Eating Animals: Jonathan Safran Foer's New Book Asks Why Don't We Eat Pets?

Once in my life I worked on a political campaign and once in my life met someone who called himself a "goop scooper." My candidate and I were touring a chicken processing factory. As chicken carcasses acrobatically clung to the rotating belt that dropped them in a vat, the man who removed their insides told me he was the "goop scooper."

The vividness of the picture has not faded. Not since the high school assignment of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle had I been forced to confront the prelude to the cellophane wrap. Shortly after visiting the factory I wrote a humor column about it for my college newspaper. After all, if you want to dash a feeling, nothing works better than a joke. "Wit" as Nietzsche observed, "closes the coffin on an emotion."

But can one investigate the whole question of eating other animals unflinchingly, movingly but with wit? Can it be made interesting, readable, compelling -- powerful without self-righteousness? In other words is there a book to be written that might change the way we eat that vegetarians and devoted carnivores alike would want to read?

Here it is. Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals is a triple marvel: the research is serious and far reaching, the writing clear, clever, accessible and in a few instances graphically ingenious, and the cause is genuinely important.

Foer does not indict all animal-eating on simplistic grounds. This is not, paradoxically, a bleeding heart book, except in the most sanguinary sense. It is a tough-minded look at what the gradual triumph of factory farming has done to the quality of the food we eat. Quality here is a ramified term, including its effect on the natural world and the animals who endure unspeakable conditions, ailments and anguish so that we can have more and more fish, poultry, pork and beef.

Some of the facts that Foer quotes we are vaguely familiar with:

1. "In the United States, about 3 million pounds of antibiotics are given to humans each year, but a whopping 17.8 million pounds are fed to livestock -- at least that's what the industry claims." Foer goes on to point out that the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded the industry underreports by 40%.
2. Americans eat 150 times as many chickens as we did only eighty years ago -- each year fifty billion birds live and die in conditions that impose great suffering during their lives.
3. There is no essential difference between the animals we eat -- birds, cows, pigs -- and those we would not eat -- horses, perhaps, and dogs. No difference, that is, except that we form bonds with the latter and don't allow ourselves to form bonds with the former. But would you condemn your dog to a life of agony and then kill it for dinner? "In a sense it's what we are doing already. Rendering -- the conversion of animal protein unfit for human consumption into food for livestock and pets -- allows processing plants to transform useless dead dogs into productive members of the food chain. In America, millions of dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters every year become the food for our food. (About twice as many dogs and cats become food as are adopted.)"

On some level we know all this. But we may not realize the devastation wreaked by factory farming. Apart from the hormones, the antibiotics, and the selective breeding that creates animals that produce more meat but live in constant pain, there is the cost to us as well. Here is the best case scenario of what most animals we eat have to endure on their trip to dinner: "Or try this thought experiment: Would you castrate animals without pain relief? Would you brand them? Would you slit their throats open? ...Let's describe the reality: that piece of meat came from an animal who, at best -- and it's precious few who get away with only this -- was burned, mutilated, and killed for the sake of a few minutes of human pleasure."

We do not know the deceptiveness of terms like "free range." The term suggests chickens roving free like the Von Trapp family, warbling atop the alps until they are painlessly gathered into the Valhalla of Whole Foods. Actually, free range chickens can still be "...debeaked, drugged, force moulted, and cruelly slaughtered once 'spent.' I could keep a flock of hens under my sink and call them free range."

The cost in human suffering may have escaped us. "The UN special envoy on food called it a 'crime against humanity' to funnel 100 million tons of grain and corn to ethanol when almost a billion people are starving. So what kind of crime is animal agriculture, which uses 756 million tons of grain and corn per year, much more than enough to adequately feed the 1.4 billion human who are living in dire poverty?"

Remember that 99% of all land animals used for food are factory farmed. We have created a colossal churning machine to spit out pork chops and chicken nuggets.

There is much more of interest, and some striking and even beautiful images along the way. But ultimately the message of the book is summed up in Foer's simple observation: "It's always possible to wake someone from sleep, but no amount of noise will wake someone who is pretending to be asleep." I hope he is wrong. I hope this book falls with an explosive charge on the somnolent consciences of meat-eating Americans. We know something of the agony, waste, disease and unhealthiness behind the gleaming counters. Perhaps Eating Animals will persuade us to stop pretending to be asleep.

 

Comments

[fiji987]

I used to love meat and I couldn't believe I could really ever give it up. So I told myself that I would stop eating meat for one day and that I could have as much meat as I wanted to eat the next day. I told myself this every day for several months. I actually only ate meat about a total of three times after the first day.

What helped me with the "I want something more substantive in my stomach" feeling was that my mother kept nut butters and good quality cheeses in the house (I was a teenager at the time).. Some cheese and bread or nut butter and bread or just nuts can really help. Nowadays you can get vegetable rennet cheeses, which makes what you eat more "truly vegetarian." Over the years, the yen for cheese and dairy has naturally diminished, but I never forced myself to give it up. After a few years I also lost the taste for fish and seafood and stopped eating them

I've been a vegetarian for over thirty years. I find that the less heavy-handed and more reasonable you are with yourself, the easier it is to become and stay a vegetarian. You've been eating meat for many years. Give yourself time to adjust and go slowly.

[wolfguide]

I hope that readers of this post that livein New York State will reach out to their assemblypersons and state senators and tell them to support New York Assembly Bill 8163. The bill takes the small step of banning hen battery cages, veal crates and tethering, and pig gestation crates. For more information go to: http://www.ab8163.com.

Thank you.

[lmb421]

This whole subject makes me sick to my stomach. I have tried to eliminate meat from my diet and when it comes down to being truly hungry, I cave in. I never make it more than a few days. And I end up reverting to pasta and cereal because they fill me up better than rice and vegetables. If I could somehow make decent, filling meals that acutally TASTE good and supply the protein I need, maybe I could do this. I got tricked into asking for a vegetarian "starter kit" from PETA and they didn't teach me much, plus they threw in a horrible story with pictures that I can't get out of my head. I love animals and don't want to hurt them or torture them. How do we stop the industries? How can we force them to use more humane methods? How can I truly learn to LIKE eating only vegetables and get the nutrition I need from them? Any help would truly be appreciated. This subject is really upsetting me. I feel stuck in a cycle of being traumatized by the horror stories, eating meat and feeling guilty/sick afterward, starving myself in an effort to give up meat, and then indulging again and feeling ugly in my soul. Help!

[ottabox]

You can get a ton of great information at:
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/

[fiji987]

I used to love meat and I couldn't believe I could really ever give it up. So I told myself that I would stop eating meat for one day and that I could have as much meat as I wanted to eat the next day. I told myself this every day for several months. I actually only ate meat about a total of three times after the first day.

What helped me with the "I want something more substantive in my stomach" feeling was that my mother kept nut butters and good quality cheeses in the house (I was a teenager at the time).. Some cheese and bread or nut butter and bread or just nuts can really help. Nowadays you can get vegetable rennet cheeses, which makes what you eat more "truly vegetarian." Over the years, the yen for cheese and dairy has naturally diminished, but I never forced myself to give it up. After a few years I also lost the taste for fish and seafood and stopped eating them

I've been a vegetarian for over thirty years. I find that the less heavy-handed and more reasonable you are with yourself, the easier it is to become and stay a vegetarian. You've been eating meat for many years. Give yourself time to adjust and go slowly.

[lmb421]

This whole subject is so distressing to me. I grew up eating meat and was so naive being a city girl that I never put the facts together to realize what was on my plate. I actually didn't like meat much as a kid and as a young adult ate little of it. No beef and once in awhile chicken or pork. Now, for some reason, my body is constantly craving meat. It bothers me, but as JimmyJones said, I don't know how to change. I am not a good cook, and I find that eating veggies only leaves my body SCREAMING for protein and iron and such. I actually get weak and dizzy when I only eat veggies and rice. And if eating animals is cruel, so is eating fish. Plants are living beings, too, and some believe they can feel pain as well. This all seems really complicated to me. Add to that that some vegetarians feel it is also cruel to eat dairy products, which I don't completely understand, and what is left? There is no question the factory process of "raising and producing" meat is horrific. But wasn't it always that way just on a smaller scale? I mean, how did the Indians and the settlers do it? It wasn't pretty or kind then either. I'm sure there was far less torture. It seems people in the industry are harming animals just for the fun of it rather than killing them and getting it over with.

[cucumber]

Do some searches about "dairy" on google and you'll quickly see why it is cruel (removing mothers from babies on the day of birth or with in days on EVERY single commercial dairy farm, at great pain to both mother and baby; veal calves; cows end up as hamburger...it's part of the rest of the meat industry, only worse in some ways).

However, go to http://www.veggieboards.com and look around - it's a whole community of people who can help you to become a healthy vegan. They can also more fully answer your philosophical questions.

Also see the book "Becoming Vegetarian" or "Becoming Vegan" for how to do it.

[cplKlyde]

I read a book in high school about a plane that crashed in the Andes Mountains. The survivors were forced to eat the bodies of the dead to avoid starvation. So before you say wouldn't eat your pet under any circumstances think about those folks and the choice they were forced to make.

[Caru]

Exactly, survival first.

[Lacey Dalby]

I've already thought about that. I wouldn't do it. Not even under those circumstances. It'd be the same as eating my mother or my siblings. No way.

[wallyone]

Any of you folks know the yield of corn silage per acre?

If not, be reluctant to comment on the alternatives for vegetable crops and the economics of farming in general. Much of the conventional wisdom about farming comes from people who do not actually farm themselves, and in reality know very little about agriculture as it is practiced across the whole country. Like Mr. Pollan, they generalize from an almost anecdotal and shallow knowledge base. They are correct in some areas, but way off base in others.

[flurryup]

Donner Party. Period.

[QueenCeleste]

Beautifully stated, Rabbi Wolpe.

And if California was hit by a giant meteor and we were all starving, I would not eat my cats. To me that would be cannibalism of my family. No, after the last can of Pet Promise was empty we would all check out together, as peacefully as possible. (Distressing as it is to contemplate....!)

[KillgoreTrout43]

If a giant meteor hit anywhere, most of us would die anyhow.

[writer10027]

Seconded!!

[cucumber]

I agree.

I also think many people here would eat their own (or other peoples') children if they got hungry. The degree of unbridled self-interest is astounding.

[Caru]

We generally have a thing against eating other humans unlike most animals with their own, does this make us better?

[greymom]

Quote some sources please. I don't see any dog food in my pantry that lists dog or cat meat as an ingredient. Instead it lists lamb, brown rice, alphalfa, carrots, and other stuff. It does not list dog meat.

[IndianaJohn]

It doesn't say pets are fed to pets, it says, "...millions of dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters every year become the food for our food." They are ground up and fed to cattle.

[Jenni Graham]

And cows are not carnivores, which makes them sick, which is why they are pumped full of antibiotics which in turn makes us sick. Why don't people get this? Oh, that's right. They choose not to.

[jimmyjones22]

I always become so frustrated with arguments like these because they fail to address on major point (which is understandable because the people who write this drivel are all vegetarians)

How do you expect people who have been eating a certain way to simply up and change their diet?

How about you try this and see how it works for you: move from America to another country, and see how long you can last on a completely different diet.

I've been living in Japan for a while, and I was already skinny when I came from the states. But no matter how much food I eat here in japan, I never feel full. Rice and fish does not work for some one who has been eating potatoes and meat since before I could speak in complete sentences.

I recognize the problems you are are addressing, but it doesn't address who 300mil Americans are just going to to drop their meat and start eating bread as a replacement.

For the record I'm a 25 year old male, 5'11 and weigh 128 pounds. If I feel alienated by your suggestions, how do you think all the fat blobs in the states feel?

Address that and you have an argument. Until then, good luck on your crusade...

[lalalalilly127]

The cost of healthcare has skyrocketed partially due to obese people, living with diabetes and all forms of heart disease. I'll tell you how they change their diet. SELF CONTROL. That's a thing many Americans completely LACK. If they're not going to do it for their sake, or for the sake of other people in their insurance pool who's premiums have tripled, maybe they could find the compassion to do it for the sake of their children, or for the millions of children starving all over the world who have a right to eat the grain we're force feeding to poor animals. Of course, why should we have to do something for someone else, we're not them right? You had better hope there are not second lives where you get your opportunity to be on the "them" side. Show a little compassion.

[cucumber]

How do you expect people who have been uncompassionate their whole lives to simply up and become compassionate?

How about you try this and see how it works for you: move from being uncompassionate to trying to be compassionate. I mean, the poor guy has been living uncompassionately in Japan for a while, and he was already uncompassionate when he came from the states. But no matter how compassionate he tried to be, he could never feel compassion for anyone but himself. He has been uncompassionate since before he could speak in complete sentences.

He RECOGNIZES the problems being addressed, but it doesn't address who 300mil Americans aren't just going to to drop their uncompassionate ways and be compassionate as a replacement.

For the record, he's a 25 year old male, 5'11 and uncompassionate. If he feels alienated by these suggestions, how do you think all the uncompassionate folks in the states feel?

Address that and you have an argument. Until then, good luck on your crusade... The uncompassionate folks are going to stick together, and not care about anyone else but themselves. They're going to pray really really hard that they don't come back as a farmed animal in another life, and that there's no such thing as karma.

[jimmyjones22]

That's why your argument fails. And this is the same fallacies many people on the left advocate. They have solutions, but no reasonable way to reach them.

Example: To stop people from eating meat, they simply have to stop eating meat.

Great! now you just have to undo a few scores of generation diet, evolution, and individual bias to actually reach your goal.

But you don't explain how to do it besides simply DO it.

Thats why this will never work for most americans. Unless you have a plan of how to woo them from everything they've known their whole life, you fail out the door. Your post is a perfect example, and proved everything I set out to say in my first post.

That is - you don't understand the problem because you cannot understand people who think different then you.

[jentilpet]

"How do you expect people who have been eating a certain way to simply up and change their diet?" Well,now,let us attain,explore your obvious question w/ my conclusive answer!
Cattle has never before given these harmonal injections..this would explain the better fed cattle,& if it's not to deep for you for to absorb,any animal who is killed violently will in fact give back its wrath by tastin tough! You can change your diet,unless you've been on another barren planet,not to know that while reading the deaths from red-meat artery clogging vulture eating habits,many have raised w/ that menu to begin..How can you ask such a question when you don't even know if bread is replaced,but as a matter-of-fact,a slice of fresh N,Y, Italian bread[sesame seeded] bread "is" in fact great w/ fish,& one could easily eat bread,dipped in olive or another fine oil is more healthy..replaced! The Japanees "Live to eat..not Eat to Live! they'll eat anything! Whaling against all laws,broken for the indulgence of their stomachs,adding the fish to the financial factor!
The unpublished book expose' "Just Tip Me Mister! by Cecilia Sacco Fusco '78 1st subject on "waitresses",the grueling work of the servatude,the food "they" waste can feed a nation!!!The pretentousness of the men&women who'd rather die than bring home the half eaten piece of sirloin,afterall many people never think of whose starving.,but if "they" weren't so accustomed to wasting/continued

[jimmyjones22]

That's great, info.

You didn't address the question, though.

[greymom]

Have you had yourself checked for Celiac disease? Consumption of wheat, barley or rye may be stripping your intestines of the ability to absorb nutrients. If you are eating a lot of soy sauce, it has lots of wheat in it. Please google Celiac Sprue and see if the symptoms of this disorder could possibly be you. One percent of Americans have celiac and only 10% of those know they have it.

[Matt58]

No one's asking you or other meat eaters to go "cold turkey" (no pun intended).
There's a campaign in the States and other countries called "Meatless Monday". Go meatless for at least one day a week, and gradually work your way down if you can.

[anyoneoutthere]

You ask "How do you expect people who have been eating a certain way to simply up and change their diet?"

Your question can be read two ways.
1) as rhetorical (implying that people will simply not change no matter what). There is no answer to that.
2) literally. Let's say you mean it this way. In that case, the answer is this: the aim of the book and the post is to help people realize that they may be causing unintentional harm through their dietary habits. That realization should pit their conscience against their belly. Form that point on, it's up to the individual. You may think that people will always vote with their belly. The author may think that the voice of conscience might prevail at least in a few cases. That is a gain (and it's a gain for everyone, even for those who will refuse to change).

Clear?

[Pem3]

of course we could build green tech hydroponic green houses that are multi story structures that are reusable. Giving more room for the yummy animals to roam thus getting rid of the dreaded factory farms while saveing enercy cleaning the air and eating steak.

[LyssaBarnes]

I do not like hydroponically grown anything. It is not natural and it doesn't taste natural. I think there are better ways to feed the planet without giving up all meat-eating, and taste.

[Pem3]

I agree I wonder if you good flavor the growing soup with minerals to give it a more natural flavor?

[SteadfastObserver]

Most vegetarian/vegan arguments against meat-eating seem to center around the current processes used to produce meat for human consumption. I think any sensible person would agree that the current methods are not acceptable.

However, I don't see how that makes any sort of argument against meat-eating itself. Why not just focus on improving the methods? As pointed out in this article, millions of cats and dogs are euthanized each year. Where is the outrage over that? Perhaps there is none because they are put down in a manner that is generally considered humane. What if the animals bred for human consumption were raised and killed in a similarly humane manner? I imagine other arguments against meat-eating would suddenly spring up. I think the attack-the-process angle is the one most used simply because of its graphic nature and the belief that it will have the biggest impact. Clearly though, it is a dishonest argument. The problem is the process, not the meat-eating.

[ottabox]

You are preaching to a group who have been reflecting on this issue long before these issues were raised in the mass media. Perhaps you view vegetarians and vegans as a caricature? But maybe, just maybe they are more like the canaries in the coal mine who have some insight or capacity to see that are ways are seriously wrong. Just maybe they realize that livestock is a huge waste of resources when we are talking about over 6 billion people in the world. The boutique notion of elite folks moving to grass-fed, free-range meat sounds good on paper but us long-term vegetarian and vegans intuitively know that it doesn't eve amount to a half-measure of what will be demanded by the 21st century. We only hope that you keep and open mind and demonstrate a willingness to challenge your own assumptions.

[Pem3]

So you would be talking about reusable High rise green house hydroponic systems that are vegetable factory farms. That can be re used and clean the air and produce power while freeing up the land for tasty animals and us.

[SteadfastObserver]

I most certainly do not view any group of people as a caricature. I am not sure what part of my comment gave you that impression.

You do though, let yourself fall into the holier-than-thou stereotype of vegetarians and vegans. Which is unfortunate, because it does your cause a disservice. You would be much better served to supply an argument that counters mine, rather than responding with what amounts to "I know better than you".

[fiji987]

I have been a vegetarian for many years. Recently, I took in a dog and a cat. This is the first time I've had pets and the first time in many years that I've had chicken meat in the house. I've been feeding both pets the same diet they had before I took over their care: canned chicken (for humans) and kibble that is made by a company that claims to source its meat from sustainable family farms that practice humane care for all animals. Unfortunately, this pet food company is going out of business and I haven't found another company that makes the same claim. In searching for another brand, I've been struck by the number of pet food companies that make "all-natural" and "organic" pet food--often with pledges for supporting animal shelters and touting the safety of their meat--yet have no polices regarding the humane treatment of the animals that they use for the meat in their food. I've e-mailed several companies, asking them about their policies regarding the humane care of the livestock and chickens they source. I have received extensive replies about the "safety" and "naturalness" of their products, but no actual answer to my question.

I am going to switch from the canned chicken to organic chicken slices that claim to be from humanely-raised chickens. I can only hope that it's true that these chickens are treated more humanely than those poor animals suffering in the factory farms.

[jellyrollq]

You may want to try a raw diet for your dog & cat. I switched my 11-year-old dog to it a year ago to help keep her teeth clean without yearly sedated cleanings (anaesthesia's hard on older animals) and I wish I'd done it sooner, she is a new dog, her teeth are great and she acts 5 years younger and loves the diet. The basis of the diet is raw meaty chicken bones, and I have been able to get humanely raised chicken for human consumption--the necks & backs the dog eats are much cheaper. My vet was surprised when i told him what she was eating, but agreed it was a healthy diet for a dog. The cost is no more than I was paying for kibble before.

The rest of the diet is organ meats, muscle meats and a vegetable mixture, occasional raw eggs. I've been able to get all these from certified humane/organic producers, as I get human-consumption grade stuff.

Check out this site and the book, it makes it really easy to do raw dog food and you'd have more control over the ingredients. www.switchingtoraw.com.

Current standards allow meat from diseased animals to be used in pet foods. Unless a company specifically says that they do not use this sort of meat in their labeling, chances are the sources of animal protein in the food is diseased, dying, abused animals from the CAFO industry.

[IndianaJohn]

Mother Earth News also has had articles about making your own pet food, such as:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2006-06-01/Natural-Pet-Foods.aspx?page=4

[jentilpet]

"fiji987" When my beloved tabby,went to heaven,as all animals were made perfect,& there's no such nthing as a "bad" breed!..ok,I got carried away..but I can tell you this re: pet food..When my cat suddenly wouldn't urinate[many cats develope a urinary tract,[stones] issue,I rushed him to a friend,a vet tech,thank God,there was only one stone! After that I told a half-way legit vet,[as there aren't many who are really dedicated..[where I was] they did say he should be on C/D forever! This food doesn't have the same bad additives that grow stones or w/ a dog ,other issues,"Hi­lls"Prescr­iption Diet/Feline..when c/d wasn't available I had to start r/d..I would buy a case[save $$$ that way..ask,a good vet,but don't EVER give any animal "chocolate" & cats? no onion powder or anything w/ too much protein,like that canned chicken,I don't know where you live re:resources for good info/continued...

[jentilpet]

continued from "jentilpet" just read jellyroleq­..below,th­is person knows what they're saying..but also any animal that dies a violent death,will in fact be bad for consumption,this borders on a deeper subject re:books I've read from the most renowned authors re:spititual unrest[not religious mainstream stuff,or dogma[no pun intended]..They'll never tell you what they really do,but good legit companies will...My cat was my baby,I never had,so only the best ,no guessing here! Since 03 I'm sure the variety is better,afterall my Rustie,loved my mom's chicken soup,non greasy,homemade broth,chickens washed w/ cold water,salt,before freezing,since I was raised that way!Today the women waste,food,or just are lousy unloving cooks,& because they hate to cook,devoid of any respect for food,the food tasts discusting!I meanwhile hubby works only to hand over his money for the garbage..all those rotten veg's?I never saw that in my life!Anyway the guy who "accepts" euthanasia,even when animals shouldn't "be" put down is a sicko,[forgot to tell him this! Yes,only the evil mentality of men who work in these places..HBO Special Trial re:the guy who hung a pig,I hated saying it.judge found ONE count,of indecency?something as his att'y grabbed his arm in silent celebration..this skinny,testosterone starved zero of the human race couldn't get any so they use their inadequacies,by seeing an animal suffer! Who else would take such a job?cjenn@­ptd.net..I too will chat w/ switchtoraw.com even if Rustie is no longer here,then again he never really left....continued again...

[jimmyjones22]

this is complete nonsense.

humanely killed is an oxymoron. you're an animal just like your pets. try feeding them your diet for once and see how they end up.

The same applies for bi-pedal omnivores, also known as humans.

[fiji987]

Humanely-killed may be an oxymoron but why bring it up since it was never stated in the posting? However, since you brought it up, if you do any research, it is clear that many animals are put through a great deal of suffering during their lives and and put through a much more painful death than necessary simply for the convenience and pocketbook of the factory corporate farms.

Why would I try feeding the pets my diet? What's your point? I'm a vegetarian by choice and the animals are carnivores by necessity. So what's the "complete nonsense"?

[Pem3]

It never seems to be brought up by the only veggie only crowd is the impact on the planet of global farming. You think there are problems with the planet now wait until you have feorested the land to make room for enough food crops to feed the population.

[ottabox]

Are you aware that the footprint for raising plants for humans is much smaller than raising food for cows? It is a basic scientific understanding.

[Caru]

Soil erosion, look at Africa.

[Hank007]

We already grow more than enough crops to feed the entire world. We just choose to feed a lot of them to animals, which we then eat.

[RMankovitz]

I agree that the existing grain/bean fed confined animal food industry is ethically and ecologically bankrupt. Now what? Everybody eats plants? Not so fast.

In their natural setting, plants are omnivorous. They thrive on a combination of decomposed plant material (like compost) and animal byproducts (manure and decomposed skeletons).

Plant foods (annual monocrops such as wheat, corn, soy) raised organically require animal byproducts for fertilization. Where do these animals come from, and what are they fed - plant foods? How are their skeletons recycled after they die? How do they die? If everyone became a vegan and demanded organic food, how many billions of animals would be required to feed these plants?

Plant foods raised conventionally require large amounts of artificial fertilizer and (toxic) pesticides, both derived from fossil (animal carcass) fuels. The majority is GM, raising potential health issues. If everyone became a vegan and was satisfied with conventional processing, where will the raw materials come from to make the huge quantities of artificial fertilizer­s/pesticid­es needed to sustain these plants? How will we prevent the runoff from totally polluting groundwater, lakes, and streams? Where will we get clean water? How will we survive this toxic environment without major illness? Why will this look much different ecologically than the existing (unsustainable and toxic) plant cultivation industry?

Looking for answers? Nature has them and they do not look anything like what is presently on the table (pun intended).

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[Pem3]

Nicely said I will wait and see if anyone gives an answer.

[Pem3]

nope no answer yet

[LyssaBarnes]

We lost so much when we tossed out the wisdom of our elders to embrace commercial farming methods. Those of us old enough to remember when most fruits used to be sweet enough to eat without sugar can attest to the fact that most of the food we are sold today isn't worth eating. Of course, the most obvious solution may be the very one we don't want to embrace; produce more quality food and eat less.

[coldtusker]

If the whole world were to go vegan/vegetarian, there would be no need to expand existing farmland. Currently more rainforest (Brazil for soybeans + Malaysia for Palm Oil) is being cut down for more farms to feed animals & humans.

Plants (a few exceptions) draw sustenance primarily through their roots. They absorb the nutrients not as a chewable 'food item' but its core constituents e.g. Nitrates, Phosphates, etc. These nutrients can be derived from both plant & animal (earthworms, insects, spiders, mice, etc) sources.

Plant foods (annual monocrops such as wheat, corn, soy) raised organically do NOT require farmed animal byproducts as fertilizers for the reasons as mentioned above. Fertilizers can come from human manure (humanure) & plant compost. Most of what you eat comes out as feces. Human urine can be a great source of urea. There is no need for the 'billions' of animals to feed the plants. And there are always sources of 'inorganic' or mined fertilizers.

Organic farming precludes the use of pesticides & the source may or may not animal. Pesticides use will drop since demand for grain will drop. It takes 13 lbs of grain to 'produce' 1 lb of beef.

The runoff from factory farms is far, far worse (think salmonella) & in greater quantities than vegetable/food farms. Meat is washed before processing. Have you been close to a factory farm? The runoff stinks. STINKS. The level of antibiotics in this runoff water is far higher than runoff from 'pure' grain (large) farms

[RMankovitz]

Perhaps, or not.

I (and others) consider human waste to be highly toxic, and it appears to be killing marine life at a rapid clip. Even so, how do you propose transporting human waste to cropland, and what is the environmental cost of such transportation? Is this an ecologically sustainable program? Perhaps we should all take a coffee break on the plains, and squat.

While earthworms, insects, spiders, mice, etc. are cute for a backyard garden, I know of no commercial farm that can rely on them to maintain high yields over thousands of acres. Why would this suddenly become practical? What do the insects and mice eat? Plant foods? Isn't that why we have pesticides- to kill them so that they will not eat our food? Is this sustainable?

Regarding mined fertilizer, do you propose that the earth contains unlimited resources? What happens when we hit "peak fertilizer"? Is this sustainable?

Are you aware of any commercial organic farm that does not rely on animal fertilizer (manure/bone meal)?

Do you propose that the runoff from artificial pesticides is an acceptable and sustainable solution for the long term?

For vegetarians, where will they get their dairy and or eggs? From plants? How many cows/hens will be needed to support their habit? What will you feed these animals? What do you do with them when their can no longer produce?