US row over meat industry progress
On Tuesday, the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future (CLF) – which founded ‘Meatless Mondays’ – released an analysis of progress made since the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production published its 2008 report, which called for significant changes to be made to mitigate the negative effects of livestock production.
The CLF found that the US government had acted “regressively” in policy-making since the Commission published its recommendations, which included a reduction in antibiotic use, the installation of new systems to deal with farm waste, a phase-out of industrial farm practices, such as gestation crates, and aggressive enforcement of anti-trust laws applicable to livestock production.
Robert S Lawrence, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, said: “There has been an appalling lack of progress. The failure to act by the USDA and FDA, the lack of action or concern by the Congress, and continued intransigence of the animal agriculture industry have made all of our problems worse.”
However, a report published by the Alliance for Animal Agriculture strongly contested these claims. The report, titled ‘Advances in Animal Agriculture; What the Center for a Livable Future, Pew Commission and Others Aren’t Telling You About Food Production’, stated that clear improvements had been made in animal care, responsible antibiotic use, food safety, environment sustainability and research.
It pointed out that illness rates from E.coli had dropped to less than one case in 100,000 people, and less than 3% of all US greenhouse gas emissions are now accounted to livestock production.
“Many organisations – including the Pew Commission – have long criticised the animal agriculture community for not caring enough about their animals or environment or prioritising public health,” said Alliance president and CEO Kay Johnson Smith. “While there’s always more progress to be made, the entire animal agriculture community has worked hard and has achieved results. Those results should be shared.”
The US National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) also rejected the CLF report, claiming it ignored the “tremendous progress” made by America’s livestock farmers.
“Just as it was five years ago, the charges against animal agriculture made in the CLF report bear little resemblance to the truth. The report is wrong in every aspect, and the CLF ignored the extensive steps animal agriculture has taken over the last decade or more to address various industry challenges,” said NPPC president Randy Spronk.
“We have continuously made improvements in animal care, including protecting them from diseases, and we have always been good stewards of the land, air and water we use.”
The NPPC claimed the Pew Commission was “composed primarily of members opposed to modern livestock production” and pointed out that the CLF directed the Commission’s two-year 2008 study.
