The Right to Privacy, Free Speech, and a Humane Life

The family farm. Rolling green pastures, a red barn, and calves running around with their moms before stopping to suckle. This is where Americans picture their food comes from. What they don’t realize, however, is how many carefully crafted laws there are to keep farming and ranching out of the public eye and away from accusation. I recently went to a family dairy farm. The reality was they owned 3,000 dairy cows, the males sold to an industrial beef farm, the mothers spent 4-5 years standing on wood, sand, and manure before being sold for to an industrial slaughterhouse, and the calves were separated from their mothers the day they’re born.

The news about what is happening and how misleading this industry is gets exemplified through Ag-gag laws. Ag-gag laws are laws that essentially prohbit any recording of what happens on these farms and in slaughterhouses. As per the persecutor’s discretion, filming what happens, even if the footage displays illegal treatment of the animals, can have you tried for terrorism. Many states have begun overturning these ag-gag laws as being unconstitutional due to the first amendment’s freedom of speech as well as offering protection for when abuse is discovered.

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Yet this year, an article came out on Food and Environment Reporting Network stating that it is now illegal to take drone footage of feedlots in Texas. You are allowed to charter a plane to film, but that is an incredibly expensive venture compared to a drone. The industry argues it is to protect themselves and their private properties. The reporters argue it is still a violation of the first amendment and keeps the public blind to the conditions the animals live in so they don’t have the opportunity to make educated choices when shopping.

What do you think? After reading personal and professional perspectives, do you believe these laws are just? Or do you believe they are in violation of the first amendment and prevent consumers from learning exactly where their food is coming from? Are they there for the small family farmers? Or the industrial agriculturalists who dominate the American meat and dairy market?

Personally, I believe this is just one of the real costs of cheap food.

Can Earth Provide for Growing Consumption Rates?

A recent study by the University of Gottingen forecasts that global food consumption could rise by 80% by 2100. They suggest that 60% would be from population growth and 20% from the increased quantity of food required by larger (in terms of BMI and height) humans.

Yes, this does sound quite alarming…however, the statistic is based on the assumption that the world will continue until 2100 without changing its ways at all. I find this highly improbable given that the human behavior constantly evolves and adapts. There are already many working to combat issues of food insecurity, food waste, and malnutrition. 

Currently, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization reports that every year, around 30% of food produced in the world is lost or wasted. How many additional people could we feed on this wasted food alone? Also, there are many movements advocating for reduced animal product consumption. Bloomberg reports that around 41% of US land is used for livestock production. Take a look at these maps; imagine if there was an initiative to shift the subsidization of animals, corn, soy, and wheat to whole grains, produce, and legumes. This alone could sustain our population for longer and promote healthier diets.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/

The US is unique in its high demand for animal products. What would the future of feeding a larger population look like if human health was promoted by governments through proper subsidies, and if sustainable farming and waste management was a major priority for state legislatures and governments worldwide? Would this prediction of future consumption be as extreme?

I don’t have all the answers, but I know that we all must fight for a more sustainable future that prioritizes systematic changes.

Consider finding out how you can get involved in local initiatives. Big changes begin with little steps. 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/food-shortages-supply-global-population-bmi-taller-height-a9239686.html 

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/10/thirty-percent-world-food-wasted-2014103192739208584.html

https://www.arespectfullife.com/2018/08/05/41-of-u-s-land-is-used-for-livestock-production/