Factory Farming Leads to Environmental Devastation
Posted on June 07, 2005
Have you seen Young Agrarians and The Meatrix? These films explore sustainable agriculture as an alternative to factory farming, underscoring both the animal rights and environmental benefits to local small-scale agriculture.
A recent report on NPR's Morning Edition, calls attention to the environmental costs of factory farming of chickens in Arkansas where water pollution has increased dramatically in recent years.
Water monitors recently found in Arkansas creeks have state officials angry over what the call the clandestine monitoring of their chicken industry. The monitors were traced back to Oklahoma's attorney general, who is threatening to sue the Arkansas chicken industry.
While the discovery of the water monitors was an embarrassment, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson and other officials are refusing to back off their contention that Arkansas must do more to police chicken suppliers within its borders. The state is home to several huge poultry companies.
The problem, everyone agrees, is the high level of phosphorus in the area's streams and rivers. Phosphorus is found in fertilizer and manure, and can run off from yards, golf courses, construction sites — and chicken farms.
Listen to the whole story from NPR.
Learn more about The Hidden Lives of Chickens.
Learn 10 things you can do today for food, media and living democracy from the Small Planet Institute.
Related Films: Young Agrarians
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