New Book and Related Campaign on CAFOs

NEWS ADVISORY

Date: September 13, 2010

From: Cyndie Sirekis, Director of News Services, AFBF

Topic: New Book and Related Campaign on CAFOs
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A new 400-page hardcover photo/essay book, CAFO (Concentration Animal Feeding Operation): The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories, will be released on Oct. 1. In addition to 450 photos, the book includes essays by dozens of writer-activists including Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Tim Philpot, Anna Lappe and Wendell Berry. A collection of 30 essays from the hardcover book were published in July in a smaller, paperback version, The CAFO Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories. Both books were edited by Dan Imhoff (author of Food Fight, Farming with the Wild, Paper or Plastic, Building with Vision, and Farming and the Fate of Wild Nature) and may be ordered online from University of California Press and Amazon.com.

The books strive to expose “the horrors of industrial food production.” Referring to CAFOs, the publisher notes, “It is quite possible to banish these animal factories from the face of the Earth; it only takes the will and determination of citizen activists.”

According to promos for the books, “Industrial livestock production is now a leading source of climate-changing emissions, a source of both freshwater and ocean pollution, and a significant contributor to diet-related diseases such as obesity and the spread of foodborne illnesses. The intensive concentration of animals in such crammed and filthy conditions dependent on antibiotic medicines and steady streams of subsidized industrial feeds poses serious moral and ethical concerns for all of us.”

A section of essays in the books is the basis for a related educational campaign, “Putting the CAFO out to Pasture.” Through this effort, activists are calling for major reforms to modern production agriculture, including an end to CAFOs. Consumers are urged to make changes to their diets and support public policy that fosters pasture-based farming for livestock of all types. Additional information is available online at www.cafothebook.org.

The following messages should prove helpful in the event you receive media calls regarding the books and related campaign:

• The treatment, health and well-being of farm animals are of utmost importance to farmers and ranchers. Proper animal care leads to production of high-quality milk, meat and eggs.
• Farmers and ranchers are committed to providing high-quality, healthy food products such as milk, meat and eggs. They know that healthy animals result in healthy food for consumers and that starts with top-notch animal care.
• Nutritious diets, healthy living conditions and good medical care are among the many animal welfare practices routinely used by farmers and ranchers.

In addition, AFBF’s Conversations on Care website contains additional information about how the vast majority of farmers and ranchers care for their animals. That includes the following messages:

• Healthy animals mean healthy food for you and your family.
• For animals to produce meat, milk and eggs, America’s farmers and ranchers must take all possible steps to ensure that animals are well cared for seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
• As farmers and ranchers, we recognize that superior animal welfare practices lead to the production of high-quality, safe and wholesome meat, milk and eggs, and we’re constantly seeking ways to improve the well-being and comfort of our animals.
• Simply put, without healthy and content animals, farmers and ranchers would not be in business.
• Farmers and ranchers care deeply about the health, well-being and safety of our animals, and we ensure our animals’ well-being through proper management and shelter.
• Farmers and ranchers provide adequate food, water and medical care to protect our
animals’ health.
• We also provide appropriate shelter to ensure livestock can exhibit normal behaviors at rest and remain protected from disease, competition, injury and predators.
• Quality Assurance programs at the national and state levels provide farmers and ranchers with guidelines for the production of safe, wholesome animals, including recommendations on necessary animal handling and facilities.
• Standards for animal care should be based on the expertise of veterinarians, farmers, ranchers and animal scientists -- the people who work with farm animals daily.
• American farmers and ranchers have been working with veterinarians, animal scientists, agricultural engineers and animal well-being experts to continually develop and support reasonable science-based guidelines and audits.
• As the people who work with livestock 24/7, farmers and ranchers, as well as veterinarians and animal care scientists, provide the voices of experience and reason in addressing animal welfare issues.
• Changes to animal well-being guidelines should be based on data, expert analysis and economic feasibility.
• Adding unnecessary costs to U.S. production will increase the amount of food imported from places that have an inferior record on food safety and animal well-being.
• Overzealous standards will increase the price of food, negatively affecting all families trying to make ends meet.
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