The chemicals they use to keep the animals foodstuffs free of pests and weeds, along with the antibiotics pumped into them to keep them healthy while in packed conditions?

Its all chemical engineered now, unless you can afford to buy a piece of land and DIY.

-Avid Meat Eater.

The sheer scale of industrialisation of livestock is an American thing, especially with beef.

Most Beef in the world is grass fed, and not pumped full of antibiotics. Generally animals are more or less left in a field until they're old enough, then taken in a slaughtered.

Yeah right, "in the field". Nowadays you can do old-style animal farming if you have three cows and want to sustain you own family. Otherwise, if you want to sell it, it's just not cost effective.

- http://www.rollingstone.com/feature/belly-beast-meat-factory...

- https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/9031-Ch...

Counter argument for that with regard to the UK:

http://assurance.redtractor.org.uk/

Most quality beef sold in UK is governed by the Red Tractor food standards and welfare scheme.

Its similar in Ireland. The cows here are all grass fed (I grew up in the country, lots of farming friends) and the health standards don't allow the "pumping full of antibiotics" that we keep hearing about.

Don't worry, TTIP will bring all of that to us in Europe, too.

Depends on country, I guess? Argentina and Australia might have enough land to pull it off.