together and feed them mostly grain feed. The feed used at these farms are the biggest reasons the meat industry is such a huge water user, it takes a lot of water to grow the feed. With that many cows together there is an enormous amount of pollution from manure. Madel and Olsen-Sawyer claim the “waste is hazardous and can contain antibiotics, bacteria, pathogens and heavy metals. A single (factory farm) … can produce as much waste as a city.” Just like pollution from the cities in Barnett’s article, marine life is also effected from factory farming. “The waste is nutrient-rich, which, in overabundance, contributes to algae blooms in water bodies that create oxygen-depleted “dead zones” that are inhospitable to most aquatic life” ( ). The local government should encourage factory farms in their areas to make changes to reduce the waste and to conserve water. Fines should be implemented and farms assessed for their water footprint annually. The entire surrounding community can be effected by wastewater and overconsumption of the local freshwater

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