An Argument against Meat

Over this last year, I've grown to enjoy plant-based foods, while becoming convinced agricultural biotechnology will be increasingly important over the next decade as well. I think most people have known this need exists for livestock farming specifically, based on ethics alone. Recently, I've learned about the importance of advances in this area for other reasons as well. Below, I've listed some of these major reasons, mainly for my own knowledge.

Economics of Livestock Production

Maybe, you're someone who just appreciates efficient, well-functioning processes. In particular, you might be more interested in looking at this problem through an economic lens and learning about the sustainability of livestock production. So, let's look at the current state of animal agriculture purely from the perspective of efficiency.

Animals are inefficient converters of food, but how inefficient are they? A common metric used for measuring how much food is lost by converting animals to food is the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Typically, the FCR measures the amount of calories needed to produce one calorie of meat. Beef is one of the least efficient meats to produce. $25$ calories is required to create just $1$ calorie of beef. The ratio of pork is closer to $15$-to-$1$. Chicken is the most efficient meat for converting into food, and it still requires $9$ calories of input to produce just $1$ calorie of food.

Essentially, $800\%$ of what we're growing is thrown away. So, eating a plate of chicken can be thought of as simultaneously throwing out eight plates of pasta. For more information about the inefficiencies behind today's livestock farming practices, refer to this blog post by Yale's Center for Business and the Environment.

Health Effects from Livestock Farming

In 2015, the WHO called antimicrobial resistance an increasingly serious threat to global public health. More than 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are being fed to farm animals. Eventually, our increasingly frequent and routine consumption of meat will drive antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotics are administered to animals in feed to marginally improve growth rates and to prevent infections. In humans, there is growing evidence that antibiotic resistance is promoted by the widespread use of non-therapeutic antibiotics in animals. Resistant bacteria are transmitted to humans through direct contact with animals, which could include exposure to animal manure, consumption of undercooked meat, or contact with surfaces touched by uncooked meat.

Relevant to the recent pandemic, many previous pandemics have been caused by animal agriculture. For example, the H5N1 bird flu outbreak, which has a fatality rate of $60\%$, originated in Chinese chicken farms in $1997$. In $2009$, the H1N1 swine flu outbreak likely originated in a pig confinement operation in North Carolina. In $2015$, the H5N2 bird flu led American poultry farmers to kill tens of millions of birds containing the outbreak. Scientists expect the next pandemic to originate from a similar farming source.

For more basic nutritional value, there are healthier plant-based sources of protein, which include tofu, tempeh, lentils, and beans. Some studies, have linked plant-based diets with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, along with a greater source of fiber and prebiotics, which improve the health of your gut.

Climate and Deforestation Impact from Animal Agriculture

Regarding climate change, raising livestock generates $14.5\%$ of global greenhouse gas emissions, where $92\%$ of the fresh water is used for farming purposes. For a more detailed overview of the effects of animal agriculture on climate, refer to this paper published by the Livestock, Environment, and Development (LEAD) Initiative.

By far, research suggests the expansion of pasture land for beef production is the biggest reason for deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, which accounts for nearly half of forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon in $2013$. Commercial crops, such as soy, contributed roughly $7\%$ of forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon in $2013$.

Additionally, research suggests the large majority of global soy production is used to feed animals that will feed us later on. In a study focused on the allocation of global soy production from $2017-2019$, around $77\%$ of all soy was used for animal feed, where nearly all of this animal feed is used in livestock farming. Only $7\%$ of global soy production is used in direct human foods like tofu, soy milk, and others. For more details about common drivers of soy consumptions, this paper published by researchers at Oxford University.

Ethics of Livestock Farming

Maybe, you're someone who just wants to learn about the treatment of a large majority of chickens. You might be more interested in looking at this problem through an ethical lens and learning about the health and wellness of livestock. So, let's look at the current state of animal agriculture purely from a moral perspective.

Since $1952$, broiler production has been the prominent source of chicken meat, where 99.9% of chickens are raised as broiler chickens in recent years. In $2018$, this increase in production amounted to more than $9$ billion broiler chickens produced in the United States. Today, $90\%$ of all broiler chickens are produced by independent farmers working under contract with integrated chicken production and processing companies, according to the National Chicken Council.

Over the past few decades, poultry breeding companies have repeatedly bred Cornish Cross strains to grow more white meat in the breast with less feed. So, a typical broiler chicken grows twice as fast and twice as large on half the feed compared to a broiler chicken from 70 years ago.

As a consequence, genetically engineering broiler chickens has caused their growth in weight to outpace their skeletal system and organ development. Because they put on weight so fast now, the birds’ legs and frame cannot support their bloated breasts, so they are prone to deformities. Many broiler chickens are barely able to move even at a few weeks old, due to their weight and deformities, causing them to sit and eat for most of their life. According to researchers at the University of Arkansas, these chickens grow at a rate equivalent to a two-month-old human baby weighing $660$ pounds.

Today, farms typically feed broiler chickens preventative antibiotics, creating a vicious cycle that allows them to perpetuate substandard conditions. For a more comprehensive article covering the consequences of breeding broiler chickens, refer to this story about the modern broiler chicken industry.