What's at Steak

Contents Executive Summary 4 Introduction 8 1 Demand for meat and dairy products increasing rapidly 8 2 The devastating impacts of industrial livestock farming 10 2.1 Burning forests for beef: cattle ranching drives deforestation 10 and biodiversity loss 2.2 Lost lands: industrial livestock farming wrecks rural 12 communities 2.3 Intensive livestock farming creates public health and animal 14 welfare hazards 2.4 Roasting the climate: another major ingredient in climate 18 change 3 Corporate control of food 20 Cattle ranching in Brazil. Jai Mansson/Flickr 3.1 How free trade and free trade rules favour industrial 20 agriculture What’s at steak? The real cost of meat 3.2 Corporate concentration in industrial livestock farming 25 3.3 False solutions: more of the same fare 32 Impacts of the industrial livestock and feedstock industries on forests, climate change, farmers and communities 4 Small-scale and sustainable agriculture: an alternative menu 34 Published in November 2016 by Global Forest Coalition 5 Case study summariesi 37 Authors: Ronnie Hall and Mary Louise Malig Editors: Ronnie Hall and Michael Braverman-Scult Conclusions and Recommendations 40 Graphic design: Oliver Munnion Endnotes 43 Case study authors: Bolivia: Pablo Solón and Jose Carlos Solón, Fundación Solón, Bolivia i Brazil: Sergio Schlesinger, consultant for FASE Brasil The full length versions of the country case studies and associated references can be accessed at: http://globalforestcoalition.org/whats-at-steak/ India: Ashlesha Khadse, Amrita Bhoomi Agroecology Centre, La Via Campesina’s Agroecology school in South Asia Paraguay: Ines Franceschelli and Miguel Lovera, Heñói Jey, Paraguay Russia: Svetlana Abramovich, Friends of Siberian Forests, Russia We would also like to thank the following organisations for their contributions: Brighter Green European Coordination of La Via Campesina Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union Cover photo: Gado. Kelly Sato/Flickr Back cover: Peasant working in the field. Jing/Flickr This report was made possible with the support of Misereor. The opinions expressed in this report are not necessarily those of our donors. Another important trend is the fact animals are treated with hormones livestock products like meat and that small family farms are rapidly and antibiotics to promote growth. dairy is essential. Executive Summary giving way to large-scale, factory The unnecessary use of antibiotics is farms, and this is particularly leading to drug-resistant bacteria Nevertheless governments are prevalent in the livestock industry. In and the spread of untreatable seeking to expand industrial Paraguay, for example, the problem bacterial infections. The industrial agriculture, including by boosting This report aims to expose the many ways in which industrial livestock farming is impacting our lives and of land being grabbed from small production of livestock—in India’s international trade. The inclusion of environment, and to argue that—precisely because it does cause so many problems—transforming the farmers and Indigenous Peoples for poultry sector for example, and to agriculture in the then newly industrial livestock sector should be a key objective not only the United Nations Food and Agriculture cattle-ranching and soy production produce pesticide-sprayed soya in established World Trade Organization Organization, but also of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework remains a key preoccupation, Paraguay—also creates significant (WTO) in 1995 was a major coup for Convention on Climate Change. Put simply, changing the way we produce meat and dairy products, and how including because it is systematically public health dangers, and water large agribusinesses: Bringing much of them we eat, could provide relatively easy to achieve but far-reaching win-win-win impacts—for undermining the country’s capacity to availability and quality is a particular agriculture into the WTO meant that people, including farmers and women, for forests and biodiversity, for animals and for our climate. produce food for local consumption. concern. Overall, consumers eating WTO members and new applicants food products may be consuming a had to negotiate to open up their This is because the industrial This is an urgent matter, because Beef is a particular concern. Figures In India household backyard poultry cocktail of pesticides, hormones, agricultural markets to imports, livestock industry is a major livestock production (for grazing and from the Food and Agriculture production—mostly by women for parasites and/or bacteria. creating new business opportunities contributor to forest and biodiversity feedcrops) already accounts for the Organization (FAO) show that beef their own families’ consumption and for companies big enough to trade loss and to climate change, as well as majority of agricultural land use and cattle milk production are the for additional income—used to be Many impacts relating to livestock internationally. posing a threat to the world’s small- across the world. In anticipation, worst offenders as far as climate ubiquitous, but has now been almost production are quantity-related as scale food producers, and the without corrective measures, global change is concerned, accounting for totally replaced by a vertically well, so the number of animals is an Russia demonstrates the policy availability of healthy and nutritious demand for livestock products is 41% and 20% of the livestock sector’s integrated industrial model where important factor in the sustainability problems that can arise as a result, food for all. For example, the expected to increase by 70% by emissions respectively. This is partly farmers work under contract with of any livestock production system. because of the conflict created livestock sector as a whole already 2050. Demand for meat in because cattle ranching is a large agribusiness corporations. Due to the relatively high ecological between its WTO obligation to open contributes an estimated 14.5% of developing countries is spiraling, and significant driver of forest and footprint of farm animals, small- its markets and its desire to ensure global greenhouse gas emissions. So urbanisation is changing people’s biodiversity loss, especially in Latin Millions of animals are being raised in scale and extensive systems like food self-sufficiency. A similar far these impacts have received little eating habits. This in turn threatens America, where much of the world’s inhumane, unsanitary and polluting pastoralism and family farms have tension is evident in Bolivia, where attention, but concern is growing. to drive up demand for cropland, deforestation takes place. It has industrial conditions, including in significantly less negative incoming Brazilian investors have We aim to help turn the spotlight and to increase the use of fertilisers, been estimated that emissions from Concentrated Animal Feedlot environmental and social impacts, taken advantage of the low cost of onto this overlooked sector, looking tropical forest loss and greenhouse cattle raising may be responsible for Operations (CAFOs) such as mega- and health and animal welfare land and free trade ‘tariff at what’s happening on the ground gas emissions. half of all Brazil’s greenhouse gas dairies. This intensive approach to impacts, than CAFOs and other preferences’ under the Andean in five countries: Bolivia, Brazil, emissions. Our case studies show livestock is associated with numerous systems where thousands of animals Community (CAN). India, Paraguay, and Russia. that Bolivia and Paraguay are health issues. In many countries are farmed. Limiting demand for similarly impacted. Police protecting crop spraying operations from the protests of local communities, in Paraguay. Luis Wagner/CIC A broiler chicken facility near New Delhi. Sangamithra Iyer/Brighter Green Governments in countries such as intensification’ of its operations as a Other measures are needed as well methods in line with the Aichi targets models of production—such as should be prohibited, and livestock- India, Brazil and Paraguay are solution to problems like climate though, to address the many other of the Convention on Biological farmer cooperatives and collectives related pollution standards, actively encouraging corporate change and hunger. However, a significant social, environmental, Diversity. It is particularly important —is critical. These should uphold including strict regulations on the concentration in the livestock sector. growing body of research shows that health, and animal welfare problems to eliminate perverse legal, fiscal and small farmers’ rights, and provide use of antibiotics, should be For example, Brazil, has a so-called the changes proposed cannot caused by the corporate take-over of other incentives for commodity better support for existing and new introduced, strengthened and/or ‘national champions’ policy which possibly counter the predicted scale the livestock sector. chains like unsustainably produced small-scale food producers, with a effectively enforced. favours large companies who are of demand for meat and dairy beef and animal fodder, which are specific focus on gender issues. expected to advance the country’s products. Similarly, proposals to Fiscal reforms should support major drivers of forest loss. In general, it is essential that we interests as they prosper. This has address livestock emissions through sustainable livestock production and Reforming other governance and change the way in which soils and put many

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