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Concerned
Scientists The Hidden Costs of CAFOs
ISSUE BRIEFING
ver the past several decades, U.S. food • Higher incidence of antibiotic-resistant
O production has taken an unwise and
costly turn. Until recently, food animals
bacteria that make human illnesses harder
to treat
and crops were produced in close proximi- • Diminished quality of life in numerous
ty, frequently on the same farm, in an rural communities
integrated, self-sustaining way that often
• Beef and dairy products that are less
had benefits for farmers and society as a
nutritious than they could be
whole. But animal production has under-
gone a profound transformation that has Fortunately, the United States can make
disrupted this balanced system. Our choice choices that will put production of abundant
of food and agriculture policies has food on a practical and healthy track. The
promoted the rise of massive CAFOs contrast between CAFOs and a more mod-
(confined animal feeding operations) that ern approach to raising cattle, described
crowd many thousands of animals closely here as smart pasture operations (SPOs), is
together in a small space and separate illustrated in the table below. SPOs take
them from crop farming. CAFOs have advantage of both new technologies and
well-documented problems that come natural efficiencies to produce better food—
with high social and economic costs: without many of the costs and problems
• Air and water pollution produced by unman- associated with CAFOs.
ageable mountains and lagoons of manure
CAFOs SPOs
• Cattle eat a diet (feed corn and soy) • Cattle eat their normal, digestible diet
they cannot digest properly (vegetation such as grass)
A SMARTER CHOICE profitably used as fertilizer. SPOs and CAFOs Uncovered also discusses better
other alternatives to CAFOs illustrate options—more sophisticated and
In general, CAFOs create problems by the kind of modern, sophisticated efficient alternatives for producing
ignoring and working against various approach to animal agriculture that U.S.
natural systems ranging from soil ecosys- decision makers should encourage with
tems to animal digestive systems. By their food-production policy choices.
contrast, the superior SPO approach In CAFOs Uncovered: The Untold
gains cost and other advantages by work- Costs of Confined Animal Feeding
ing with natural systems. For example, Operations, the Union of Concerned
although dairy SPOs produce somewhat Scientists examines these critical choic-
less milk per cow than dairy CAFOs, the es, including the policies that have
SPOs often earn more profit per cow and encouraged the growth of CAFOs and
per farm. imposed enormous costs on our society.
SPOs are only one alternative to This groundbreaking report evaluates,
CAFOs; other approaches can be similar- for the first time, the combined impact
ly efficient while minimizing negative of several types of problems created by
impacts. For example, pigs raised in hoop CAFOs, including the cost of taxpayer
barns (low-cost, easily assembled tunnel- Hog Hoop Barn
subsidies and direct and indirect costs
Hoop barns give pigs straw bedding mate-
shaped structures with natural straw to society (such as environmental and rial and room to move.
bedding) are less crowded than in health damage) that amount to billions Photo credit: Courtesy of North Carolina State
University.
CAFOs, and their manure can be of dollars annually.
1985–1987 1990–1992
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1995–1997 2000–2002
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CAFOs have not benefited from this Taxpayers pay to clean up CAFO The disposal and cleanup cost for all of
subsidy in recent years, when grain prices waste—yet most CAFO pollution this manure would hobble CAFOs if they
remains.
have been high. But the damage has been had to pay for it themselves. But another
done: indirect grain subsidies to CAFOs CAFOs produce some 300 million tons of program authorized by the federal farm
between 1997 and 2005 amounted to untreated manure each year (about twice bill, the Environmental Quality
almost $35 billion, or nearly $4 billion per as much as is generated by the entire Incentives Program (EQIP), subsidizes
year, serving to entrench the CAFO system. human population of the United States). the cleanup of some CAFO waste.
200,000
50 65
OPERATIONS
150,000
40 Inventory
60
30 100,000 55
20 50
50,000
10 45
0 40
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Operations with 5,000+ head were not reported prior to 1996. An operation is any place having one or more hogs on hand at any time during the year.
Source: McBride and Key, 2003, USDA, Economic Research Service, Report No. 818. Source: McBride and Key, 2003, USDA, Economic Research Service, Report No. 818.
Uncovered estimates that the cost to clean and spread their manure on enough bacteria are often more difficult to treat,
up the contaminated soil under every U.S. farmland to reduce both water and leading to longer and more costly hospi-
hog and dairy CAFO would approach air pollution. tal stays, additional lost work and school
$4.1 billion. In addition, the U.S. days, and more deaths.
Antibiotic overuse at CAFOs
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has The National Academy of Sciences has
creates drug-resistant bacteria
estimated that it would cost CAFOs at and raises health care costs. estimated that antibiotic resistance from
least $1.16 billion per year to transport all sources increases U.S. health care costs
An estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics by at least $4 billion annually. The total
and related drugs used in the United societal costs attributable to antibiotic
States are given to food animals to pro- use in animal agriculture are difficult to
mote faster growth and stave off diseases calculate, but are likely to add up to bil-
in highly crowded CAFOs. Often, these lions of dollars.
animals are given the same drugs used to
treat human illness. This massive use of CAFOs harm rural communities.
antibiotics in animals that are not sick
contributes to the development of antibi- CAFOs are sited in rural communities
Dead Fish otic-resistant bacteria such as Salmonella, that bear the brunt of the harm caused
Fish killed by water pollution from
various forms of E. coli, Campylobacter, by these operations, including water con-
CAFO manure.
Photo credit: Rick Dove, www.doveimaging.com and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus taminated by nitrogen and pathogens,
and www.neuseriver.com.
aureus (MRSA). Illnesses caused by such and higher rates of respiratory and other
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world.