Fighting Fair with the Fowl and the Food System

The semester is winding down, I've been battling some kind of weird stomach bug & headache for the past couple of days (and, no, I haven't been eating any bagged spinach). I don't feel well enough to go out to Dianna's party, but I don't feel sick enough to sit in front of the TV, so the blog is my happy medium.

Heather Shearer raised a good point in response to my blog posting about the e-coli scares. She pointed out that a lot of the problem stems back to grain-fed cattle issue. Here's what she said:

"Of course, a large part of this problem is the situation created by grain-fed cattle. Research suggests that the deadly strain of e-coli causing these problems was virtually unheard of in grass-fed cattle. Indeed, cows and crops used to mutually benefit each other (manure for fertilizer). That's no longer the case since the rise of factory farming.

In any event, it's enough to worry the vegetarians among us. We don't want to participate in certain practices -- and we don't -- but we have to worry about the health problems caused by meat-producers and meat-eaters anyway. I suppose it gives us even more reason to try to actively change the food-consumption landscape."

Good comment. Part of it, too, is that grain is subsidized and there is over-production-- a result of "get bigger or get out "farm policies since the seventies (and possibly earlier). So what to do with that cheap subsidized grain that you and I pay for--feed it to the cattle, fatten 'em up faster, and get them to market faster. Make a profit faster, too! Cattle are not set up to digest that grain, either, so we're going against the evolution of the cow.

Then take the subsidized corn crop and put it into high fructose corn syrup and make everyone fatter! How could we operate such screwed-up logic? It's called industrialized agriculture, and, yes, it puts food on the table and the shelves, but at what cost to our health, to the environment, to animals?

I agree with Heather that we have to change the food landscape, and one of the first vehicles for change is not only reform of the system, but "food literacy"--addressing how the food industrial complex actually works with the consumers who are dependent on it. Heather's research on the USDA food pyramid is a critical piece of this! i also think that with the past-peak oil situation that we have no choice but to reform oil-intensive agriculture.

So it will all come back to grass and the land soon enough. Start gardening!

Also, back to the question of broiler houses.
Some in Kentucky have fought back against broiler houses--and won. See this news release. Wilma, if you're out there, I suggest you contact Aloma Dew and the others who pressed this suit and ask them for advice.

Also, factoryfarm.org has a set of guidelines about how to confront a CAFO. I think there are good ideas here.
http://www.factoryfarm.org/guide/


United Poultry Concerns February 2, 2005
Tyson Chicken Held Accountable for Pollution

NEWS RELEASE

January 26, 2005

Contact: Aloma Dew 270-685-2034

Phillip Shepherd 502-227-1122

John Harbison 802-879-3940



Tyson Chicken Held Accountable for Pollution

Final settlement gives relief to neighbors: Tyson must reduce emissions

Owensboro, KY. In a “David vs. Goliath” battle, neighbors of huge industrial chicken operations, working with the Sierra Club, have finally won relief from the toxic pollution caused by Tyson Chicken. In a settlement signed today, Tyson has agreed to spend a half a million dollars to study and report on emissions and mitigate ammonia emissions that have been plaguing rural residents for years.

“Ever since Tyson moved in next door, my family has suffered from the stench, dust, and toxic pollution from their operations. Finally justice has been served, and Tyson is going to be on the hook for the problems they have caused,” said Leesa Webster, a plaintiff in the case. “’Home Sweet Home’ takes on a different meaning now—with Tyson being held accountable for their emissions, I can finally breathe easier,” added Bernardine Edwards, another plaintiff in McLean County who lives next to 16 chicken houses.

This settlement comes on the heels of a landmark court decision last November, when a federal judge in Owensboro ruled that Tyson is responsible for reporting toxic ammonia emissions from their operations. Since Tyson controls how the chickens are raised, what medications and food they are given, and Tyson received the bulk of the profit, the court ruled that they should no longer be off the hook for the consequences of their pollution—and editorials throughout the state praised this as a “common-sense” decision. This concept, called integrator liability, prevents Tyson from shifting the blame for their pollution to the local growers—and the ruling is expected to have far-reaching effects in rural areas around the country.

Today the final settlement consent decree was filed in Federal District Court in Owensboro. In addition to integrator liability, established in the 2003 ruling, Tyson must conduct ammonia testing at sites and report their findings. Tyson has also agreed to plant $50,000 worth of trees to act as a screen that will protect neighbors from the pollution coming from chicken houses. In addition, they will pay all legal fees connected with the case.

According to Sierra Club attorney Barclay Rogers, “This landmark decision will affect the entire industry. It’s clear that polluting factory farms have the responsibility to clean up their act and stop putting communities at risk.”

“After a long battle, we have won a victory for all the other families suffering from factory farm pollution,” said Norma Caine, a WebsterCounty resident who has been a leader in this fight for nearly a decade. “ We hope other citizens will now be able to speak up, and protect communities throughout Kentucky from this kind of pollution—for our families and our future.”