Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: > Meat is most certainly a sustainable food source. More than that, > there is no sustainable way to maintain and renew soil fertility for > crop growth without raising animals too. Nature never attempts it, > and Man's attempts are doomed to failure - indeed, they are failing. > Removing the animals would inevitably mean increased reliance on > industrialised agriculture for crop production, and especially on > fossil-fuels and chemical fertilisers, and therefore on pesticides > too. Wall-to-wall GMOs, in the face of soaring oil costs, hm.
Keith, Perhaps I overstated my case and simultaneously was not clear. But, you covered it for me anyway. You are correct, meat as a food source is viable but, I don't think that will continue to be as much of staple like it has been in the U.S. for the last few decades. Furthermore, I don't think that it could have been a staple to the degree that it has been if such a large portion of the world wasn't already somewhere between near-vegetarian and vegan. 6 billion people eating factory raised beef for 2 meals a day would take its toll on the environment pretty fast. You are correct, livestock definitely help us tend the soil but, that doesn't mean that you have to eat the animal for it to be beneficial to you. You could just as easily raise sheep for wool and still have livestock as a dual purpose barnyard companion. And again, have the added benefit of the meat when the sheep has become too old for shearing. Likewise, grazing work horses would provide even better nutrients to the soil if I understand correctly. Back to the original point though, corporate agrobusiness approach to meat farming means that the animal waste is nothing more than a toxic with which to pollute our streams. That same waste is not being used to fertilize the soil. The inputs and outputs of factory farming make that approach to a meat-centric diet unsustainable. Personally, I'd rather see the inputs going to raise grains or vegetables to help the parts of the world that are struggling to provide enough food for themselves right now. > But organic farming can't feed everybody? I reckon it's the only > thing that can, and it's spreading like a weed. But the crazed food > distribution system will have to go, along with its billions of > wasted "food miles", and the corporate grip on it all will have to go > too. For what its worth, I never said anything to the affect that organic farming couldn't feed everyone. In fact, I buy as much *local* *organic* fruits and vegetables as I can get a hold of. I certainly try to promote buying local as much as I can. One more thought, there are *very few* streams here Lancaster County Pennsylvania that I would consider swimming in or eating fish from. This is primarily due to the incredible amount of dairy cattle waste that finds its way into the water every day. That waste is coming directly from the source. Take care, Ken _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
