 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The billions of animals being raised to become meat produce a lot of waste. One hog alone can create up to 17.5 pounds of manure and urine each day. (1) Greater than 4 million pounds of feces and urine are produced each week on a farm with 35,000 hogs! The 238,000 factory farms in the U.S. produced 500 million tons of manure in 2003. (2) All this waste creates big problems for the environment and people living near factory farms. Manure
from factory farms is typical mixed with water and stored in “lagoons”,
giant holes in the ground, until it's sprayed or spread on the land.
Over-filled manure lagoons can leak and contaminate groundwater
which can sicken people in nearby communities and pollute local
bodies of water. A North Carolina State University study estimated
that up to half of North Carolina’s existing lagoons are leaking
badly enough to contaminate groundwater. (3)
Nitrogen is an essential Manure
also leaks into waterways as dangerous waste runoff when it is over
applied to the land as fertilizer and when flooding occurs in fields.
The CDC reports that antibiotics, pathogens, nutrients, pesticides,
hormones, solids, such as feathers, and trace elements from animals
waste can migrate into soil and water near factory farms. The EPA
has stated that the waste generated from animal farms has polluted
over 35,000 miles of river and has tainted groundwater in 17 states.(6)
In Virginia, application of sewage sludge, with the potential for
waste runoff, is permitted on 25,000 acres of farm land. (7)
Recently, the EPA tried revamping the federal permitting process
required under the Clean Water Act but ultimately left it up to
farmers to define what constitutes pollution. (8)
The rule allows Many states face potential pollution from direct discharges into waterways. For over 50 years, Virginia waterways were polluted by hog and slaughterhouse waste dumped into the Pagan River by Smithfield Foods. In 1996, the EPA sued Smithfield Foods for 7,000 violations of the Clean Water Act related to the river discharges. A worker at Smithfield’s wastewater treatment plant pled guilty to charges that he knowingly discharged contaminated wastewater into the Pagan River and attempted to cover it up.(9) Ultimately, Smithfield was fined 12.6 million dollars for the violations. There were about 1,000 spills or other pollution incidents at factory farms in 10 states in the late 1990’s. (10) Manure
not only pollutes our waterways, but also pollutes our air with
a horrible stench and toxic gases. People living near factory farms
suffer decreased house values and living day to day with horrendous
noxious odors that can travel miles from the farms. The Centers
for Disease Control reported a study that concluded Intensive animal farming causes manure to be in overabundance and can have harmful effects to our environment and our health. You can work towards a cleaner world by adopting a vegetarian diet and only supporting sustainable farming practices. To learn how manure impacts factory farm workers, please visit the labor page.
|
component
of protein in animal feed and one of the primary components of manure.
According to the EPA, over 9% of households with domestic wells
located near factory farms have nitrate concentrations over federal
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) standards. (4)
High nitrate levels in groundwater can reduce the blood's capacity
to carry oxygen, causing a fatal condition in infants called "blue
baby syndrome." In the United States more municipal water supplies
have been closed due to the violation of drinking water standards
for nitrate than from any other contaminant. 
farmers to decide whether they need to apply for a federal permit,
effectively rendering parts of the Clean Water Act useless.
that people living near a hog farm suffered higher rates of headaches,
runny nose, sore throat, excessive coughing, diarrhea, and burning
eyes.