On April 29, 2008 the long-anticipated report by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (IFAP) was released. This is a remarkable report that will surely trigger spirited debate for many months, if not years.
"Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production" (Download PDF), covers the history of IFAP and the growth of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), the public health risks associated with IFAP, environmental risks, and impacts on rural America (e.g., jobs, quality of life, community institutions, local governance).
A mammoth effort went into the production of the report, spanning 2.5 years and costing $3.4 million
The Commission was chaired by John Carlin, former Governor of Kansas and included 15 well-known members, e.g., the Leopold Center's Fred Kirschenmann, Marion Nestle of New York University, and Dan Glickman, former Secretary of Agriculture. More than a dozen nationally-recognized experts supported the work of the Commission as consultants or authors of background papers.
The Commission's ED Robert Martin are among the most compelling parts of the report. Martin describes in the Preface how the "agro-industrial complex" tried to thwart the work of the Commission and has for years influenced public policy in these areas:
According to the Organic Center Newsletter, organic farm production and animal care standards meet or exceed the majority of recommendations in the report. Indeed, implementation of the recommendations in the report by conventional livestock producers would substantially "level the playing field" between conventional and organic farm operations.
"Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production" (Download PDF), covers the history of IFAP and the growth of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), the public health risks associated with IFAP, environmental risks, and impacts on rural America (e.g., jobs, quality of life, community institutions, local governance).
A mammoth effort went into the production of the report, spanning 2.5 years and costing $3.4 million
The Commission was chaired by John Carlin, former Governor of Kansas and included 15 well-known members, e.g., the Leopold Center's Fred Kirschenmann, Marion Nestle of New York University, and Dan Glickman, former Secretary of Agriculture. More than a dozen nationally-recognized experts supported the work of the Commission as consultants or authors of background papers.
The Commission's ED Robert Martin are among the most compelling parts of the report. Martin describes in the Preface how the "agro-industrial complex" tried to thwart the work of the Commission and has for years influenced public policy in these areas:
"...while some industrial agricultural representatives were recommending potential authors for the technical reports to Commission staff, other industrial agriculture representatives were discouraging those same authors from assisting us by threatening to withhold research funding for their college or university. We found significant influence by industry at every turn: in academic research, agriculture policy development, government regulation, and enforcement."
"At the end of his second term, President Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation about the dangers of the military-industrial complex – an unhealthy alliance between the defense industry, the Pentagon, and their friends on Capitol Hill. Now, the agro-industrial complex – an alliance of agriculture commodity groups, scientists at academic institutions who are paid by the industry, and their friends on Capitol Hill – is a concern in animal food production in the 21st century."
"The present system of producing food animals in the United States is not sustainable and presents an unacceptable level of risk to public health and damage to the environment, as well as unnecessary harm to the animals we raise for food."
According to the Organic Center Newsletter, organic farm production and animal care standards meet or exceed the majority of recommendations in the report. Indeed, implementation of the recommendations in the report by conventional livestock producers would substantially "level the playing field" between conventional and organic farm operations.
