
CAFOs vs. Free Range
Demand Labels on Factory-Farmed Meat
Factory farms, or Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), are a disaster for the environment and our health. Nearly 65 billion animals worldwide, including cows, chickens and pigs, are crammed into CAFOs, where they are literally imprisoned and tortured in unhealthy, unsanitary and unconscionably cruel conditions. Sickness is the norm for animals who are confined rather than pastured, and who eat GMO corn and soybeans, rather than grass and forage as nature intended.
The community members in Iowa breathed a huge sigh of relief, grateful their determination, creativity, and persistence had paid off. They had successfully fought off an industrial-sized animal operation that would have polluted the communities’ air and water, damaged public health, and threatened the quality of life for nearby residents.
Read moreThe UN Secretary-General warns that the climate crisis is a “code red” warning for humanity. Yet multinational development banks (MDBs) that have pledged to align their lending with the Paris Agreement continue to pump tons of public money into industrial animal agriculture.
Read moreFrank Matejcek spent most of his life farming: raising cattle, growing wheat, sugar beets and other crops on 800 acres just outside Grand Forks, ND.
Now, he and his wife are among a number of farmers who say they are fighting to protect the land, and their community, from plans for the construction of a large wet corn mill plant by the Chinese conglomerate Fufeng Group Ltd.
Read moreGrasslands in the U.S. have almost completely disappeared, and along with them, the wildlife they supported. Studies show by raising cattle on fields planted with native grasslands, farmers can restore wildlife and regenerate the soil.
Read moreEleven organic organizations representing organic farmers and consumers have
Read moreOrganic milk has a better nutrient profile and fewer contaminants than conventional milk, but loopholes are allowing fraudulent “organic” milk on the market.
Read moreThe recent decision by Danone North America, owner of Horizon Organic, to terminate contracts with 89 organic dairy farmers in Northeast states has angered organic and consumer groups, who say the decision will devastate small family farms in the region and runs counter to the company’s Certified B Corporation commitment. In response to the criticism, Danone says it remains committed to buying
Read moreWhen it comes to cutting emissions in the food system to prevent catastrophic climate change, methane is key. Tackling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has long been the focus of most climate action because CO2 accounts for 80 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. and can persist in the atmosphere for hundreds—or even thousands—of years. In contrast, methane makes up only about 10 percent of GHG emissions in the U.S. (and 20 percent globally) and only sticks around for about a decade.
Read moreTop U.S. meat and dairy companies, along with livestock and agricultural lobbying groups, have spent millions campaigning against climate action and sowing doubt about the links between animal agriculture and climate change, according to new research from New York University.
Read moreSix nonprofits today filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission asking the FTC to investigate Cargill, Inc., and enjoin the company from making false and misleading claims about its turkey products sold under the Shady Brook Farms and Honeysuckle White brands.
In the complaint, the groups — Venceremos, Mighty Earth, Animal Equality, Organic Consumers Association, Family Farm Action Alliance and Socially Responsible Agricultural Project — said
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