540 #ClimateEmergency #ModernFarming
"Modern farming more polluting than all world's cars and planes and 'must be phased out'"
by Nada Farhoud for the Mirror [Nov 14, 2024]
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mega-farms-polluting-more-worlds-34107132
Quotes:
"The agriculture industry accounts for one-third of the world's direct greenhouse gas emissions - with Britain's 1,176 mega farms massively contributing to the pollution"
"Mega farms in Britain must be phased out if the government is serious about meeting its new greenhouse gas emissions target, experts have warned."
"The Mirror earlier this year revealed there are 1,176 mega farms in the UK. Critics called the 20% rise up from 2016 a cruel trend. Compassion in World Farming said 85% of UK farm animals, over a billion, stay in overcrowded barns.
This creates a vicious circle of increased use of pesticides and fertilisers on animal feed crops which then supply industrial animal agriculture - itself a major user of fossil fuel energy."
"World Animal Protection’s CEO Tricia Croasdell, who is at the UN climate summit taking place in Azerbaijan, told the Mirror: “What should be already clear for the Prime Minister is you cannot achieve this unless you address industrial animal agriculture – and not just in the UK.
“It must seek to phase out factory farming and shift toward an equitable, humane and sustainable food system that places animals, people and their communities at its heart.”
"A new report from World Animal Protection issued at COP29../\..warns factory farming does not only drive greenhouse gases through fossil fuel use, it also drives widespread destruction of forests, grassland and other habits to grow crops to feed industrially farmed animals. In turn these vital carbon sinks immediately release tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."
"Tricia Croasdell added: “The simple truth is we cannot tackle climate change or protect human rights without addressing industrial factory farming — a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of ongoing inaction are dire."
"The warning comes as the plans to build Britain's biggest mega farm in Norfolk which will have up to 870,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs attracted nearly 15,000 complaints.
'Stench will be appalling. Disease will be rife… Welfare of animals is not good either.”
"Campaigning groups Feedback and Sustain claim the two applications for the separate megafarm sites are 'unlawful' because they fail to provide details of expected greenhouse gas emissions, preventing a proper assessment on 'climate change grounds'."
"“Manure and agricultural synthetic fertilisers are the two main human-created sources of nitrous oxide, the third most important greenhouse gas, which is often overlooked. Undeniably, there is growing awareness of the need to reform our food systems in order to have a chance of meeting emissions reductions targets however, in the UK, 85% of farmed livestock are housed in industrial 'factory farms'."
"We shouldn't underestimate the importance of a whole-of-society approach to achieve this. People in high income countries, like the UK, need to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy and opt for animal sourced foods that come from higher welfare and nature-friendly farming systems.”