FYI: Factory farms tend to thrive in an atmosphere of secrecy.  If you are unfamiliar with what they are, this website offers annotated links that will tell you more.   Please be aware that the material can be quite disturbing.  Go slowly, no more than a few links at a time.

[Added 21 January 2005]: From the Sierra Club comes a disturbing, but not surprising, site offering pdf-format papers detailing the backroom deals made by the Bush administration and the meat industry.  Here is how the page opens::

May 17, 2004: New Documents Show How Bush Administration Gave Meat Industry Control Over Factory Farm Pollution Policy

Hundreds of pages of recently-released documents expose how the Bush administration gave the meat industry control over a proposed deal to let factory farms off the hook for pollution violations. The new documents show the true extent of the meat industry's influence, revealing that the Bush administration met on a monthly basis behind closed doors with industry lobbyists for over a year....

This is an excellent site from Factory Farming on dairy CAFOs.  It looks at what they are, and do -- the page is brief and to-the-point.  (Warning: the descriptions are quite graphic.)

From National Catholic Rural Life Conference, “A Moratorium on Large-scale Livestock and Poultry Confinement facilities.”  This call for a moratorium is clear and well-researched -- focus is on serious quality-of-life issues for CAFO workers and neighbors.

From the New York Times Op Ed page of 30 August 2002, "Opinion: The Curse of Factory Farms."  Here are a few excerpts:

...Factory farms have taken root mainly where zoning laws were lax or nonexistent, or in states where citizens were prevented from filing suits against agricultural operations. The inevitable byproduct of huge concentrations of animals is huge concentrations of manure, which is stored in open lagoons and eventually sprayed on farmland, though there is usually far more manure than local fields can absorb. In such quantities, manure becomes a toxic substance. Spills are always a risk, as is groundwater contamination. The bigger danger is airborne contamination of water from ammonia, which rises from the lagoons and falls into low-lying rivers and estuaries....  [Emphasis is ours.]

...The federal government should at minimum serve as a neutral umpire in the fight between big and small farmers. In the case of factory farms it should try to control their threat to the environment through broader, more vigorous application of the Clean Water Act, typically invoked only in the most egregious cases. And it should never use taxpayer money to encourage a method of farming that works against the public's desire for open space, biodiversity and clean, non-malodorous air.  [Emphasis is ours.]

Unfortunately, the government has been putting its weight behind big business. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued basically toothless rules under which the states give permits to any factory farm that comes up with a plan for handling manure, mainly by building larger lagoons to hold it....

This is a very brief page of facts and figures relating to dairy CAFOs, including this one:

A single dairy cow produces 120 pounds of wet manure a day (that's about 14 gallons). This is equivalent to the waste produced by 20-40 humans per day.

This is the first of seven crucial links making up "The Seven Deadly Myths of Industrial Agriculture," excerpted from Fatal Harvest, a recent (2002) book that chronicles the disasters of industrial farming.
The data is clear and very well presented -- don't miss these!  They move step-by-step to debunk every one of the most familiar "justifications" made by politicians and industrial farmers for why these perversions are a necessary blight.

Note: for those who would prefer a quick summary of the above seven links, here is a lively review from Lenora Todaro, senior editor at the Village Voice: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13854

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FOR EDUCATORS IN
COLLEGES & HIGH SCHOOLS
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From Vegan Outreach

Peaceable Kingdom: Transforming Our Relationships with Animals: Syllabus

[Added 19 February 2005]:  This is a compassionate, thoughtful and beautifully laid out syllabus for a January 2005 course taught by Professor Matthew Halteman of the Philosophy Department at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It offers a significant approach to issues involved in industrial farming.  The syllabus has been illustrated and reprinted on a separate webpage with the permission of the professor.  The course ran for for one month, three hours/day, five days a week, but it could also be adapted for longer courses meeting less frequently.  Here is how the Course Description opens:

Though stewardship of the animal kingdom is one of the primary responsibilities accorded to human beings in the Christian creation narrative, the question of how best to respect and to honor the creatures under our care is one that Christians too often neglect to ask. This omission is especially tragic, given the overwhelming evidence of fallenness in the social and commercial practices that presently govern our relationships to animals. While large-scale agribusiness has increased consumer convenience, this convenience has come at a high cost, and not just to animals; factory farming has had negative effects on the environment, on local commerce and agriculture in both rural and urban communities, and on public health....

The two-fold purpose of the course is clearly stated:

...first, to gain insight into the problem through a survey of the philosophical, ethical, environmental, and socio-economic issues surrounding the treatment of animals and the allocation of natural and human resources by contemporary agribusiness; and second, to take the initial steps toward becoming agents of transformation by workshopping an array of concrete approaches to addressing these problems....

This syllabus is offered by the professor as well as this website with the strong hope that it will inspire other educators, both at the college level and in high schools, to use it as a model in teaching similar courses.  [Note: this entry is on the Local Michigan page as well as on the General Factory Farms Info page.]

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HEALTH-RELATED DATA
ON FACTORY FARMS
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Overhead view of a large CAFO
(Courtesy of NRDC -- see below)

http://www.factoryfarm.org/resources/regulations/moratorium/

Beginning with the American Public Health Association (APHA), these are calls for moratoria on factory farms due to high health risks to humans. These APHA concerns should give all of us pause -- and a reason to ask who or what is being served by ignoring such experts and rushing ahead, especially when Michigan's DEQ has such an ineffective track record in monitoring CAFOs.

This is Cesspools of Shame: How Factory Farm Lagoons and Sprayfields Threaten Environmental and Public Health, a lengthy July 2001 report prepared by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and the Clean Water Network.  The report:

...documents how animal waste from factory farms threatens human health and our nation's rivers. Most factory farms store animal waste in open lagoons as large as several football fields. Lagoons routinely burst, sending millions of gallons of manure into waterways and spreading microbes that can cause gastroenteritis, fevers, kidney failure, and death. This report lists the track records of the largest polluters and recommends existing technology that is safer and more sustainable.

The page will let you download a large (638K) pdf file but it also has quick overviews -- see below...

Continuing from Cesspools, this page is a summary of the above report.  It makes for very grim reading.  Here is a passage called "Threats to human health":

...People who live near or work at factory farms breathe in hundreds of gases, which are formed as manure decomposes. The stench can be unbearable, but worse still, the gases contain many harmful chemicals. For instance, one gas released by the lagoons, hydrogen sulfide, is dangerous even at low levels. Its effects -- which are irreversible -- range from sore throat to seizures, comas and even death. Other health effects associated with the gases from factory farms include headaches, shortness of breath, wheezing, excessive coughing and diarrhea.  [Emphasis is ours.]

Animal waste also contaminates drinking water supplies. For example, nitrates often seep from lagoons and sprayfields into groundwater. Drinking water contaminated with nitrates can increase the risk of blue baby syndrome, which can cause deaths in infants.  High levels of nitrates in drinking water near hog factories have also been linked to spontaneous abortions. Several disease outbreaks related to drinking water have been traced to bacteria and viruses from waste....

The report points out that even if the lagoons never leak or rupture, they still release those gases:

 ...Their horrible stench and toxic chemicals harm workers and nearby residents.... What's more, the farms often spray the manure onto land, ostensibly as fertilizer -- these "sprayfields" bring still more of these harmful substances into our air and water....   [Emphasis is ours.]

Continuing from Cesspools, this page is a series of facts about livestock pollution.  Here are several:

* Animal waste contains disease-causing pathogens, such as Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and fecal coliform, which can be 10 to 100 times more concentrated than in human waste. More than 40 diseases can be transferred to humans through manure.

* In May 2000, 1,300 cases of gastroenteritis were reported and six people died as the result of E. coli contaminating drinking water in Walkerton, Ontario. Health authorities determined that the most likely source was cattle manure runoff.

* Manure from dairy cows is thought to have contributed to the disastrous Cryptosporidium contamination of Milwaukee's drinking water in 1993, which killed more than 100 people, made 400,000 sick and resulted in $37 million in lost wages and productivity.

* According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, livestock waste has polluted more than 27,000 miles of rivers and contaminated groundwater in dozens of states.

* Ammonia, a toxic form of nitrogen released in gas form during waste disposal, can be carried more than 300 miles through the air before being dumped back onto the ground or into the water, where it causes algal blooms and fish kills.

From the Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture comes "Tracking Manure-Borne Pathogens."  Here are several excerpts showing the reasons for such research:

...Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service want their study, begun this year, to lead to better ways for dairy and beef farmers to thwart pathogens.  ARS is conducting the study because research has shown that use of manure as a natural fertilizer on pastures and fields is one way that microbial pathogens are spread in the environment, says microbiologist Daniel R. Shelton....C. parvum sickened more than 400,000 people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1993. The protozoan lays eggs, or oocysts, inside intestines of domestic and wild animals and humans. Shed from manure or human waste, disease-causing oocysts can enter lakes and streams by rain or snowmelt runoff and from inadequate septic systems....
[Emphasis is ours.]

This is a disturbing page of links on Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone - rBGH, a poorly tested  genetically engineered hormone, banned in many places (but not in the USA) because of human health concerns.  It is injected into cows to force them to produce more milk.  The title of a report by Karen Hudson says it all: "The American Public as Lab Rats for Monsanto: An Uncontrolled Experiment."

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ECONOMIC IMPACT
OF FACTORY FARMS
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Decayed Barn
From The Reality Studio

http://www.factoryfarm.org/docs/RegionalEcon72101.htm

This is "A Summary of the Regional Economic Effects of CAFOs" by Dr. William J. Weida, Department of Economics, The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO.  The focus is on hog CAFOs but much of the data also applies to dairy CAFOs.  It is not pleasant reading.

This brief page looks at the economic and environmental impact of factory farming -- it also touches on several health issues.

From July 9, 2003, comes this report: "USDA study reveals factory farms produce manure beyond carrying capacity of land and have been shifting over $2 billion in environmental costs to rural communities."  Some excerpts:

..."CAFOs have routinely avoided the costs of proper manure handling and application by dumping excessive amounts of manure on fields closest to their operations. This creates both air and water pollution that levies real costs on the rural residents who live around CAFOs.  This study is important because it puts a number on the costs CAFOs have been shifting to rural communities every year by not spreading their manure on enough land," says Dr. William J. Weida, noted rural economist and director of the GRACE Factory Farm Project. "Based on past experience with large CAFOs, one would not expect them to voluntarily spread manure in a responsible manner if it increased their costs or caused a loss of market share...."

..."There's an obvious, cost-effective solution to the problem," continues Dr. Weida, "which is to reduce the density of animals in large confined operations, leading to less manure and lower costs. However, what we are likely to see in the short run, as enforcement gets underway, is a regional shift to areas where manure disposal costs are cheaper or to less developed countries which have not enacted environmental regulations...."

..."Complying with EPA regulations will require CAFOs to spread their manure over a much larger land base than they are currently using" asserts the study, causing hefty transportation cost increases. The study specifies that higher costs would affect mostly large operations, whereas "cost increases could be relatively small at the farm level for small and medium-sized AFOs." (In the study, AFO stands for animal feeding operation of all sizes.)

This is not yet online but recently came to one of us from a correspondent in touch with Dr. Weida.  He was doing an interview with the Waco Tribune about megadairies and he sent this email message about the pollution problems posed by the megadairies in the Erath County, Texas region.  It clearly indicates that the impact of pollution is much vaster -- and far more expensive -- than previously thought.  He writes:

The topic was a large group of mega dairies that are located about 100 miles north of Waco and are polluting Waco's drinking water with phosphorus contamination.  Some interesting points raised during the interview:

1. A study by the Texas DEQ showed 50% of the phosphorus pollution in the lake from which the city draws it water is coming from the dairies--which are 100 miles away. [Emphasis is ours.]

2. It will cost $400,000 to clean up the eutrification problem that currently exists, and then, of course, it will start all over again.  [Emphasis is ours.]

3. Someone from Texas A&M had told [me] that mega dairies were different from other CAFOs because they were really just small farmers who were using technology.  I stated that this was really not correct when one considered where the capital for these operations was coming from, and suddenly he began to recall that all the farms had huge amounts of investment that no local farmer could have financed and further, there was this "Dutch connection."

This is "A Citizen's Guide to the Regional Economic and Environmental Effects of Large Concentrated Dairy Operations."  It offers a wide range of files in html, Word, and PDF formats.

From the Sierra Club comes a terrific page, "Five Local Strategies to Keep CAFOs Out." Among their encouraging comments:

...You don't have to be an expert (although soon you will discover that you are becoming one); keep reminding the agencies that they are REQUIRED not only to listen but to RESPOND to citizens' comments....  [Emphasis is ours.]

Here's an excerpt from Strategy #2:

If you learn that a CAFO is moving in - or a landowner is about to become a contract grower, one tactic Missouri activists have used successfully is what is now known as the "neighbor letter." Quite simply, all of the adjacent and neighboring landowners send a letter to the company and the potential contract grower telling them that everyone is having their properties appraised; and will have the properties re-appraised 9 months after hog [or dairy]-production begins. The letter concludes by stating that the neighbors will sue the company and the grower for any loss of property values....

And this is from Strategy #3:

...all counties have the authority, indeed the duty, to adopt ordinances to protect the public health and welfare - including protection from rank odors and noxious emissions. You and your allies can place pressure upon county commissioners to adopt such ordinances.... [Emphasis is ours.]

This is a "Guide to Confronting a CAFO" from the Grace Factory Farm Project.  From their introduction:

...A factory farm is moving into your area or one operating near you is causing problems, and you aren't sure what to do. Confronting a CAFO has been created to help you understand the issues surrounding factory farms and assist you in organizing your community....

An Appendix (click on the word for a direct connection) offers links to numerous printable brochures and other publications, also graphics, photos, and other relevant materials for those confronting CAFOs.  The files include Word and PDF formats.

From the above website come "Success Stories."  Here is the introduction:

For activists who oppose factory farming, there have been many successes. Oftentimes these are hard to measure. One success is the broader public understanding of the real costs of industrial agriculture, and the positive response that brings from the industry and lawmakers.  Another is the growing interest and activity in the area of sustainable agriculture. These trends certainly reflect the collective efforts of activists.

At the same time, there are more individual stories, of activists that have won concrete victories against a farm operation or in favor of a constructive bill. We'll celebrate those victories here....

Here is one such success story:

Nippenose Valley, Pennsylvania, August 2003: When residents of Nippenose Valley came across public notices in the local newspaper announcing permit applications for two different factory farms, they quickly organized a group called the Concerned Citizens of Nippenose Valley. CCNV invoked a local ordinance protecting their water supply to tie up the permit applications, while mounting a comprehensive public relations campaign to build broad-based community opposition to the CAFOs. Their efforts began to pay off last March when one family withdrew its CAFO application. CCNV declared victory when the second family withdrew its application. CAFO battles are notoriously difficult to win. The Pennsylvania Environmental Network asked CCNV member Betsy Stevens how the group did it -- including enlisting the help of the GRACE Factory Farm Project -- so other communities might benefit from CCNV's experience. Read the interview (see directly below...).

Here's a link to the interview mentioned above -- "How the Citizens of Nippenose Valley Fought Off the Factory Farms" -- it's inspiring and thought-provoking.

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RELATED DATA:
"MAD COW DISEASE" IN ANIMALS,
HUMANS, & POLITICIANS
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Little calf slated to be veal
From Vegan Outreach

From Canadian Health Coalition, “What Canadians Need To Know About Mad Cow Disease” (By Bradford Duplisea): http://www.healthcoalition.ca/bse.html

From United Press International, “No Mad Cow Tests in Wash.” (January 15, 2004 By Steve Mitchell): http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040114-041124-1470r

From the Jeff Rense talk radio network, “US Violates WHO Guidelines For Mad Cow Disease: A Comparison of North American and European Safeguards (15 July 2003 by Michael Greger, M.D.): http://www.rense.com/general46/usfup.html

From Organic Consumers Association, “USDA Misleading American Public about Beef Safety” (December 24, 2003 by Michael Greger, M.D.): http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/Greger122403.cfm

 

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This webpage from
Concerned Citizens of Hartford, MI 49057
May 26, 2004
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INDEX for Factory Farms / Industrial Agriculture Pages

Latest updates: 21 January 2005; 19-20 February 2005; 2 March 2005; 13 March 2005;
27 September 2005: split off the Michigan-only data and gave it its own URL.