The Rise of Antibiotic Resistance
"What keeps a feedlot animal healthy -- or healthy enough -- are antibiotics. Rumensin inhibits gas production in the rumen, helping to prevent bloat; tylosin reduces the incidence of liver infection. Most of the antibiotics sold in America end up in animal feed -- a practice that, it is now generally acknowledged, leads directly to the evolution of new antibiotic-resistant ''superbugs.'' In the debate over the use of antibiotics in agriculture, a distinction is usually made between clinical and nonclinical uses. Public-health advocates don't object to treating sick animals with antibiotics; they just don't want to see the drugs lose their efficacy because factory farms are feeding them to healthy animals to promote growth. But the use of antibiotics in feedlot cattle confounds this distinction. Here the drugs are plainly being used to treat sick animals, yet the animals probably wouldn't be sick if not for what we feed them." (Michael Pollan, 2002).
Cattle are classified as ruminants, which are animals who possess rumens (part of the digestive system), that are able to break down plant-based foods (Pollan, 2002). The change from grass to corn feed has drastically altered livestock digestion as corn is too acidic for the rumen to tolerate. As the digestive tract in cattle are evolving to the same acidity as ours, food-borne outbreaks may become life-threatening.
"Most of the microbes that reside in the gut of a cow and find their way into our food get killed off by the acids in our stomachs, since they originally adapted to live in a neutral-pH environment. But the digestive tract of the modern feedlot cow is closer in acidity to our own, and in this new, manmade environment acid-resistant strains of E. coli have developed that can survive our stomach acids -- and go on to kill us. By acidifying a cow's gut with corn, we have broken down one of our food chain's barriers to infection." (Pollan, 2002).
The sickly conditions that cattle endure (diarrhea, acidosis, abscessed livers, and weakened immune systems) because of this corn diet, have made cattle ranchers turn to antibiotics to keep livestock alive, while raising the concern of antibiotic resistance. Humans become exposed to health concerns through the consumption of sick animals and the heavy use of questionable antibiotics. The regulation of antibiotic use is seemingly lenient, and the unknown consequences of such chemicals may be threatening to human health.
Cattle are classified as ruminants, which are animals who possess rumens (part of the digestive system), that are able to break down plant-based foods (Pollan, 2002). The change from grass to corn feed has drastically altered livestock digestion as corn is too acidic for the rumen to tolerate. As the digestive tract in cattle are evolving to the same acidity as ours, food-borne outbreaks may become life-threatening.
"Most of the microbes that reside in the gut of a cow and find their way into our food get killed off by the acids in our stomachs, since they originally adapted to live in a neutral-pH environment. But the digestive tract of the modern feedlot cow is closer in acidity to our own, and in this new, manmade environment acid-resistant strains of E. coli have developed that can survive our stomach acids -- and go on to kill us. By acidifying a cow's gut with corn, we have broken down one of our food chain's barriers to infection." (Pollan, 2002).
The sickly conditions that cattle endure (diarrhea, acidosis, abscessed livers, and weakened immune systems) because of this corn diet, have made cattle ranchers turn to antibiotics to keep livestock alive, while raising the concern of antibiotic resistance. Humans become exposed to health concerns through the consumption of sick animals and the heavy use of questionable antibiotics. The regulation of antibiotic use is seemingly lenient, and the unknown consequences of such chemicals may be threatening to human health.
How does livestock waste contribute to water pollution?
Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s), which are the feedlots that
emerged in response to great demand and rewards for the production of
cheap meat, are not required to treat their waste (Pollan).
These operations do not have to comply with standard environmental
regulations, and as a result of this, communities in proximity to
feedlots suffer from the pollution they emit. For an example, the
Central Valley of California is home to large-scale, cost-efficient
CAFO’s. Because feedlots are not required to treat their waste, if the
waste is improperly handled, it can lead to water pollution. CAFO’s in
the Central Valley and elsewhere also emit air pollutants:
particulates, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds, all of which are
hazardous to human health. “These can arise through decomposing manure, animal movement, and gas emissions from the animals themselves”(Sneeringer et al.). This is an environmental justice concern. Residents
living in the Central Valley and, more broadly, citizens living in
close proximity to farms or feedlots, are already likely to have a high
toxic burden. More research on the cumulative effects of living
near CAFO’s is necessary, but the pollution from feedlots is a certain
threat to human and environmental health. It is also likely to have
disparate impacts on communities of color, low socioeconomic status,
and those who do not speak English. This is because these communities
have less political power and often insufficient information about the
facilities near them.
The Farm Bill Favors Commodity Crops
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Key takeaways from the video:
- The five commodity crops that receive the most subsidies: corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, and cotton - $60 billion was allocated for subsidies from 2008-2012 - 60% of farms did not receive any subsidies - Of the farms that did receive subsidies, the top 10 percent of farms received 74% of total subsidies |
Why the Farm Bill is Important to Human Health
"The consequences of obesity—higher risks for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions—are the most important health problems facing Americans today. To maintain weight or to prevent excessive gain, federal dietary guidelines advise consumption of diets rich in vegetables and fruits. The 2008 farm bill introduced a horticulture and organic title, but aside from a farmers’ market promotion program and some smaller marketing programs, does little to encourage vegetable and fruit production or to subsidize their costs to consumers. If anything, the farm bill encourages weight gain by subsidizing commodity crops that constitute the basic cheap caloric ingredients used in processed foods—soy oil and corn sweeteners, for example—and by explicitly forbidding crop producers from growing fruits and vegetables." (Marion Nestle, 2012)
"Low-income people and people of color are eating the foods that are available to them, and those foods are making them sick" (Feldstein, 2007)
The farm bill highly favors allocating subsidies to large-scale farms that produce commodity crops while neglecting to support whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. There is a disconnect between the foods that the government advocates eating for a healthy, balanced diet and the foods that the government supports in subsidies, as indicated in the "why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?" picture. The farm bill makes purchasing unhealthy foods (derived from soybeans and corn) cheaper while leaving whole foods without the same luxury. With these subsidies, companies are able to market cheaper and nutrient-poor foods with high caloric content, which becomes most appealing to low-income communities. "The public health crisis of overweight and obesity and the related epidemics of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and other diet- and environmentally-related chronic illnesses are concentrated in neighborhoods of low-income and low-wealth, and communities of color." (Feldstein, 2007). Access to healthy food "is something that most middle- and upper-income Americans take for granted" (Feldstein, 2007). These low-income neighborhoods or "food deserts" lack access to grocery stores while being over-burdened with fast food restaurants.
"Low-income people and people of color are eating the foods that are available to them, and those foods are making them sick" (Feldstein, 2007)
The farm bill highly favors allocating subsidies to large-scale farms that produce commodity crops while neglecting to support whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. There is a disconnect between the foods that the government advocates eating for a healthy, balanced diet and the foods that the government supports in subsidies, as indicated in the "why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?" picture. The farm bill makes purchasing unhealthy foods (derived from soybeans and corn) cheaper while leaving whole foods without the same luxury. With these subsidies, companies are able to market cheaper and nutrient-poor foods with high caloric content, which becomes most appealing to low-income communities. "The public health crisis of overweight and obesity and the related epidemics of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and other diet- and environmentally-related chronic illnesses are concentrated in neighborhoods of low-income and low-wealth, and communities of color." (Feldstein, 2007). Access to healthy food "is something that most middle- and upper-income Americans take for granted" (Feldstein, 2007). These low-income neighborhoods or "food deserts" lack access to grocery stores while being over-burdened with fast food restaurants.