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A comment on 9 Charts that show US factory farming is even bigger than you realize. Parent comment

Re:9 Charts that show US factory farming is even bigger than... by alejohausner on Monday February 26, 2024 @06:57PM (#39518367)
I think you’re conflating two things that are different: factory farming, which is run by huge agribusiness companies, and eating meat. Small farmers can also raise animals for meat consumption, and they can probably do it on a smaller scale, with less environmental impact and less pollution than Cargill, Sysco, Tyson, and the rest of the cabal. There used to be rules controlling how much farmers could produce, and this kept meat prices higher, and benefited small farmers. But big ag got those controls removed in the 1970s, leading to lower prices paid to farmers, forcing them to get bigger to survive, or driving many of them into bankruptcy. Bigger farms require more chemicals and more pollution.

The problem is not meat production per se, but rather a distortion of the system by powerful large corporations.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:9 Charts that show US factory farming is even bigger than... by Clubber on Monday February 26, 2024 @08:49PM (#39519111)
>Bigger farms require more chemicals and more pollution.

Yes, including antibiotic resistance.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-fight-antimicr...

>Small farmers can also raise animals for meat consumption, and they can probably do it on a smaller scale, with less environmental impact and less pollution than ...

Absolutely. Here's a good video on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRK4I1bSV5I

>But big ag got those controls removed in the 1970s, leading to lower prices paid to farmers, forcing them to get bigger to survive, or driving many of them into bankruptcy.

And a lot of suicide, sadly.

>The problem is not meat production per se, but rather a distortion of the system by powerful large corporations.

I'm not sure when the US lost its will to keep large corporations at bay, but it's been hurting us ever since. Ever see a M&A the federal government didn't like?

[ Parent | on HN ]