The Problem(s) with CAFOs

Where to begin? Let’s start with the basics. A CAFO is a large facility where animals are kept and raised in confined environments (usually indoors, where movement is restricted) and feed (usually grain of some sort) is brought to the animals rather than allowing them to roam and feed in pastures, fields, or on rangelands. This system has been consolidated to where just four corporations own the majority of production—JBS S.A., based in Brazil; Smithfield, a subsidiary of a Chinese conglomerate; Tyson Foods; and Cargill.^{1 2} These corporations have created a model of “vertical integration,” in which they own every aspect of the production chain, from the animals themselves, to producing the feed, to slaughtering, to packaging, turning the farmers who contract with them into virtual serfs, requiring them to “grow” the livestock with little to no choice in how they raise their animals.^{3 4}

Additionally, because of industry lobbying and pressure, there is little oversight in these operations, including workers’ rights and safety. For example, even though agriculture ranks third among all occupations in fatal injuries,⁵ because of loopholes pushed for by the industry, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has limited standards to protect workers in the dairy, poultry, and livestock industries, many of them immigrants (including minors)⁶ and people of color.⁷

Speaking of little oversight, CAFOs are a huge source of air and water pollution, yet there are few regulations to keep them in check.⁸ It has been estimated that each year, animals in CAFOs create between three and 20 times more waste than all of the people in the U.S., with no sewage treatment required.⁹ This waste contains pathogens and antibiotics that can contaminate water supplies and high levels of phosphorous and nitrogen that lead to destructive algae blooms in local waterways, while the fumes and particulate matter increase the rates of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses among workers and people who live nearby. And while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supposed to regulate CAFOs under the Clean Water Act, it has admitted that “…unlike many other point source industries, the EPA does not have facility-specific information for all CAFOs in the United States.”¹⁰

In an effort to shed some light on the lack of information, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed requests for EPA records under the Freedom of Information Act to see exactly what information federal regulators had on existing CAFOs. What they found was alarming: While the EPA estimated in 2012 that there were 17,329 CAFOs operating in the U.S., there was data (including information on the size, type, location, and pollution control measures) on only 7,595 of them. When it came to information on waste management, the NRDC found information for only 5.6 percent of the EPA’s estimated number of CAFOs. Even more alarming is that after the EPA released records to the NRDC, industry interests filed a lawsuit to prohibit the EPA from releasing information in response to future Freedom of Information Act requests. In 2017, the EPA signed a settlement agreement with industry groups “severely limiting the scope of any future information releases.”¹¹

In addition to oligarch level of control and lack of oversight, CAFOs are a leading cause of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.^{12 13} Animals raised in unhealthy, cramped environments are susceptible to disease outbreaks, so they are regularly dosed with low levels of antibiotics in an effort to keep disease at bay; this prophylactic, sub-therapeutic use causes bacteria to evolve to become resistant to common antibiotics used in human medicine. CAFOs are also inherently linked to the over-production of genetically modified commodity crops like corn and soy, which require massive amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. A report released in 2022 by the Center for Biological Diversity and World Animal Protection revealed that more than 235 million pounds of herbicides and insecticides were used on corn and soybeans grown to feed animals in CAFOs in 2018 (the most recent year for which data was available).¹⁴ And finally, we can all agree that animals raised in this way live abysmal lives.

This way of producing food isn’t just unsustainable, it is degenerative.

A Better Future with Regenerative Agriculture

A recent national survey of registered voters conducted by Johns Hopkins found that there “was significant concern with the negative health and environmental impacts caused by CAFOs, as well as support for greater government oversight.”¹⁵ We want better—for the animals, for the environment, for farmworkers, and for our health.

The answer lies in regenerative agriculture, which views the system as an interconnected whole—the soil, water, air, animals, people, and community. Animal and land relationships are a foundational philosophy of regenerative agriculture—when farm animals are returned to the land, they build healthy and resilient soil, which is capable of capturing CO2, removing it from the atmosphere, and improving water retention, critical in the face of climate disasters like drought and flooding.¹⁶ It eliminates the need for synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. And because animal health and welfare are prioritized, it also reduces the use of antibiotics by eliminating the subtherapeutic use of them, using them only if an animal is ill and actually needs them. The benefits are bountiful and include ecological benefits, economic benefits, and health benefits for farmworkers and local communities.¹⁷

Regenerative agriculture doesn’t end with animal products, they are only one part of the picture. It is also crucially important to support organic and regenerative practices when it comes to fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods.

Reject Hidden Anti-Regenerative Practices

Unfortunately, as the term “regenerative” has gained momentum, many of the same companies fueling the destructive state of modern farming are now trying to shield their harmful practices behind an illusion of restorative sustainability. To do so, they’re co-opting a handful of its processes into the industrialized agriculture machine, where other inputs continue degrading soil and biodiversity, inherently negating regenerative outcomes.³² Truly regenerative agriculture does not employ the use of hormones, antibiotics, synthetic pesticides, and fertilizers—all inputs that by design destroy biodiversity. Likewise, regenerative agriculture does not raise animals in landless confinement, removed from the natural harmony they bring to the farm ecosystem.^{33 34 35} Take a stand against the dilution of the true meaning of “regenerative agriculture” by holding those that use its name accountable for the outcomes.

Regenivore, noun:

A person who eats in a way that supports a shift from degrading, stripping, and crippling to regenerating and sustaining—our planet, our health, and our economies. Regenivores know that the food on our plates and the farmers, ranchers, and grocers we support are directly connected to the biodiversity of our food web, the integrity of the soil, the health of the planet, our own health, and the health of our families and friends.

6 Reasons to be a Regenivore:

1. Regenerative organic farming “encourages continuous innovation and improvement of environmental, social, and economic measures.” It eliminates toxic synthetic inputs while promoting biological diversity and the harmony of natural cycles. Consequently, the health and welfare of all living things is inherent to its success.¹⁸
2. A teaspoon of healthy soil is alive with billions of organisms that play a role in its function as the foundation of our food supply. Soil organisms convert decaying matter into plant nutrients, improve soil structure, increase water-holding capacity, and enhance carbon sequestration.¹⁹ Yet soils are degrading at such a rate the United Nations has said we may only have 60 harvests left.²⁰ The principles of regenerative organic agriculture restore and maintain soil health. 
3. Soil carbon (i.e., carbon dioxide that has been pulled from the atmosphere and locked into the soil) is significantly higher in regeneratively-managed grazing systems when compared to un-grazed land.²¹ And because of this increased carbon sequestration in regenerative grazing systems, these ranches can offset 100 percent of the emissions from the cattle, and up to as much as 85 percent of the farm’s total carbon emissions.²²
4. Approximately 80 percent of antibiotics sold in the U.S. go to livestock production, often as feed additives to increase growth and to prevent infections caused by being confined in a CAFO; around 70 percent of these drugs are “medically important” for humans.²³ Organic regenerative systems prohibit antibiotics, and one study found that grazing cattle have a more efficient immune response than cattle in a feedlot (i.e., a healthy cow doesn’t need preventative antibiotics).^{24 25}
5. The micronutrient content of fruits and vegetables has declined over the last 70 years, including vitamin C, calcium, and iron, while proteins in wheat, rice, and barley have decreased by 30%, 18%, and 50% respectively. Organically grown crops, by contrast, consistently demonstrate higher levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorous and other important bioactive compounds, and one study found levels of health-supporting phytonutrients in pasture-raised animal products that are undetectable in their grain-fed counterparts.^{26 27 28 29}
6. Regenerative organic agriculture is more climate resilient. Data from the Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trial (FST), the longest running comparison of organic and conventional farming, found that organic yields were 40% greater than conventional in times of drought.³⁰

Together we all—the farmer, the rancher, the grocery store proprietor, and the eater—can start a movement to redirect the future. The influence of our collective actions can ensure we all have access to nourishing food, restore our topsoil, sequester greenhouse gasses that imperil our planet, improve our health, and create more robust and equitable economies.³¹ And because we are acting together, it will echo in the halls of policy and power with a persistence that can no longer be ignored. We are Regenivores and THIS is the future of food, for a healthy planet and healthy people.

References

1. Lakhani N, Uteuova A, and Chang A. “Revealed: the true extent of America’s food monopolies, and who pays the price.” The Guardian, July 14, 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2021/jul/14/food-monopoly-meals-profits-data-investigation
2. Kelloway C and Miller S. “Food and Power: Addressing Monopolization in America’s Food System.” Open Markets Institute, March 2019, updated September 2021
3. Stokstad P, “Enforcing Environmental Law in an Unequal Market: The Case of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,” 15 Mo. Envtl. L. & Pol'y Rev. 229 (2008) Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jesl/vol15/iss2/2
4. Kelloway C and Miller S. “Food and Power: Addressing Monopolization in America’s Food System.” Open Markets Institute, March 2019, updated September 2021
5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Number and rate of fatal work injuries, by private industry sector, 2021
6. Strickler L, Ainsley J. “The federal government is investigating the possible human trafficking of children who cleaned slaughterhouses.” NBC News, Jan 19, 2023 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-dhs-investigating-human-trafficking-children-slaughterhouses-rcna66081
7. Cooke C, “Animal Agriculture Is Dangerous Work. The People Who Do It Have Few Protections.” Civil Eats, November 14, 2022 https://civileats.com/2022/11/14/injured-and-invisible-1-few-protections-animal-agriculture-workers-cafos-dairy-migrants-injuries/
8. Stokstad P, “Enforcing Environmental Law in an Unequal Market: The Case of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,” 15 Mo. Envtl. L. & Pol'y Rev. 229 (2008) Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jesl/vol15/iss2/2
9. Hribar C, MA. “Understanding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact on Communities.” National Association of Local Boards of Health, 2010 https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/understanding_cafos_nalboh.pdf
10. Miller DL, Duke Law School, Environmental Law and Policy Clinic; “CAFOS: What We Don’t Know Is Hurting Us.” National Resources Defense Council, September 2019 https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/cafos-dont-know-hurting-us-report.pdf
11. Miller DL, Duke Law School, Environmental Law and Policy Clinic; “CAFOS: What We Don’t Know Is Hurting Us.” National Resources Defense Council, September 2019 https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/cafos-dont-know-hurting-us-report.pdf
12. He, Y., Yuan, Q., Mathieu, J. et al. Antibiotic resistance genes from livestock waste: occurrence, dissemination, and treatment. npj Clean Water 3, 4 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-020-0051-0
13. World Health Organization, “Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.” Nov 7, 2017 https://www.who.int/news/item/07-11-2017-stop-using-antibiotics-in-healthy-animals-to-prevent-the-spread-of-antibiotic-resistance
14. “Collateral Damage: How Factory Farming Drives Up the Use of Toxic Agricultural Pesticides.” Center for Biological Diversity and World Animal Protection, U.S. https://dkt6rvnu67rqj.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/media/WAP_Collateral_Damage_Report_02_04_22_R3.pdf
15. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Survey: Majority of Voters Surveyed Support Greater Oversight of Industrial Animal Farms.” Dec 10, 2019 https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2019/survey-majority-of-voters-surveyed-support-greater-oversight-of-industrial-animal-farms
16. Peterson R. “Some Regenerative Farms Are Weathering California’s Unprecedented Rainfall.” Civil Eats, Jan 13, 2023. https://civileats.com/2023/01/13/op-ed-regenerative-farms-weathering-california-atmospheric-river-unprecedented-rainfall/
17. Sharma A, Bryant L, Lee E., O’Connor C. “Regenerative Agriculture Part 4: The Benefits.” National Resources Defense Council, Feb 14, 2021 https://www.nrdc.org/experts/arohi-sharma/regenerative-agriculture-part-4-benefits.
18. The Power of the - Rodale Institute. https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Rodale-Institute-The-Power-of-the-Plate-The-Case-for-Regenerative-Organic-Agriculture-in-Improving-Human-Health.pdf.
19. “News Detail.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, https://www.fao.org/soils-2015/news/news-detail/en/c/277682/#:~:text.
20. “Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 5 Dec. 2014, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/#.
21. Wilson, Chris H., et al. “Grazing Enhances Belowground Carbon Allocation, Microbial Biomass, and Soil Carbon in a Subtropical Grassland.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 24 Feb. 2018, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.14070.
22. Team, White Oak Pastures. “Study: White Oak Pastures Beef Reduces Atmospheric Carbon.” Around The Farm Blog, https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/blog/carbon-negative-grassfed-beef.  
23. Martin, Michael J, et al. “Antibiotics Overuse in Animal Agriculture: A Call to Action for Health Care Providers.” American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, Dec. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4638249/.
24. The Organic Center, https://www.organic-center.org/organic-does-not-contribute-antibiotic-resistance.
25. Di Grigoli, Antonino, et al. “Effects of Grazing on the Behaviour, Oxidative and Immune Status, and Production of Organic Dairy Cows.” Animals: an Open Access Journal from MDPI, MDPI, 18 June 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6617352/.
26. Ramaiya, Shiamala Devi, et al. “Organic Cultivation Practices Enhanced Antioxidant Activities and Secondary Metabolites in Giant Granadilla (Passiflora Quadrangularis L.).” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0255059.
27. E;, Hallmann. “The Influence of Organic and Conventional Cultivation Systems on the Nutritional Value and Content of Bioactive Compounds in Selected Tomato Types.” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22351383/.
28. Crinnion WJ. Organic foods contain higher levels of certain nutrients, lower levels of pesticides, and may provide health benefits for the consumer. Altern Med Rev. 2010 Apr;15(1):4-12. PMID: 20359265
29. van Vliet, Stephan, et al. “Health-Promoting Phytonutrients Are Higher in Grass-Fed Meat and Milk.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.555426/full#h1.
30. Regenerative Agriculture - Rodale Institute. https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Rodale-Soil-Carbon-White-Paper_v11-compressed.pdf.
31. Copy of Climate White Paper Fact Sheet v2 - Rodale Institute. https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Rodale-Institute-Soil-Carbon-fact-sheet.pdf.
32. “From Land Grab to Soil Grab - the New Business of Carbon Farming.” GRAIN, https://grain.org/en/article/6804-from-land-grab-to-soil-grab-the-new-b…. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
33. “Guide to Regenerative Agriculture.” Kiss the Ground, 28 June 2023, https://kisstheground.com/regenerative-agriculture/   
34. Held, Lisa. “Walmart’s ‘Regenerative Foodscape.’” Civil Eats, 6 Nov. 2023, https://civileats.com/2023/11/01/walmarts-regenerative-foodscape/ 
35. Nrdc. “Regenerative Agriculture 101.” Be a Force for the Future, 29 Nov. 2021, www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101#what-is