New United Nations FAO Report: Animal Agribusiness Bigger Polluter than Cars

WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States today praised the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for detailing the widespread and significant environmental problems posed by animal agribusiness in its newly released report, Livestock's Long Shadow –Environmental Issues and Options. The report examines how animal agribusiness is a major contributor to global climate change—generating even more greenhouse gases than cars—and causes massive land and water degradation on a global scale.

In the report, Henning Steinfeld, head of FAO's Livestock Information and Policy Branch and senior author of the report, states, "Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation."

"The HSUS applauds the FAO for addressing the urgent environmental problems posed by animal agribusiness," explained Michael Greger, M.D., director of public health and animal agriculture for The HSUS, the nation's largest animal protection organization. "These industrialized animal factories not only cause serious animal welfare problems, but they also create massive amounts of manure and other potentially hazardous waste products, which degrade the environment and may pose substantial public health risks."

The United States alone raises and kills more than 10 billion land animals each year for meat, dairy, and egg production, most confined on factory farms. The HSUS recommends several steps that animal agribusiness should take to help mitigate some of its environmental problems, including moving away from intensive confinement systems of farm animals and ending the use of unnatural feeds, which can increase methane emissions from animals.

"As a society, we can also help reduce environmental degradation by reducing the total number of animals who we raise and kill for food," Dr. Greger added.

The UN FAO report is available at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html.

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with nearly 10 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country.