GET TH E FULL PIGTURE Th e ugl y truth be h ind th e agro- industry, w h at you e at and w h at it doe s to Europe and South Am e rica
CONTENT
Ge t th e ful l PIGture
Anim al s or “m e at factorie s ” 4 Th e s upe rm ark e t s e t-up 6 Factory farm ing 7
Gl obal food production and e spe cial l y th e
SO Y's R US 8
production of m e at h as incre ase d dram atical l y
Me ck l e nb urg-Vorpom m e rn cas e
in th e past de cade s. As l iving standards rise , w e
– m as s -production of pigs 9
e at m ore
and w e
e at m ore
m e at. M e at
W ork ing h e l lfor food? 10
production today is an inte nsive industry
Cons um ing our l ands 11
tak ing anim alfe e d from one part of th e w orl d
Ecol ogicalfootprint 13
to ove rproduce m e at unde r e xtre m e conditions
Cons um ing our h e al th
14
Cl os ing th e circl e : EU dum ping 15
in anoth e r. It is an industry th at com e s w ith unacce ptabl e
conse q ue nce s
for
anim al s,
W TO for s oy 17
h um ans and th e e nvironm e nt; it pol l ute s our
Conce ntrate of agro pow e r 17
w ate rs, l ands and air; it spe e ds up de fore station
W h at w e do to South Am e rica 19
and cl im ate ch ange and it tre ats h um ans and
~ Monocul ture ch e m icalove rfl ow
anim al s, not as l iving be ings de se rving re spe ct
~ Th e s oy une m pl oym e nt b oom
but as m e ans to gain profit.
~ Re cl aim ing th e l ands ~ Soy - an e cos ys te m th re at Th e SAP drive 24 Agricul ture - cl im ate pol l ute r 25 Soy, agrofue l s and th e G8 26
Th is
re ade r
im pl ications
focu s e s of
th e
on
th e
e ve r-grow ing
produ ction and cons u m ption of m e at. We
fol l ow
a
pig
from
th e
Som e th ing diffe re nt, s om e th ing
indu s trial ize d Eu rope an farm al lth e
ne w 27
w ay b ack to th e s oy fie l ds in Sou th Am e rica w h e re th e fe e d is produ ce d. Th e
jou rne y e xam ine s
th e
variou s
A b roch ure m ade for th e occas ion
prob l e m s in th e agricu l tu rals e ctor,
of th e anti-G8 prote s ts around
e xpos ing th e
H e il ige ndam m , Ge rm any, 2007.
and th e rol e of inte rnationalpol icie s .
(V.i.S.d.P.) G. Bak k e r, H e ndrick de
Th e e ffe cts of th e incre asingl y inte nsive m e at
K e ijs e rs traat 24II, Am s te rdam ,
production can be se e n w orl dw ide . Sm al l
Th e Ne th e rl ands .
dive rse farm s are re pl ace d w ith
u nde rl ying s tru ctu re s
e norm ous
m onocul ture farm s and factorie s, spe cial ise d
conce rn w h e n it can cre ate sh ort te rm profit.
in producing for e xport. Th is h as a particul ar
Som e of th e se probl e m s are re cognise d by
im pact on th e poor, w h o are m ore dire ctl y
gove rnm e nt l e ade rs
re l iant on th e ir l and for food, h e al th care and
m e ch anism s are not be ing addre sse d. Inste ad,
incom e . Th e com pe tition for arabl e l and
initiative for ch ange is l e ft to th e corporate
be tw e e n
l arge
dom inate d fre e m ark e t. Th e G8 pl ays an
l andow ne rs and th e agro- industry's profit-
im portant and active rol e in m aintaining th is
se e k ing
sm al l fam il y corporations
farm e rs, raise s
but th e
unde rl ying
im portant
e conom ic syste m for th e be ne fit of th e fe w
q ue stions about w h o sh oul d h ave ow ne rsh ip
w h o are in th e position to cal lit fre e . At th e
of th e l and, w h o sh oul d be e ntitl e d to use its
G8 m e e ting in H e il ige ndam m , Ge rm any, in
re source s and w h o sh oul d re ap th e be ne fits
June 2007, agricul ture is not e xpe cte d to be
from it. Is it acce ptabl e to prioritise e conom ic
on th e age nda. Th e bigge st conse q ue nce s
grow th be fore th e righ t to food?
from th e m ode rn food production syste m are se e n in th e gl obal south and are of no
Anim al s are no be tte r off. W il d anim al s are
im m e diate conce rn to th e l e ade rs of th e se
th re ate ne d to e xtinction due to de fore station
industrial ise d countrie s.
and pol l ution and farm anim al s are re duce d to m e at factorie s. Rape d of al l dignity as
One w ay to bre ak th e incre asing m adne ss
l iving be ings, anim al s are k e pt unde r e xtre m e
around food production is to m ak e sure th at
conditions in cl ose d factorie s, pum pe d w ith
pe opl e k now w h at is going on and are
antibiotics and se dative s against dise ase s and
e ncourage d to tak e action for ch ange . Our
stre ss. Ve ge tarians and ve gans tak e a stand
dail y
against th is. Consum ing m e at and oth e r
indire ctl y affe cts th e l ive s of anim al s and
anim alproducts cannot be so im portant th at
farm e rs in al l parts of th e w orl d. Ch ange
one al l ow s one se l f to forge t w h e re it com e s
com e s by m ak ing m ore conscious and caring
from .
ch oice s.
food
consum ption
Don
’t
l et
dire ctl y
and
supe rm ark e ts,
m ul tinational s, gove rnm e nts, or th e
G8
Th e se de ve l opm e nts are not th e re sul t of
dictate h ow you l ive your l ife and h ow your
naturall aw s nor are th e y isol ate d proce sse s.
l ife affe cts oth e rs. If you find som e th ing
Rath e r th e y are th e re sul t of a gl obalfre e
sh ock ing – do som e th ing about it!
m ark e t syste m w ith e conom ic grow th as th e prim ary aim , w h e re as w e l lproduce rs in th e agricul tural se ctor h ave to com pe te for profits. It is a syste m w h e re h um ans are re duce d
to e ngine s
of production
and
consum ption and w h e re nature is onl y of w w w .pig8s oy.org
A NIM ALS OR “ M EAT FACTORIES” "Yoh o, I am final l y out. H ow can a s o-cal l ed civil is e d s ocie ty k e e p anim al s in factorie s ? My m il l ions of m ate s and I h ave ne ve r s e e n dayl igh t. Moving around is s e e n as a w as te of e ne rgy! No future for us b ut th e b utch e r. W e are l iving anim al s w ith fe e l ings dam n it! Not jus t a m one y-m ak ing product! Ein zw e i dre i, al l e Tie re n fre i!" Europe an
anim al farm s
are
h e avil y
il l ne sse s, w h ich are tre ate d by pum ping th e
industrial ise d and h igh l y spe cial ise d. Th e
anim al s ful lof antibiotics and se dative s. H e re ,
m e at you e at is proce sse d th rough a num be r
in about th re e m onth s th e pigs grow from 25
of diffe re nt farm ing factorie s th e sam e w ay a
to 115 k il ogram s, fe d on h igh - prote in fodde r
car is m ade from pie ce s of ste e l m oving
from South Am e rica.Afte r th is th e y are tak e n
th rough diffe re nt stage s of fabrication.
to a sl augh te r farm . Th at is, if th e y l ive th at l ong at al l ; 12 - 20 % of th e young die
At pig farm s spe cial ise d in bre e ding, th e re is a
pre m ature l y. M any al so die during th e l arge
conce ntration of “ productive anim al s.” H igh l y
distance transports across Europe , som e tim e s
fe rtil e sow s are m ate d w ith particul arl y fast
unde r e xtre m e conditions, such
and l arge - grow ing boars. Th e re is l ittl e
pack e d toge th e r w ith out w ate r, food, or l igh t.
inte re st in, for e xam pl e , bre e ding anim al s
It sh oul d be m e ntione d th at not onl y are pigs
th at are capabl e of re sisting dise ase . Afte r
l ock e d up, e xpl oite d, and k il l e d in th is w ay,
going th rough th is sub- bre e ding farm , th e
sim il ar storie s can be tol d about cattl e or
sow s go to a m ul tipl ication farm w h e re th e
ch ick e n.
as be ing
pigl e ts are born. Th e ir tail s and th e young bore s’te sticl e s are im m e diate l y cut off. Th e re
Num be r of anim al s in th e EU (EU15)
is so l ittl e l iving space th at th e pigl e ts bite
(in m il l ions)
e ach oth e r’s tail s and e ars from stre ss. Th e
goats
11.5
pigl e ts are se parate d from th e ir m oth e rs
cow s
76
afte r four w e e k s, and six w e e k s l ate r, th e y are
sh e e p
87
transporte d to a m e at farm . Th is is m ore l ik e
pigs
120
a factory of sm al lunit pig cage s w ith ve ry
poul try
880
l im ite d space , usual l y about 0.8 m 2 pe r pig.
(e stim ation, incl .l aying h e ns)
Living w ith out dayl igh t and bare l y any
h um ans
m ove m e nt cause s
(Source : Eurostat, 2003)
ph ysical and
m e ntal
380
In Europe , th e re are ofte n te ns of th ousands
Eating m e at, m il k products, or e ggs m ak e s
of pigs at one farm , re ach ing up to as m uch as
al so you re sponsibl e for th e m istre atm e nt
100,000 anim al s. K e e ping far too m any
and k il l ing in th e anim alindustry.W h at is th e
anim al s in sm al lspace s, transporting th e m
justification
ove r l ong distance s and ove rfe e ding th e m
sl augh te ring for h um an consum ption? W h at
w ith unbal ance d food and m e dicine s h as
is a re l e vant diffe re nce be tw e e n anim al s and
give n rise to h uge e pide m ics am ong farm
h um ans th at coul dl e gitim iz e th is tre atm e nt?
anim al s in re ce nt ye ars, such as foot and
Is it th at h um ans are conscious? W e cannot
m outh
dise ase . Th is l e ads to l arge scal e
k now w h e th e r or not som e anim al s h ave
sl augh te ring of al laffe cte d farm anim al s and
consciousne ss, but w h y sh oul d th is be a
h as de vastating conse q ue nce s for not onl y
re l e vant distinction anyw ay? W e k now ve ry
th e farm e r, but al so l arge num be rs of non-
l ittl e about th e fe e l ings of th e m e ntal l y
farm spe cie s
anim al s in
of
sim il ar
th at are a
are
el im inate d. Anim al s are al so k il l e d for th e production of m il k and e gg. Lik e
h um ans,
cow s
be h ind
th is
l arge
scal e
h andicappe d, but of course w e
W h at is th e jus tification b e h ind th is l arge s cal e sl augth e ring for h um an cons um ption?
onl y
do not m istre at th e m base d on th at. Th e n, is it th at anim al s are l e ss inte l l ige nt th an h um ans or th at th e y be l ong to a diffe re nt spe cie s? Discrim ination
and
produce m il k afte r giving birth . A m il k cow
e xpl oitation of oth e r spe cie s by h um ans h as
ne e ds to cal ve e ve ry 6 m onth s to stay
it ow n de finition: spe cie cism . Factory farm ing
‘productive .' Inte nse m il k ing cause s m any of
is spe cie cism in its w orst form .
th e m to h ave udde r and te at infe ctions giving off pus, w h ich can be found in th e m il k (about
A fre q ue ntl y use d argum e nt to l e gitim ise
one finge r cap in e ve ry l itre ). Since th e m il k
m e at e ating is th at it's “ natural ” to do so.
is m e ant for h um ans, th e cal ve s are tak e n
Anim al s e at e ach oth e r, so w h y sh oul dn't
aw ay from th e m oth e r cow s. Fe m al e s be com e
h um ans do th e sam e ?“ Natural ” is not pe r se
m il k cow s, w h il e th e bul lcal ve s are not re al l y
good. Naturaland m oralare tw o diffe re nt
ne e de d for anyth ing e l se but for th e ir fl e sh .
th ings. Viol e nce is pe rce ive d as natural , but se e n as w rong. M ost pe opl e are capabl e of
For e gg production, w e ne e d bre e ding h e ns.
m ak ing
m oral ch oice s
and
h ave
th e
Th e se are h atch e d at spe cial ise d bre e ding
possibil ity to ch oose to not e at m e at. Not
farm s from w h e re h e ns are se l e cte d for
e ating oth e r anim al s m ay se e m unnatural ,
bre e ding and cock e re l s are e ith e r gasse d or
but it's an obvious m oralre sponsibil ity.
sh re dde d into pie ce s. Th e y are use l e ss for th e industry as th e y cannot l ay e ggs and th e se
It is possibl e to find an al te rnative in organic
bre e ding varie tie s are not good for m e at.
production but in m ost case s th is is not m any w w w .pig8s oy.org
ste ps aw ay from th e factory farm ing. Organic
th e probl e m : w h y?W h y, if w e can agre e th at
production face s m any of th e sam e probl em s
anim al s do not e xist to be e xpl oite d, can
and cannot e xpand m uch
th e re be a de m and for anim alproducts w h ich
on space and
fodde r. And in any case , it is not a sol ution to
re duce s th e anim alto a “ m e at factory?”
TH E SUPERM ARK ET SET- UP Im pe rsonal aisl es
pack age s,
proce ssors, and th is pl ay continue s al l
e ndl e ss row s of strange rs and fak e sm il e s,
w ith
fl ash y
th rough th e production ch ain untilth e sm al l
and bore d e m pl oye e s th at don't k now
farm e rs and farm w ork e rs. Th e y are th e onl y
anyth ing about w h at th e y are se l l ing – isn't
one s w h o cannot sh ove
th e re a be tte r w ay to ge t our food?
re ductions, w h ich is putting l ots of farm e rs
off th e
price
out of busine ss. Supe rm ark e ts are on th e top of th e food ch ain and h ave an e norm ous infl ue nce on th e
Th is grow ing infl ue nce of supe rm ark e ts on
w ay our food is produce d, proce sse d, and sol d
our l ive s se e m s to go by unnotice d. Stil l , it is
and th e w ay w e de alw ith e ach oth e r in our
possibl e to stop th is grow ing m onopol y. You
dail yl ife .Th e y m ak e th e ir ow n standards and
can support sm al linde pe nde nt sh oph ol de rs
conditions.
and join (or start) produce r- consum e r food
distribution
Due and
to
th e ir
ce ntral ise d
m ark e ting
strate gie s th e y are abl e to Farm e rs are th e onl y one s w h o de m and h uge q uantitie s of cannot s h ove off products w ith th e sam e sh ape , th e price siz e , and taste , pre fe rabl y re ductions . tw e l ve m onth s a ye ar. For sm al l
coope rative s th at cut out th e w h ol e sal e rs and supe rm ark e t ch ains. Th is re duce s transport, as food coope rative m ost ofte n buy
straigh t
from
l ocal
produce rs. It al so im prove s th e
farm e rs or sm al linde pe nde nt brands, it is
unde rstanding
ne xt
produce d. Be tw e e n th e fie l d and th e pl ate
to
im possibl e
re q uire m e nts. A
food
to
ful fil l th e se
com pany
cannot
introduce a ne w product if it cannot convince
for
h ow
your
food
is
th e re doe sn't h ave to be a Carre four, Lidl , Al di, Te sco or Al be rt H e ijn.
supe rm ark e ts to displ ay it on th e ir sh e l ve s. Furth e r
re ading:
W h at's
W rong
In orde r to attract custom e rs, supe rm ark e ts
Supe rm ark e ts
w ant to l ow e r th e ir price s. Th is dictating of
w w w .corporate w atch .org/?l id=19 10
th e price puts pre ssure on th e suppl ie rs. In turn, th e suppl ie rs put pre ssure on th e
W ith
"In th e pas t, Europe h ad a dive rs e agricul ture . Farm e rs h ad s om e of us pigs ne xt to grow ing grains and ve ge tab l es and th e y produce d for th e l ocal s . Luck il y, m os t farm e rs don't k e e p pigs anym ore , b ut l ook w h at w e h ave ins te ad. O nl y th e s e m e ga-farm s , l ik e factorie s , producing a s ingl e product for th e w orl d m ark e t."
FACTORY FARM ING
M e at production in Europe is no l onge r base d
factorie s. Pe opl e in rural are as se e th e ir
on acce ss to l and. Im port of soy as a ch e ap
re gions ch ange from a nice countryside into a
ve ge tabl e prote in source h as m e ant a m ajor
sm e l l y industrialz one w ith incre asing truck
turn for factory farm ing and conce ntration of
traffic for fe e d, m anure and anim al s. Th e
m e at and dairy production in
im bal ance
are as ne ar th e big h arbours in
anim alfe e d re sul ts in a m assive
M e at production in Europe is no th e Ne th e rl ands, De nm ark , l onge r b as e d on North e rn Ge rm any, Spain, and acce s s to l and. France . Th e
inte nsifie d m e at
of
im porting
surpl us of m anure pol l uting th e
w h ich
al l is
soil , (ground- )
w ate r, and th e air. Th is al so
production Europe is e xpe rie ncing w oul d not
ch ange s
h ave be e n possibl e w ith out th is soy im port.
producing re gions; th e countryside turns into
th e
l andscape
in
th e se
m e at-
For e xam pl e , an am ount of 4.7 m il l ion tonne s
fie l ds of m aiz e , th e crop th at can h andl e m ost
of soy is ne e de d to satisfy th e ave rage
m anure .
Ge rm an's ye arl y m e at consum ption of 61.1 k il os. It w oul d tak e te n m il l ion h e ctare s or
For too l ong, pe opl e h ave be e n m isl e d to
about one - th ird of th e surface of Ge rm any to
be l ie ve
produce th e anim al fe e d for th is m e at
prote cting sm al land fam il y farm s. About 44%
production, not to m e ntion al lth e fossilfue l
of th e ye arl y budge t of th e EU is spe nt on
and
w ate r
th at farm
th at w oul d be
Th e inte ns ifie d ne e de d as w e l l . m e at production in Europe w oul d not Sm al lfarm e rs cannot com pe te h ave b e e n pos s ib l e w ith th e se h uge m e at w ith out s oy im port.
subsidie s
are
about
agricul ture subsidie s. It h as be e n cal cul ate d th at 80% of th e funds go to just 20% of EU farm e rs, w h il e at th e oth e r e nd of th e scal e , 40% of w w w .pig8s oy.org
For too l ong, pe opl e h ave b e e n m is l e d to be l ie ve th at farm s ub s idie s are ab out prote cting s m al land fam il y farm s .
farm e rs sh are just 8% of th e funds. W h at is not k now n is th at am ongst th e big re ce ive rs of agricul ture subsidie s you find, for e xam pl e , th e Que e n of Engl and (base d on l and- ow ne rsh ip), food and drink m anufacture rs l ik e H e ine k e n and Ne stlé, th e cate ring of K LM and British Airw ays, and th e big m e at com panie s such as Dänish Crow n. source s: ne w s.bbc.co.uk /2/h i/e urope /440779 2.stm w w w .guardian.co.uk /country/articl e /0,,1443878,00.h tm l w w w .financial e xpre ss.com /fe _ ful l _ story.ph p?conte nt_ id=9 9 333
SOY'S R US Production of soy w orl dw ide h as, in th e
ye ars, th e are a of soy pl antations in South
past th re e de cade s, grow n from 55 m il l ion
Am e rica
incre ase d
tonne s (19 75) to 223 m il l ion tone s in 2006, a
h e ctare s
ye arl y
grow th
of 324%. Th e de m and m ade a
Ne th e rl ands). In Arge ntina and th e US,
sudde n jum p in th e 19 9 0's w h e n bone s and
al m ost al lsoy is ge ne tical l y m odifie d. In
oth e r l e ftove rs from th e m e at industry
Braz il , w h e re
w e re no l onge r al l ow e d to be use d as a
forbidde n until Pre side nt Lul a cam e in
prote in source in anim alfe e d. A th ird of
pow e r, around 44% is now GM .
today's soy h arve st com e s from
w ith (th e
GM - soy
3.5 siz e
w as
m il l ion of
th e
official l y
South
Am e rica, w h il e th e US is stil lone of th e
Th e Europe an soy im port is 39 m il l ion tons
w orl d’s l arge st soy produce r. But w h il e th e
ye arl y, or a l ine of 23,000 k il om e te rs w ith
US m ostl y use s its soy for its ow n m e at
l oade d truck s. Around 9 0% of th e Europe an
production, countrie s in South
im ports are use d as anim alfe e d.
Am e rica
e xport th e irs' to Europe and Ch ina. source : 'Soja Doorge l ich t' (broch ure from th e
Arge ntina e xports 9 4% of its soy production
Dutch Soy Coal ition) and th e OilM il lGaz e tte e r,
(2004), and Braz ile xports 76%. In th e past
Vol um e 110
M ECK LENBURG- VORPOM M ERN CASE – M ASS- PRODUCTION OF PIGS M e ck l e nburg- Vorpom m e rn
a
Th e gove rnm e nt justifie s attracting pig farm s
h istory of sm e l l y barns. In com m unist tim e s,
to M V as an atte m pt to cre ate e m pl oym e nt in
h uge
an are a th at is be ing abandone d by young
anim al factorie s
abandone d
again
(M V) w e re
buil t and w as
pe opl e be cause th e y se e no future th e re .
re unite d. Th e ground is h e avil y nitrate -
H ow e ve r, th ose w h o re m ain strongl y obje ct to
pol l ute d, but stil lth e M V state gove rnm e nt is
th e pig factory boom , be cause of its h uge
active l y trying to attract m ore pig farm e rs to
im pact on th e re gion. Additional to th e
th e re gion. Th is is contradicting studie s
e nvironm e ntale ffe cts, th e se h uge industrial
sh ow ing
th at
afte r
h as
is
farm s give ve ry fe w jobs w h il e de stroying
uncom pe titive , th at onl y ve ry big farm s w ith
e m pl oym e nt at sm al l e r farm s. (And pe opl e
fe w e m pl oye e s are l ik e l y to m ak e profits, and
tak ing jobs at th e factory farm s suffe r
th at e ve ry ne w pig farm drive s one e l se w h e re
suffocating w ork ing conditions and e xtre m e
out of busine ss. Al re ady
stre ss due to unde r- staffing). Th e tourist
ove rproduction
l ocal
Ge rm any
production
th e re
is
an
of m e at in
M any pig farm inve s tors are from th e pork h as be e n on th e de cl ine Ne th e rl ands w h e re , due to m as s ive ove rus e of for ye ars. m anure , pig factorie s are b e ing s h ut dow n. Europe of 9 % and th e price for
Pig farm e rs can ge t subsidie s,
se ctor suffe rs as w e l l w h e n th e re gion l ose s its natural ch aracte r. Local s al so argue th at anim al s de se rve be tte r conditions.
e ncouraging th e use of th e ol d structure s from be fore 19 9 0. Ow n l and re source s (for
Th e pig farm inve stors are ofte n anyth ing
de positing m anure ) use d to be , but is no
el se but l ocal . M any of th e m are from th e
l onge r a re q uire m e nt for re ce iving subsidie s.
Ne th e rl ands, w h e re , due to m assive ove ruse
Now EU- subsidie s for “ de ve l opm e nt of rural
of m anure , pig factorie s are be ing sh ut dow n.
are as” can be dire cte d tow ards industrialpig
In M e dow , M V, th e re is a scandal ous e xam pl e
farm ing. To m ak e Ge rm any m ore attractive ,
of a pig farm ow ne d by Dutch inve stor
m anure standards h ave be e n l ow e re d. Th e re
Straath of, k now n in Th e Ne th e rl ands for
are no fine s for ove rusing m anure and th e
re pe ate dl y disre garding re gul ations. Th e
al l ow e d am ounts h ave be e n incre ase d.
farm w ith
15.000 pigs ope ne d be fore al l
Source : w w w .bund.ne t/l ab/re ddot2/pdf/fl e isch fabrik e n.pdf, w w w .m vre gio.de /m vr/269 02.h tm l TVsh ow about Dutch pig farm inve stors in M V: w w w .z df.de /Z DFde /inh al t/1/0,1872,1001633_ idD ispatch :249 4827,00.h tm l
w w w .pig8s oy.org
facil itie s w e re buil t and store d de ad pigs
th e ir “ sm e l lprotocol s” w ith a study finding
outside , causing h orribl e sm e l l s. An il l e gal
th e re w as no conside rabl e sm e l l– th e study
canall e ading from th e m anure storage to a
w as conducte d ove r 3 days w h e n th e w ind
ne arby nature re se rve w as found. Local s
bl e w in th e oth e r dire ction.Straath of now h as
prote ste d for m onth s; th e gove rnm e nt m e t
pl ans for ne w pig factory farm s in th e re gion.
Gove rnm e ntalacting s uch as th is can b e oppos e d b y active l y s upporting l ocals m al l -s cal e agricul ture - b y b uying th e ir products and b y e xe rcis ing your righ t as a citize n to q ue s tion gove rnm e ntal pol icie s for inve s tm e nt and de ve l opm e nt.
W ORK ING H ELLFOR FOOD ? "W h at!?I th ough t onl y pigs and farm anim al s are force d to produce our w orth of w e igh t in dirty, ful l -pack e d factorie s . Look th e s e pe opl e sl aving - th e y don’t s e e m to h ave e ate n m uch - w ith pick ing, s orting and pack ing food for th e rich . Lots of ch il dre n as w e l l . I am s ure th e y w oul d b e h appie r and h e al th ie r w ith ow n l and to grow s om e food and pl ay on."
W h il e th e agricul ture w ork force as a w h ol e is sh rink ing, as m ore and m ore sm al l farm e rs l e ave th e l and, th e num be r of w age d agricul ture w ork e rs is grow ing in m ost of th e re gions of th e w orl ds. Th e ne w
pove rty l ine ; th e y ofte n cannot afford to buy
jobs are usual l y in e xport- orie nte d production
sufficie nt food and th e ir e m pl oym e nt is ofte n
l ik e
pack ing.
te m porary. Be side s, agricul ture is rank e d as
Agricul ture w ork e rs do not ow n th e l and on
ve ge tabl e
one of th e th re e m ost h az ardous industrie s
w h ich
(al ong w ith m ining and construction) w ith for
th e y
grow ing
w ork , nor
and th e
tool s and
e q uipm e nt th e y use , and are ofte n poorl y
e xam pl e dange rous
paid, e arning w e l lbe l ow industrialw ork e rs.
transm itte d dise ase s, and e xposure to toxic
m ach ine ry, l ive stock -
M il l ions of th e se w ork e rs l ive be l ow th e
pe sticide s.
Of th e e stim ate d 246 m il l ion ch il dre n around
true for th e farm w ork e r, to th e factory
th e w orl d w h o go to w ork , ove r 170 m il l ion
w ork e r, to th e pe rson fil l ing th e sh e l ve s in
(70%) are e m pl oye d in agricul ture , ofte n
th e supe rm ark e t. Ofte n th e w ork force is
w ork ing 10 h ours pe r day and e arning l e ss
m ade up of te m porary and young e m pl oye e s,
th an one dol l ar pe r day.
w h ich m ak e s it h ard for w ork e rs
Agricul ture is rank e d to organise th e m se lve s and to as one of th e th re e agricul tural w ork e rs, figh t for be tte r w age s and m os t h azardous se e ing th e m as unsk il l ed w ork ing conditions. indus trie s . Em pl oye rs pre fe r w om e n
w ork e rs w h o w il l acce pt
l ow w age s and incre ase d w ork l oads w ith out
Source :
com pl aining and w h o rare l y join unions or
Contribution to Sustainabl e Agricul ture and Rural
organise for th e ir righ ts.
De ve l opm e nt', joint re port be tw e e n FAO (UN Food
'Agricul ture
W ork e rs
and
th e ir
and Agricul ture Organisation), ILO (Inte rnational
Anyw ay,
trade
unions
are
not
ve ry
Labour Organisation) and IUF (Inte rnationalUnion
appre ciate d in th e food and agricul ture
of Food Association)
se ctor. Unions don’t re ce ive m uch pol itical
'Ch e ap but not so ch e e rful '
support and th e pe opl e w h o w ant to join
w w w .guardian.co.uk /supe rm ark e ts/story
th e m are ofte n th re ate ne d or fire d. Th is is
CONSUM ING OUR LANDS Farm e rs w il lh ave to produce for a grow ing
Consum ption of m il k and e ggs h as al so rise n.
w orl d popul ation, but agricul ture sim pl y
In e ve ry socie ty w h e re incom e s raise , m e at
cannot m e e t th e de sire by som e 5 bil l ion
consum ption raise s too, al th ough it’s a h igh l y
pe opl e
to
consum e
m ore
l ive stock
products. W orl d popul ation incre ase d from 2.7 bil l ion in 19 50 to 6.3 bil l ion in 2006 (233%).
M e anw h il e,
w orl d
m e at
ine fficie nt
M e at cons um ption is a w ay of h igh l y ine fficie nt w ay of fe e ding fe e ding pe opl e pe opl e.
consum ption incre ase d from 47 m il l ion tons
Th e e fficie ncy w ith w h ich diffe re nt anim al s
in 19 50 to 260 m il l ion tons in 2005 (553%).
conve rt grain into prote in varie s w ide l y. For
w w w .pig8s oy.org
cattl e it tak e s rough l y 7 k g of grain to produce a 1- k g gain in l ive w e igh t, but th e
At th e U.S. l e ve lof using 800 k il ogram s of
ratio can be as h igh as 16:1. For pigs, th e
grains pe r pe rson pe r ye ar for food and fe e d,
figure is cl ose to 4:1, for poul try it is just ove r
th e 2- bil l ion- ton annual w orl d h arve st of
2:1, and for farm e d fish it is l e ss th an 2:1. To
grain w oul d support 2.5 bil l ion pe opl e . Of th e
produce a k il ogram of be e f re q uire s about 100 tim e s m ore
e ne rgy
th an
producing one k il ogram of potatoe s. M e at production al so pre ssuriz e s th e scarce w ate r
re source s.
Th e
k il ogram of be e f use s 15 m 3
To produce a k il ogram of b e e f re q uire s ab out 100 tim e s m ore e ne rgy th an producing one k il ogram of potatoe s.
800 k il ogram s of grain consum e d in th e
US, onl y 100 gram
is e ate n
dire ctl y, th e oth e r 700 gram s is e ate n indire ctl y th rough anim alprote ins. At th e Ital ian l e ve l of consum ption of cl ose to 400 k il ogram s pe r ye ar, th e curre nt h arve st w oul d support 5 bil l ion pe opl e . At th e ne arl y 200
of w ate r, w h e re as it onl y costs 0.4 - 3 m 3
k il ogram s of grain consum e d pe r ye ar by th e
w ate r to produce a k il ogram of w h e at.
ave rage Indian, it w oul d support a popul ation of 10 bil l ion.
In 2005, th e w orl d ’s farm e rs produce d 220 m il l ion tons of soy be ans. Of th is, onl y som e
Source s: Brow n 2006,
15 m il l ion tons w e re consum e d dire ctl y. 144
M il ie ude fe nsie “ Voe r tot nade nk e n”
m il l ion tons of soy be an fl our is fe d to cattl e, pigs, ch ick e n, and fish . Be side s soy, anim al fe e d contains m aiz e and oth e r e ne rgy- rich ce re al s as w e l l , al lprovide d by th e m onocul ture agricul ture industry.
An "e col ogicalfootprint" is a m e taph or use d to pre dict th e am ount of l and a h um an popul ation w oul d h ypoth e tical l y ne e d to
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
provide th e re source s re q uire d to support itse l f and to absorb its w aste s. It com pare s h um an consum ption of natural re source s w ith
th e e arth 's e col ogical capacity to
re ge ne rate
th e m . (H um an footprint h as
curre ntl y e xce e de d th e
sustainabl e bio-
At th is m om e nt, th e re are about 1.65 h e ctare s avail abl e pe r pe rson.
capacity of th e pl ane t by 25%) If e ve ryone in th e w orl d w oul d try to adapt Footprinting is w ide l y use d as an indicator of
to th e UK l ife styl e , w e w oul d ne e d 2.7
th e
of
pl ane ts for th e re gul ar m e at e ate r, 3 pl ane ts
se ctors,
for th e h e avy m e at e ate r, 2.2 for a ve ge tarian
e nvironm e ntal
individual l ife styl e s,
sustainabil ity industry
re gions, and nations. For an ave rage citiz e n in
th e
UK ,
for
e xam pl e,
l iving
and 2 for th e ve gan.
an
e nvironm e ntal l y frie ndl y l ife styl e in a not
W h il e th e re is m uch discussion about th e
too big h ouse you ge t th e fol l ow ing figure s:
m e th odol ogy of e col ogical footprints it is stil la use fultoolto point at h uge diffe re nce s
According to w w w .e col ogical footprint.com
a ch ange in l ife styl e can h ave .
sh e w il lh ave a footprint of 4.4 h e ctare s/ye ar
Going ve gan save s you a pl ane t. Th e ne are st
if sh e is an ave rage m e at e ate r and 4.9 if sh e
ne xt one is about 20 l igh t ye ars aw ay...
is a h e avy m e at consum e r, but sh e ne e ds onl y 3.6 h e ctare s/ye ar if sh e is a ve ge tarian
Th e figure s al so sh ow th at w e ne e d to
and 3.3 if sh e is ve gan (no m e at or dairy
ch ange m ore th an our food consum ption.
products at al l ). For oth e r W e ste rn Europe an
Th ink re ducing use of e ne rgy, ch anging
countrie s th e se num be rs w oul d be ve ry
trave l l ing patte rns, l ow e ring your standards.
m uch th e sam e .
Or w e w il lne e d to re ach pl ane ts m uch m uch furth e r aw ay...
w w w .pig8s oy.org
CONSUM ING OUR H EALTH "Man, are al lth e s e pe opl e ove rw e igh t! Th e y h ave al lth e ch oice s in th e w orl d and s til l ...W h at ’s th e prob l em ? Mayb e it’s not s o s trange if you th ink of h ow m uch th e y e at of us anim al s . H igh m e at cons um ption can ne ve r b e good. Funny to s e e h ow th e y tak e l azy car ride s to b uy th e ir m e at. D on’t th e y ge t it?" In industrial countrie s, l ife - styl e dise ase s
agricul ture . In fact, today our probl e m is
such as obe sity, diabe te s, h igh ch ol e ste rol ,
cl e arl y th e re ve rse
h igh
m any
bl ood pre ssure , h e art dise ase , and
cance rs
are
w ide spre ad. Th e re
is
an
cal orie s
ove rw e igh t
– m any pe opl e ge t too
and
re l ate d
are
suffe ring from
probl e m s.
M ode rn
abundance of data sh ow ing th at a ve ge tarian
agricul ture provide s pl e nty of e ve ryth ing w e
die t is associate d w ith a l ow e r risk for th e se
ne e d w h e n re l ying onl y on pl ant foods. Th e re
dise ase s. Ne ve rth e l e ss, m e at, sausage s, and
are
fish are stil lconside re d to be a part of th e
m e at th at cannot be obtaine d in a h e al th y
norm al die t. Th e
ve ge tarian or ve gan die t. On th e contrary, in
e spe cial l y val uabl e
m yth
h e al th y foodstuffs
is
th at th e se
are
no h e al th - supporting com pone nts in
and
m ode rn
stil l A ve ge tarian die t
m ode l s,
is as s ociate d w ith ow e r ris k for m e m be rs of th e m e dical a l ob e s ity, diab e te s , profe ssion al so stil l be l ie ve h igh ch ol e s te rol , th at m e at is a vitalforce in h igh b l ood your die t. Th e re are cl aim s pre s s ure , h e art dis e as e , and th at m ode rn h um ans ne e d to cance rs . e at m e at be cause 2 m il l ion w ide spre ad
and
m any
ve ge tabl e
e pide m iol ogical a
l ow
intak e
foodstuffs
conside re d a risk m any
tum or
cardiovascul ar
is
of now
factor for dise ase s,
dise ase
and
de ge ne rative
dise ase s.
For
w h ich
ph arm ace utical
th e
industry spe nds m il l ions e ve ry
ye ars ago th e y did. But any difficul tie s in
ye ar trying to find suitabl e ch e m ical l y
ge tting sufficie nt nutrie nts and
cal orie s
produce d m e dications (te ste d on anim al s).
oth e r m e ans w e re e rase d 10,000
Obviousl y it w oul d be h e al th ie r and ch e ape r if
th rough
ye ars ago w ith th e w ide spre ad adoption of
w e al ljust stoppe d e ating anim alproducts.
A die t incl uding m e at al so confronts us w ith
Organiz ation) bl am e s th e pote ntialavian fl u
various
outbre ak on “ inte nsive poul try production.”
com m on
food- borne are
path oge ns
m ost in
Th e h e ad of th e Ce ntre for Dise ase Controlin
Sal m one l l a,
Th ail and opine s: “ Th e w orl d just h as no ide a
Cam pyl obacte r, path oge nic E. col i and Bovine
w h at it’s going to se e if th is th ing com e s“ ,
Spongiform Ence ph al opath y (BS), w h ich are
ch anging it to “ W h e n, re al l y.It’s w h e n.I don’t
al lw orl d w ide dise ase s. Th e avian fl u l oom s
th ink w e can afford th e l uxury of th e w ord ‘if’
curre ntl y, w h il e th e re
anym ore .W e are past th e ‘if'.”
contam inate d
th e
il l ne sse s. Th e
m e at,
l ik e
are
found
no ade q uate
m e dicine s to stop it. Th e W H O (W orl d H e al th Source : w w w .dfw ne tm ail .com /e arth /re al istic- l ook - m e at- dairy- consum ption.h tm w w w .h e im at- fue r- tie re .de /e ngl ish /articl e s/m e d/m e at_ m ak e s_ you_ sick .sh tm l
CLOSING TH E CIRCLE: EU DUM PING W ith its inte nsive m e at production, th e EU is
Fl ooding th e w orl d m ark e t w ith
one of th e l arge st e xporte rs of m e at in th e
ch e ap m e at h as a se ve re e ffe ct on food
w orl d. M ost of th is m e at is sol d be l ow
production
production cost. Th is is partl y be cause
ph e nom e non cal l e d 'dum ping.' Th e m ain
farm e rs
re ce ive
in
dire ct
de ve l oping re ason dum ping
m e at out on th e com pe titive
supporting
support from
th e
countrie s,
be h ind
Fl ooding th e w orl d w it h unf airl y ch e ap EU. M aybe m ore significant m e at h as a s e ve re is th at anim alfodde r, w h ich e ffe ct on food m ak e s up 44% of farm ing production in costs, is h e avil y subsidise d. de ve l oping countrie s , l ed On top of th is, th e EU use s a ph e nom e non cal ' dum ping. ' e xport support to ge t th e incom e
unfairl y
th e
EU
is
th e
pol icy
ove rproduction
a
of
m e at.
Th is ove rproduction h as its roots in th e m ore th an 50 ye ar
ol d
Com m on
Agricul tural Pol icy, or CAP, m e ant to m ak e th e EU se l fin
food
w orl d m ark e t. W h il e th e EU h as l im ite d its
production to not be de pe nde nt on food
m il k and w ine production th rough
q uota
im ports. Inste ad, it h as re sul te d in m assive
syste m s, th e re is no q uota syste m in pl ace for
ove rproduction of m e at and dairy products
m e at production and e xport.
th at de pe nds h e avil y on anim alfodde r and e ne rgy inputs from outside th e Union. w w w .pig8s oy.org
In de ve l oping countrie s, dum ping th row s th e
to
al l e viate
th e se
probl em s
bottom out of any re gionalfood m ark e t and it
facil itating de ve l opm e nt.
inste ad
of
m ak e s it im possibl e for sm al l h ol de rs to se l l th e ir products, causing m ass pove rty and
Gl obal agricul ture
m igration to th e capitalcitie s. Agricul ture is
am ong a sm al lnum be r of l arge agricul tural
vital in re ducing and e l im inating pove rty,
corporations w h ich control e ve ry aspe ct of
som e th ing th e EU and US pol icy m ak e rs of th e
th e production, from th e se e ds and th e fodde r
19 40's and '50's k ne w ve ry w e l l , so th e y
to th e sl augh te r of th e pigs and pack aging of
prote cte d th e ir ow n. M ost countrie s subje ct to
th e m e at. Th e se corporations can inte rnal l y
dum ping are banne d from de fe nding th e ir
subsidiz e th e ir products be l ow m ark e t price s
m ark e ts by th e W TO 'anti- dum ping' tariff
by using both EU and US subsidie s and profit
m e asure s, agre e d upon in th e Uruguay Round
from oth e r m ark e t opportunitie s al ong th e
on Agricul ture . Th e prom ise of th e EU and US to stop th e ir e xport subsidie s w as ne ve r re al iz e d. Using th e anti- dum ping tariffs is a tooluse d onl y by a sm al lnum be r of industrial iz e d countrie s and is be yond
th e
re ach
countrie s th at are
of
m ost
affe cte d by
For m any countrie s w ith h igh de b ts th e dum ping practice s of th e EU and US h ave cre ate d a vicious cycl e l e ading to m ore im ports and m ore de b t.
dum ping practice s. Th e se are al so
today is conce ntrate d
food production ch ain. Dum ping
can
starting
w ith
be
stoppe d, el im inating
e xport subsidie s, som e th ing al l G8 countrie s h ave com m itte d th e m se l ve s to but som e h ow h ave fail e d to act on. Th e iron grip
of
th e
corporations
agricul tural on
food
banne d from pre ve nting dum ping unde r th e
production m ust be brok e n and th e y m ust be
StructuralAdjustm e nt Program s (SAP) of th e
banne d
IM F and W orl d Bank (se e page 10). SAP's are
th e m se l ve s. Im pl icit and e xpl icit gove rnm e nt
introduce d as a m e asure for re sol ving a
subsidie s
countrie s' de bt situation and ofte n h ave tariff
disappe ar and th e y sh oul d be force d to be
re duction as a first ste p. For m any countrie s
m ore transpare nt. M ore ove r, countrie s and
w ith h igh de bts and a viabl e agricul turalbase
com m unitie s (e spe cial l y th ose of w h ich m ost
l ik e in Sub- Sah aran Africa, th e dum ping
of th e w ork force is stil lin agricul ture ) sh oul d
practice s of th e EU and US h ave cre ate d a
be al l ow e d to prote ct th e ir agricul turalse ctor
vicious cycl e in w h ich dom e stic suppl y is
from th e w orl d m ark e t.
from for
inte rnal l y th e se
subsidiz ing
com panie s
sh oul d
de pre sse d, l e ading to m ore im ports and m ore de bt, in turn l e ading to l e ss gove rnm e ntal
Source s:
support for th e dom e stic agricul ture and m ore
w w w .south ce ntre .org/info/south bul l e tin/bul l e tin53
food im ports, e tc. Ironical l y, th e se countrie s
/bul l e tin53- 04.h tm w w w .tacd.org/docs/?id=19 9
al so re ce ive EU de ve l opm e nt aid w h ich is use d
w w w .trade obse rvatory.org/l ibrary.cfm ?re fid=80706
Th e grow th of soy production, trade , and use is th e re sul t of a de l ibe rate trade pol icy. In 19 62,
W TO
FOR SOY
as re sul t of th e 'Dil l an Round' of
to
ch e ap
im porte d
prote ins soy)
and
(from ch e ap
carboh ydrate s (from subsidise d grains), th e tw o ingre die nts of a
th e GATT (th e pre de ce ssor of th e
fast grow ing pie ce of m e at. Th e
W TO), th e US and Europe agre e d on a ban on
re sul t w as a boom of fodde r im ports, m e at
im port taxe s of oil - containing crops (l ik e
production
soy). At th at tim e th e US w as th e m ain
dum ping) to th e re st of th e w orl d. Th is
e xporte r. Th e oth e r side of th e agre e m e nt
agre e m e nt from '62 is stil lval id, al th ough
w as th at Europe
now th e big corporate South Am e rican soy
subsidise
its
w oul d be
production
al l ow e d to
of grains. For
Europe an factory farm e rs, th is m e ant acce ss
and
m e at e xport (incl uding
produce rs are be ne fiting from it. Source : w w w .w e rve l .be /conte nt/vie w /159 /156
CONCENTRATE OF AGRO POW ER Th e agricul ture m ark e t h as ope ne d up in w ays th at favour
"Le t’s
s e e . I w oul d l ik e to h ave s om e pack age d juice from Spain and s un-drie d tom atoe s from Ital y. H um us from Gre e ce is de l icious and on top, a pinch of fre s h h e rb s from h e re . But h e y, th e y al lh ave th e s am e com pany l ab e l . H ow is th is pos s ib l e ?!"
com panie s in a position to do busine ss on a gl obalscal e .A strong push for fre e m ark e t pol icie s h as ch ange d m ark e ts for farm e rs th e w orl d ove r. Th e trade m ark e t is rul e d by th ose w h o h ave th e pow e r to affe ct price , to e l im inate com pe tition, and to se t standards for an e conom ic se ctor. Farm e rs are inh e re ntl y disadvantage d on th e w orl d m ark e t: th e y are num e rous, w h il e proce ssors are fe w (one m il lcan grind th e w h e at of m any farm e rs); individual farm e rs’ production de cisions h ave no e ffe ct on price and, as it is e xpe nsive to store h arve ste d products, m ost produce rs try to se l lth e ir crops at th e sam e tim e . Th e e m e rge nce of private standards se t by th e industry, w ith out gove rnm e ntalre fe re nce , h as a profound im pact on w h o can se l lth e ir produce w h e re . If a product doe s not m ak e it to th e one supe rm ark e t sh e l f, or a proce ssor’s factory, th e re are fe w oth e r m ark e ting options avail abl e to th e se l l e r. Th is is th e m ark e t acce ss th at ul tim ate l y counts, w h e th e r in dom e stic or e xport m ark e ts. Th e fe w e r th e com panie s in controlof th at acce ss (w h e th e r com m odity w w w .pig8s oy.org
brok e rs, food proce ssors or supe rm ark e ts),
pe sticide s: In 2002, 10 com panie s control l ed
th e fe w e r options produce rs h ave for w h e re
80% of th e gl obal pe sticide m ark e t, top 5
to se l lth e ir production.
be ing M onsanto (US), Dupont (US), Synge nta (CH ), Groupe Lim agrain (F) and K W S AG (DE).
Agro- busine ss m ark e t pow e r is not ne w . Tak e grain trading as an e xam pl e ; four of th e
supe rm ark e ts:
curre nt top five corporations dom inate d th e
e stim ate d to h ave 6.1 pe rce nt of th e gl obal
m ark e t al re ady
groce ry m ark e t; al m ost th re e tim e s as m uch
100 ye ars
ago (Cargil l ,
In
2004,
W al - M art
w as
Contine ntal , Bunge and Louis Dre yfus). Th e
as th e ne are st rival , Fre nch - ow ne d Carre four.
conce ntration of pow e r is m ost probl e m atic
Th e
in
th e
se e d
trade
obvious; in Ge rm any, Th e Ne th e rl ands, UK
com m oditie s (unproce sse d m ate rial s) but in
and France be tw e e n 42- 56% of th e m ark e t is
th e
dom inate d by a top 5 re tail e rs.
past
m ark e t and
de cade
th e
Europe an situation m ak e s it m ore
conce ntration
h as
acce l e rate d in oth e r re l ate d se ctors as w e l l . m e at /
sl augh te r
h ouse s:
M ost m e at
trade : th e soy m ark e t is control l e d by four
produce rs stil lm ainl y ope rate on a national
com panie s; Cargil l , ADM , Bunge and Louis
m ark e t but in th e re ce nt de cade th is is
Dre yfus toge th e r h ol d 80% of m ark e t sh are .
be ginning to ch ange in Europe . Th e US m e at produce r Sm ith fie l d is rapidl y e nte ring th e
se e d / GM Os: M onsanto al one provide d se e ds
Europe an m ark e t.
for 88% of th e totalare a of GE crops pl ante d w orl dw ide in 2004. M onsanto control s 41% of
anim al fe e d: Gl obal l y, th e conce ntration in
th e gl obalm ark e t in com m e rcialcorn se e d
th e anim alfe e d m ark e t isn't th at e xtre m e
and 25% of th e gl obalsoybe an se e d m ark e t.
ye t. On a nationalor re gionall e ve lth ough , a
Th e grow ing im portance of ge ne te ch nol ogy
fe w
m ak e s
m ark e t
pow e r
in
th is
com panie s are
dom inating. In
th e
se ctor
Be ne l ux countrie s, for e xam pl e , th e re are
particul arl y w orrysom e . It is a se ctor w h e re
onl y six pl aye rs accounting for 48% of al lfe e d
farm e rs use d to be
production.
se l f- re l iant (by for
e xam pl e saving se e d and using crop rotation and m anure from farm anim al s to m aintain
It is possibl e to find l ocalfarm e r coope rative s
th e h e al th of th e soil ). W h e n th e y h ave
and inde pe nde nt food produce rs, th ough it’s
adopte d industrialfarm ing te ch niq ue s, th e y
a struggl e for th e m to stay on th e m ark e t.
are e ntire l y de pe nde nt on buying al linputs;
Consum e rs can sh ow
se e d, pe sticide s and fe rtil iz e rs from
conce ntration- to- no- ch oice
th e
m ark e t provide rs.
by sh ifting to
th e se l ocal , inde pe nde nt initiative s.
source : 'M ark e t Pow e r and Agricul tural Trade ' 2006, Soph ia M urph y, w w w .trade obse rvatory.org/l ibrary.cfm ?re fid=89 014
disapproval of th e
Th e e xpans ion of m ono- cul ture s “gre e n de s e rts ” s uch as l arge s cal e s oy production prom ote s a m e ch anis e d agricul ture w ith out s m al lfarm e rs ; w ith out pe opl e.
W H AT W E DO TO SOUTH A M ERICA "Look
w h at th e y h ave to e at. I k now th is , from b e fore I w as l ib e rate d. Pure ge ne tical l y m anipul ate d s oy. Eve ry m e al . And it al lcam e from Arge ntina b e caus e th e re , th e y produce m il l ions of tons of s oy for our anim alfe e d, th e y can't us e its fe rtil e l and to grow h e al th y food for its ow n popul ation. I don't ge t th is w orl d."
In th e South Am e rican countrie s of Paraguay,
de se rts” such as l arge scal e soy production
Arge ntina, and Braz il , th e m assive e xpansion
prom ote s a m e ch anise d agricul ture w ith out
of soy production for e xport h as catastroph ic
sm al l farm e rs; w ith out pe opl e . Al l m ono-
conse q ue nce s for rural com m unitie s and
cul ture s are dam aging to th e e cosyste m s th e y
w ays of l iving. Soybe an cul tivation is m ost
suppl ant;
profitabl e w h e n done in a capitalinte nsive
agricul tural dive rsity, poison w ate r source s
and l abour e xte nsive w ay and h as displ ace d
and th e soiland unde rm ine th e food se curity
m ore l abour inte nsive production such as
and sove re ignty of th e pe opl e and th e ir
ve ge tabl e s, cotton, and dairy farm ing. W h il e
countrie s.
l arge parts of Arge ntina and Braz il are
une m pl oym e nt and th e e viction and e xodus
al re ady cove re d in soy pl antations, it is m uch
of com m unitie s in ruralare as.”
th e y
de stroy
Th e y
biol ogical and
cause
pove rty,
l e ss k now n th at Paraguay h as be com e th e w orl d’s fourth l arge st soybe an e xporte r.
In Arge ntina, ne arl y al l soy grow n is “ RoundupRe ady” varie tie s from th e biote ch
In 2006, ne arl y 2.5 m il l ion h e ctare s of soy w as
m ul tinational M onsanto. Th is
sow n in Paraguay al one , an are a com parabl e
m odifie d soy pl ant is m ade re sistant to th e
to
th e
Ge rm an
State
ge ne tical l y
M e ck l e nburg-
“ k il l al l ” h e rbicide “ Roundup.” It survive s
Vorpom m e rn. Paraguayan auth oritie s are
inte nsive spraying w h il e al loth e r pl ants and
pl anning an incre ase to 4 m il l ion h e ctare s.
w e e ds around it are k il l e d. Th e use of th is
According to th e Paraguayan NGO BASE.IS,
varie ty is advancing in Paraguay and Braz ilas
“ … Th e e xpansion of m ono- cul ture s “ gre e n
wel l . w w w .pig8s oy.org
M ONOCULTURE CH EM ICALOVERFLOW Not onl y Roundup, but a cock tail of agroch e m ical s is spraye d on soy m onocul ture s. Th e l arge scal e and care l e ss use of th e se pe sticide s h as de vastating im pacts on ne arby fie l ds, on air, and on w ate r q ual ity and can
cause dram atic h e al th probl e m s.
“ During th e m onth s of soy cul tivation, rural com m unitie s suffe r h e adach e s, diarrh oe as and sk in probl e m s. In th e com m unitie s surrounde d by soy fie l ds th e re is a h igh
"O ink , l ook out! Th at pl ane fl ying l ow ove r th e fie l ds and h ous e s is s praying! W h at a s m e l l , ugh , ugh . Pe s ticide s , not onl y ove r th e fie l ds , b ut al s o ove r s m al lprivate pl ots . O ve r pe opl e s h ous e s . Eve ryone is b re ath ing it. Th is is w h y I s e e s o m any il lpe opl e h e re . H um ans don't onl y dis re s pe ct anim al s , th e y pois on th e ir ow n l ik e s . H ow b arb arian!"
incide nce of cance r, spontane ous abortions, pre m ature birth s and birth de fe cts.1”
ne igh bourh ood of th e city Cordoba, th e re se arch e rs concl ude d th at th e are a sh oul d
In Arge ntina and Paraguay, cam paigns h ave
be de cl are d uninh abitabl e . In oth e r tow ns
be e n initiate d to re sist th e se sprayings of soy
unde r
fie l ds. In Paraguay, a court case w as w on
significant
against tw o soy produce rs w h o h ad cove re d
m al form ation in th e studie d are as.
11
ye ars
ol d
Sil vino
Tal ave ra
inve stigation, th e y incide nce ”
of
found
“ ve ry
cance r
and
w ith
RoundupRe ady gl yph osate tw ice by care l e ss
According
to
th e
'Stop
Fum igating'
spraying, afte r w h ich h e die d. In th e proce ss,
cam paign, th e l ate st h arve st of 15.5 m il l ion
h is fam il y w as e xpose d to e xtre m e form s of
h e ctare s soy consum e d 160 m il l ion l itre s of
intim idation, varying from poisone d anim al s
gl yph osate - six tim e s m ore th an a de cade
to th e m urde r of th e boy’s uncl e . (se e
ago. It is spraye d w ith in m e tre s of pe opl e 's
w w w .sil vinotal ave ra.ph y.ca)
h om e s. Prote ctive z one s around tow ns, l ik e fore sts, and pasture s h ave disappe are d. Th e
In Arge ntina, ruraland urban com m unitie s
m assive spraying al so force s sm al l h ol de rs
h ave starte d a cam paign toge th e r cal l ed
borde ring th e soy pl antations to abandon or
‘Stop
th e
se l loff th e ir l and due to l oss of h arve st,
e xorbitant num be r of sk in and re spiratory
Fum igating,'
afte r
re al iz ing
de ath of anim al s, and se ve re h e al th probl em s
dise ase s, tum ors, and cance rs am ong pe opl e
cause d by pol l ute d air and w ate r.2
l iving ne ar soy fie l ds. Afte r officialre se arch of th e publ ic h e al th situation in an oute r 1.Re port “ Paraguay Soje ro” , w w w .ase e d.ne t, 2.h ttp://ipsne w s.ne t/ne w s.asp?idne w s=35511
"W h e re
on e arth did I arrive ? Look s l ik e a pigs ty, e xcus e m y w ording. W h y are th e s e pe opl e l iving w ith out prope r h ous e s , w ate r, or s e w e rage s ys te m s ?W ith out any gre e n s pace or garde ns . W h y don't th e y go and l ive in th e countrys ide . W h at force of re pre s s ion pre ve nts th e m from h aving th e ir ow n farm s , l and, and roots ?"
TH E SOY UNEM PLOYM ENT BOOM Al m ost h al f of Paraguay's popul ation l ive s
pl antations, 2 for soy, and 10 for sugar cane ,
be l ow th e pove rty l ine , and 21 % is in e xtre m e
w h il e 20 fam il ie s coul d m ak e a l iving in th e
pove rty. Studie s h ave sh ow n th at pove rty is
original agricul ture . Face d w ith no oth e r
h igh e r in th e province s w h e re th e re is m ore
option, m any ruralw ork e rs m ove to th e city
soy production.
sl um s.� (1) According to Frie nds of th e Earth Paraguay, approxim ate l y 70,000 pe opl e l e ave
According to a FBOM S re port, “ Rural and
rural are as e ach ye ar. In addition, m any
urban pove rty incre ase s be cause be side s th e
m igrate to ne igh bouring countrie s.
e xpul sion of sm al lfarm e rs from th e ir l ands, m onocul ture h ardl y cre ate s any jobs. For e ach 100 h e ctare s, th e re is 1 job in e ucal yptus
Around one q uarte r of th e Paraguayan popul ation now l ive s ab road.
w w w .pig8s oy.org
Anth ropol ogist K re gg H e th e rington, w h o
ch urch e s and sch ool s. Force d e victions, arson
l ive d in th e soy frontie r are as in ce ntral
and occasional l y arm e d attack s are
Paraguay for som e
e xtre m e , but by no m e ans th e e xce ptional
tim e , de scribe s th is
proce ss:
For e ach 100 “ Suffe ring th e rapid and h e ctare s , th e re are 2 uncontrol l e d e xpansion of job s for s oy, and 10 e ge ne tical l y m odifie d for s ugar cane , w h il 20 f am il ie s coul d soybe ans into th e ir l ands, m ak e a l iving in th e Paraguayan pe asants h ave originalagricul ture . se e n w h ol e tow ns disappe ar
th e
tactics use d to cl e ar pe asants off th e ir l and. Eve n th ough it is il l e galfor soy farm e rs to buy l and in th e se are as, th e com m unitie s
are
bough t
afte r
out
vil l age s
th e ir
h ave
surrounde d
pe riod in w h ich tow ns are surrounde d by
M ono- cul tural soy production m ak e s th e
m e ch aniz e d fie l ds, tre e s are strippe d from th e
pe asant l ife styl e virtual l y im possibl e in
l andscape and indiscrim inate fum igation is
com m unitie s ne ar th e big farm s.” (2)
to
w aft into
pe opl e ’s
ch e m ical - inte nsive
be e n
unde r fie l ds of be ans. Th is usual l y fol l ow s a
al l ow e d
by
e asil y
farm s.
h ouse s,
1.“Agribusine ss and biofue l s – an e xpl osive m ixture . Th e im pacts of m onocul ture e xpansion on bioe ne rgy production in Braz il ” , Braz il ian Forum of NGOs and Social M ove m e nts for th e Environm e nt and De ve l opm e nt (FBOM S), 2006 2.activistm agaz ine .com /inde x.ph p?option=com _ conte nt& task =vie w & id=608& Ite m id=80
R ECLAIM ING TH E LANDS In Paraguay, as w e l l as in oth e r South
organiz ation M ovim ie nto Agrario y Popul ar
Am e rican countrie s, th e l and conce ntration
(M AP) is active , h ave m anage d to controlth e
is e xtre m e : 1% of l andow ne rs ow n 77 % of th e
advance of soy be ans into th e ir m idst.
l and. Th is incre dibl e conce ntration of l and, pl us th e l ack of opportunitie s in th e citie s h as
H ow e ve r, soy produce rs re spond to th is by
l e d to a grow ing num be r of l and occupations
h iring "se curity" te am s of une m pl oye d rural
in Paraguay, e spe cial l y of publ ic l ands th at
youth s, using th e m to intim idate pe asants
h ave be e n il l e gal l y sol d to soy produce rs.
th at organise th e m se l ve s. Eve n gove rnm e nts
Organiz ation in th e countryside is not e asy,
re act w ith
but victorie s do occur. Com m unitie s such as
Paraguay al one , ove r 30 pe asants w e re k il l ed
th e
by gove rnm e nt force s in th e l ast 4 ye ars.
province
of Caaguaz u, w h e re
th e
viol e nce
and
re pre ssion. In
SOY –
AN ECOSYSTEM TH REAT
Th e e xpl osion of soy cul tivation h as cause d
frontie r. Soybe an farm ing is al so a k e y
th e de struction of m il l ions of h e ctare s of
e conom ic and pol itical im pe tus for ne w
fore st and savannah w ith e xtre m e l y h igh and
h igh w ays and infrastructure proje cts, w h ich
val uabl e biodive rsity. Be tw e e n M ay 2000 and
acce l e rate de fore station e ve n furth e r.
August 2006, Braz ill ost ne arl y 150,000 k m 2 of fore st - an are a l arge r th an Gre e ce . Re ce ntl y,
Th e l arge scal e m onocul ture agricul ture w ith
soy be ans h ave be com e one of th e m ost
its
im portant contributors to de fore station in
pe sticide spraying re pl ace s th e te ch niq ue of
th e Braz il ian Am az on. Soybe an production
turning th e soilto ge t rid of w e e ds. Th is,
dire ctl y cause s som e fore st cl e aring, but h as a
toge th e r w ith l ack of crop rotation, cause s
m uch gre ate r im pact on de fore station by
incre ase d e rosion by both w ate r and w ind.
e xpanding into savannah and transitional
On ave rage , th e production of 1 k g of soy
fore sts, th e re by push ing ranch e rs and sl ash -
be ans m e ans th e l oss of 4 k g of soil .
l arge
m ach ine ry
and
te rm inating
and- burn farm e rs e ve n de e pe r into th e fore st
"W h at h as h appe ne d h e re ?I h ave s e e n picture s of th is country ful lof th ous ands of type s of tre e s , pl ants , and anim al s . My w il d re l ative s us e d to l ive in th e s e k ind of fore s ts . Now I s e e onl y e ndl e s s fie l ds . Al lm onocul tivation of one crop, for producing fe e d for us pigs , ch ick e n, cow s , and fis h . I am l oos ing m y appe tite ." w w w .pig8s oy.org
Th e scal e of th e soy production is so big th at it is rapidl y ch anging th e cl im ate in th e south of Braz il . De fore station in th e Am az on re gion is push ing th e fore st l ine furth e r and furth e r. Th e agricul ture l and h e ats up and drie s out faste r in a spiralof incre asingl y
Soyb e an production h as b e com e one of th e m os t im portant contrib uting factor to de fore s tation in th e Brazil ian Am azon.
dry cl im ate and furth e r l oss of rainfore st.
TH E STRUCTURALA DJUSTM ENT PROGRAM DRIVE
Large
scal e m ono- cul ture
production of
m ak ing are as avail abl e for fodde r and biofue l
agricul turalproducts in de ve l oping countrie s
production. Ol d grow th fore sts are tre asure
is a focus of th e IM F (Inte rnationalM one tary
grove s of biodive rsity and function as a
Fund) and W orl d Bank . Th e IM F and W orl d
m ajor cl e an- up m e ch anism for gre e nh ouse
Bank h ol dl e ve rage ove r th e e conom ie s in th e
gase s. But, it al so ge ne rate s h ard cash
gl obalsouth th rough th e ir controlof de bts.
re l ative l y fast, se rving th e de bt paym e nts
Th e ir StructuralAdjustm e nt Program s (SAP),
re q uire d by th e
se t up as "de bt re l ie f" program s, are m ostl y
w h e re by l ittl e space is give n for socialand
ach ie ve d by forcing countrie s to conve rt to
e nvironm e ntal conce rns. But w h y sh oul d
and se l lth e ir agricul turalraw m ate rial s in
citiz e ns and th e e nvironm e nt h ave to suffe r
bul k – w ith th e de vastating conse q ue nce s for
for th is de bt, once cre ate d by dictatorsh ips
pe opl e and th e e nvironm e nt, as h as be e n
and th e rich e l ite ? Source : Via Cam pe sina
de scribe d
in
th is
broch ure . Adde d to th is scal e of
com e s
l arge
cl e ar- cutting fore sts,
for
IM F and W orl d Bank ,
"D o you k now
w h at th e y s ay?Th at pigs and cattl e are to bl am e for cl im ate ch ange . Be caus e w e fart too m uch . Wel l , th at is from th e s h itty food w e ge t. And w h y are w e s o m any anyw ay?To give rich pe opl e al lth at m e at on th e pl ate , I te l lyou! D on ’t forge t th at de fore s tation, th e production of artificialm anure , and us e of fos s ilfue lin th e agro-indus try are gre e nh ous e contrib utors too. Now th e y are s tarting to m as s -produce b iofue l s ins te ad of anim alfe e d. Is n't it cynical ?"
A GRICULTURE SECTOR CLIM ATE POLLUTER
Ove r th e past fe w m onth s, th e m e dia h as
and th e oxidation of carbon by soil l oss
be e n ful l of w orrysom e
cause s m assive e m issions of CO2. As l ost soil
cl im ate
inform ation on
ch ange . Agricul ture
is a m ajor
is not re pl ace d, th is proce ss h as be e n cal l ed
contributor to th is, m ostl y due to th e k e e ping
“ agricul tural m ining,"
of l ive stock . K e e ping l ive stock is re sponsibl e
te m pe rature rise and de se rtification, and not
for
at
l e ast
18%
of
gre e nh ouse gas e m issions, m ore th an al lof th e traffic w orl dw ide . Th e gase s com e from burning fossilfue l s in th e production of artificial
l e ading
to
l ocal
to m e ntion th e e ffe cts of
K e e ping l ive s tock is re s pons ib l e for at l e as t 18% of gre e nh ous e gas e m is s ions , m ore th an traffic w orl dw ide .
transporting al lth e fe e d, m anure , anim al s, and th e e nd product – th e m e at. According to th e re ce nt re port 'Live stock 's th e
l ong
fe rtil iz e rs, m e th ane e m issions from both th e
sh adow ' (2006) from
anim al s th e m se l ve s and from de al ing w ith
Agricul ture Organisation (FAO), th e l ive stock
UN Food and
m anure , and th e use of fossil fue l s in
se ctor is re sponsibl e for th e
producing anim alfodde r. M e th ane e spe cial l y
w orl dw ide h um an infl ue nce d production of:
is a ve ry pow e rfulgre e nh ouse gas, 21 tim e s
CO (2.9 %)
m ore h arm fulpe r k il ogram th an CO2. For th e
m e th ane (35- 40%)
production of anim alfodde r and th e ne e d for
nitrous oxide s (65%) and
graz ing grounds, th e re is cl e ar cutting and
am m onia (64%).
fol l ow ing
burning of fore st are as. Burning dow n fore sts w w w .pig8s oy.org
SOY, AGROFUELS AND TH E G8 At th e tim e of w riting th is broch ure , th e
biofue l . Cars are put in dire ct com pe tition
official age nda of th e
w ith pe opl e , w h e re w e ste rn cars h avl y not
G8
sum m it in
H e il ige ndam m , Ge rm any, is stil l a cl ose l y
avail abl e
h e re . By
guarde d se cre t. It is typical for th e G8 to
production in de ve l oping countrie s, th e l arge
de cide w h at’s good for th e w orl d w ith out
agricul ture and e ne rgy corporations in th e
te l l ing or ask ing th e pe opl e w h o are be ing
industrial G8 w orl d avoid h aving to m ak e
de cide d upon. H ow e ve r, pol itical anal ysts
uncom fortabl e adjustm e nts on production,
e xpe ct th re e m ain th e m e s to be addre sse d at
l e aving
th e sum m it: Gl obal Econom ic Im bal ance s,
conse q ue nce s up to th e pe opl e and anim al s in
Ene rgy, and Inte l l e ctual Prope rty. Of th e se
th e gl obalsouth . e gre ate r m ark e t val ue th an
th re e , th e discussion about Ene rgy coul d h ave
pe opl e . Biofue l s se rve as a w ay for th e G8
se rious conse q ue nce s for farm e rs and soy
l e ade rs to try doing busine ss as usualw h il e
th e
h ard
re l ying
ch oice s
on
and
biofue l
h ard
production.
th e am ount of avail abl e fossil
biofue l s produce d in de ve l oping
Probl e m s cause d by biofue l
Soy for anim al fue l s h as stoppe d grow ing fodde r com pe te s K e y pl aye rs in th e G8 h ave w ith s oy, pal m oil and th e clim ate crisis is m ore and oth e r crops announce d th e ir com m itm e nt to se rious th an e ve r. for b iodie s e l . l arge scal e production and use of countrie s. Th e finance m iniste rs of th e G7 (G8
production are m ade w orse by so cal l ed
m inus Russia) al so h ave th e control l ing vote s
‘cl im ate ne utral ’ or ‘cl im ate offse t’ cam paigns
in th e IM F and W orl d Bank , infl ue ncing th e ir
w h ich are aim e d at ‘offse tting’ gre e nh ouse
inve stm e nt pol icie s. Th is com m itm e nt m ak e s
gas e m issions. Th is is ofte n done by tak ing
pre ssure on l and for industrialproduction of
e xisting agricul tural l and
fodde r e ve n gre ate r, as soy for anim alfodde r
countrie s out of l ocalfood production to be
com pe te s w ith soy, pal m oiland oth e r crops
use d for fast grow ing CO2- binding tre e s and
for biodie se l . M e xico h as e xpe rie nce d a 400%
pl ants, w h ich cannot be use d by th e pe opl e
price raise on corn, as th e corn th e y w oul d
l iving th e re as using th e m m ay re l e ase CO2
norm al l y im port from th e US is now use d as
back into th e atm osph e re .
in
de ve l oping
Th e probl e m s w ith unsustainabl e transport
th e l arge agricul ture and e ne rgy corporations
patte rns in th e industrialw orl d are e xporte d
in th e industrialG8 w orl d avoid h aving to
to oth e r parts of th e w orl d, since th e are as for
m ak e
grow ing biofue lin th e vol um e s ne e de d are
production, l e aving th e h ard ch oice s and
sim pl y not avail abl e h e re . By re l ying on
h ard conse q ue nce s up to th e pe opl e and
biofue lproduction in de ve l oping countrie s,
anim al s in th e gl obalsouth .
uncom fortabl e
adjustm e nts
on
SOM ETH ING DIFFERENT, SOM ETH ING NEW Th e re
are
agricul ture
al te rnative s. practice s
invol ve
Sustainabl e
W e h ave to stand up for our h um an righ ts
com m unity
and bring back dignity in h ow w e tre at oth e r
supporte d agricul ture and re al consum e r
anim al s. W e h ave to re cl aim th e l ands. Fre e
ch oice . It al l ow s food autonom y, w h e re
th e w ate rs. Save th e se e ds. W e m ust stop
pe opl e can de cide about th e ir l and and h ow
corporations and financialinstitutions from
to m e e t th e ir basic ne e ds. It prom ote s an
m ak ing profit on food production. Th e
agricul ture syste m w ith out corporate pow e r,
curre nt gl obal fre e m ark e t syste m
w ith out force d production for e xport and a
e conom ic grow th as th e m ain aim w il lnot
w ay of production th at doe s not h ave to
ch ange by itse l f, since it's drive n by gre e d for
com pe te on th e fre e m ark e t. Farm e rs and
profit and accum ul ation of capital .
w ith
consum e rs re l ate to e ach oth e r on a re gional l e ve l , w h ich not onl y re duce s transport, but it
Pe opl e in th e gl obalsouth are dail y facing th e
al so puts pe opl e in cl ose r re l ation w ith th e ir
conse q ue nce s
food and w h e re it com e s from . Production of
pe rsiste nt
food
industrialpow e rs is an invitation for al lto
can
be
m anage d
w ith out agro-
of
struggl e
gl obal gre e d. against
th e
ch e m ical s, w ith out de fore station, w ith out
tak e action.
m onocul ture , and can give space for a
Join th e struggl e .W e are e ve ryw h e re .
production
w h ich
sustainabl e w age s.
e m pl oys
pe opl e
Th e ir rul ing
to One action says m ore th an 8716 w ords. (W h ich is e xactly h ow m any w ords you h ave just re ad in th is re ade r).
Se e you at th e barricade s! w w w .pig8s oy.org
w w w .pig8soy.org