Food Policy and Politics
Food Policy and Politics
Question 1: [2 pages single space] The US Supreme Court will be hearing [2022] a case involving CA Law that bans extreme confinement in animals – pork being the case in point. The law has been opposed by the Pork industry as well as the Department of Justice. While the current issue is confined to pigs, there are other animals at stake as well. Who will you support and why? What are some of the other concerns regarding animal production that you think ought to be matter of public conversation? As you respond to the question – consider your ethical position. Please see the news story below –
Question 2: [2 pages single space] Modern industrial farming has allowed for an abundance of food to be produced. But this production has come at certain costs. What are the three most urgent alterations you would seek to the existing farm system and why? Make sure that your priority list is carefully thought through and not a random pick – you will after all have to defend why these are the most urgent.
Please bear in mind that this is not the place to revisit EAT-Lancet’s dietary recommendations. You are not responsible for the segment on Water, though you must consider Biotechnology. How you will weave in your arguments and use the material discussed and assigned is left to your creative imagination.
Keep in mind your opinion, is not a general airing of your views but must be grounded in your readings and discussions. You are responsible for everything you have read/discussed in the context of food production that has been discussed so far. An A grade shows good writing, clarity of argument, thoughtful inclusion of reading material and discussion. The question requires some creative thinking and response.
Exam requirements: 4 pages single space. Times Roman. Due Date: October 16, 11.p.m.
As always it is your responsibility to make sure that you do not plagiarize and that any material you copy, is cited. Please avoid borrowing from others. I do not want inclusion of any material that is outside of this class. Your sole responsibility is to what has been assigned. Write carefully and concisely, avoiding repetition. There is much ground that you have to cover, so space is premium.
Exam Questions
Question 1: The US Supreme Court will be hearing [2022] a case involving CA Law that bans extreme confinement in animals – pork being the case in point. The law has been opposed by the Pork industry as well as the Department of Justice. While the current issue is confined to pigs, there are other animals at stake as well. Who will you support and why? What are some of the other concerns regarding animal production that you think ought to be matter of public conversation?
Introduction
Extreme confinement in animals such as pigs should be banned. Other than violating the “dormant commerce clause” of the constitution, it negatively impacts the environment in which several living things recede (Bolotnikova, 2). Prop 12, for instance, imposes a profound burden on interstate trade. It violates the legislative policy preventing discrimination in interstate commerce. The banning, which focuses on uncooked pork cuts such as pork chops and bacon, is also important for protecting firm animals by primarily passing laws banning the use of battery cages for gestation crates for cows, laying hens, and veal crates for calves. In addition to states such as Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Florida, California could be the next to ban farm animal confinement for the reasons mentioned above. This paper argues for the need for the US Supreme Court to ban the extreme confinement of animals. It also discusses other concerns regarding animal production that I think ought to be a matter of public conversation.
Despite lobby groups for some industries arguing Supreme Court to overturn Prop 12, it should still be banned. In the lobby groups’ argument, the banning will affect the whole pork industry apart from the California pork farms (Bolotnikova, 3). To them, the banning will negatively impact the multi-state pork production activities and processes. Despite the argument, I feel that the US Supreme Court should ban extreme confinement in animals such as pigs. In general, extreme confinement in animals violates the Dormant Commerce Clause of the constitution as it imposes an extensive burden on interstate trade. Besides, the US constitution fails to guarantee the pork producers uninhibited national market. The overall action is to prevent interstate commerce discrimination. Local and state laws regulate goods produced in their regions. This, which includes animal welfare laws, also incorporates low-carbon fuel standards, local and state prohibition on carcinogenic ingredients produced for personal care products, and lead in food containers. Besides, with the adverse outcomes of extreme animal confinement to the environment, there is a need for its prohibition. With the rampant air, soil, and water pollution, it is inevitable that individuals working or living near extreme animal confinement farms are affected. The farm workers, for instance, are at risk of death from methane inhalation in addition to allergic reactions and respiratory disease. Other than farm workers, health issues affect the local residents at large. This includes local residents living one to five miles from such farms. They are likely to suffer from nasal allergies, asthma, and lung allergies. Air pollutants from extreme animal confinement farms and cesspools, as well as waste sprays, affect nearby residents and impact severally their lifestyle. They can result in anxiety, stress, respiratory conditions, mucous membrane irritation, and acute blood pressure elevation.
On the other hand, some of the other concerns regarding animal production that I think should be a matter of public conversation include introducing and implementing battery cages on chickens and veal crates on calves. Primarily, the chickens placed in cages have minimal spaces to move around. Therefore, they cannot dust, bathe, scratch forage, nest or spread their wings. Besides that, the chickens cannot sit on the egg clutch. The cages indeed damage their feet. Besides, they recede there entirely, which denies them everything worthwhile. A law should be introduced prohibiting the use of battery cages on chickens. Also, since the male calves fail to produce milk and are not fit for beef, after birth, they are heisted from their mothers to avoid drinking the valuable milk and placed in the veal crates. They are confined there, chained, and cannot even turn around. Also, in the veal crates, they are fed formula lacking iron. Other than making the calves prone to diarrhea and enteritis, such practices also force them to suffer from ulcers or digestive infections. Thus state and local laws should be implemented to avoid such dreadful practices against animals.
Conclusion
Extreme confinement in animals such as pigs should be banned. Even with the lobby groups arguing that the banning will affect the whole pork industry apart from the California pork farms, extreme confinement in animals should be prohibited. In general, extreme confinement in animals violates the Dormant Commerce Clause of the constitution as it imposes an extensive burden on interstate trade. The US constitution fails to guarantee the pork producers uninhibited national market. The overall action is to prevent interstate commerce discrimination. Besides that, with the adverse outcomes of extreme animal confinement to the environment, there is a need for its prohibition. With its rampant air, soil, and water pollution, it is inevitable that individuals working or living near extreme animal confinement farms are affected. The farm workers, for instance, are at risk of death from methane inhalation in addition to allergic reactions and respiratory disease. Also, some other concerns regarding animal production that I think should be a matter of public conversation include the introduction and implementation of battery cages for chickens and veal crates for calves. Primarily, the chickens placed in cages have minimal spaces to move around. Therefore, they cannot dust, bathe, scratch forage, nest or spread their wings. They recede entirely, which denies them everything worthwhile. A law should be introduced prohibiting the use of battery cages on chickens.
Question 2: Modern industrial farming has allowed for an abundance of food to be produced. But this production has come at certain costs. What are the three most urgent alterations you would seek to the existing farm system and why? Make sure that your priority list is carefully thought through and not a random pick – you will after all have to defend why these are the most urgent.
Introduction
Modern industrial farming combines technological and social processes. It thus sorts to increase agricultural yields for the human population by allowing farmers to apply fossil fuel for mechanization, energy, and advanced crop breeding techniques. Also, it increases food production since large-scale industrial farms produce food faster and in large amounts. Despite its importance, modern industrial farming faces several costs ranging from human health and safety costs, social and economic costs, and, farmland and rural environment costs (Bolotnikova, 2). Therefore, it is important for farmers to consider practices that limit several costs, regardless of their specialization under modern industrial farming. This section of the paper discusses the most urgent alterations you would seek to modern industrial farming. The urgent alterations include the introduction of biotechnology and eliminating the use of confinement systems such as battery cages and gestation crates. Also, farmers can closely regulate the types and amounts of antibiotics used in factory farms and reduce the use of chemical pesticides and genetically modified organisms.
Modern industrial farming requires farmers to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and genetically modified organisms. New chemical pesticides are very expensive than the ones created years ago. The cost of chemical pesticides increases from one year to the next. Therefore, it is important for farmers to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by using biological control techniques such as nematodes to control unwanted pests (Bolotnikova, 3). Besides, biological control techniques welcome insects such as ladybugs eating or parasitizing pests. Additionally, genetically modified organisms are costly. For instance, their discovery, development, and authorization cost firms a lot. Farmers can also focus on organic farming instead of genetically modified organisms as they do not use toxic chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Besides, compared to conventional agriculture, organic farming uses minimal pesticides, reducing nitrate leaching in the surface water and groundwater. Also, it decreases soil erosion and recycles animal waste back into the industrial firm hence effective for human health and the environment.
On the other hand, it is also important to use biotechnology and eliminate confinement systems such as battery cages and gestation crates to cut the cost associated with modern industrial farming (Bolotnikova, 4). Biotechnology, for instance, helps make weed management and pest control easier and safer. Additionally, it safeguards crops against diseases. For instance, genetically insect-resistant corn and cotton enable reduced-risk herbicide usage, which breaks down in the soil easily. Also, they are non-toxic to humans and wildlife. Sequentially, herbicide-tolerant crops and no-till are compatible and eliminate agricultural tillage systems helping preserve the soil from erosion. It is important to eliminate the use of confinement systems such as battery cages and gestation crates. Total confinement systems, for instance, are more costly than pasture systems. Also, with semi-confinement systems, animal grazing is unavailable when there is high drought, and hay is very expensive. Besides, using a concentrated diet, labor, and feed costs in confinement for the calf-cow system is seemingly expensive.
Cutting on financial costs in modern industrial farming, farmers can closely regulate the types and amounts of antibiotics used in the factory. With that, farmers can know which antibiotics are resistant. Antibiotic resistance, for instance, reduces food production, increases food safety concerns and economic losses, and could result in environmental contamination (Bolotnikova, 4). Thus, modern industrial farmers must analyze their antibiotic type before usage as they can impact the farm’s overall activities and practices, forcing it to experience an additional cost. On the other hand, regulating the types and amounts of antibiotics used in factories could also help the farmers understand the importance of putting low antibiotic doses in animal feeds. For instance, placing a small amount of antibiotics in feeds for animals like sheep and cattle assists in producing high-quality yet low-cost foods. Additionally, they keep the animals disease-free hence growing faster. When animals are healthy, they do not spend their time and energy fighting illnesses. Antibiotics inhibit microbes’ growth in the animal’s gastrointestinal tract enabling immune responses to the host.
Conclusion
Modern industrial farming faces several costs, including human health and safety, social and economical, and farmland and rural environment costs. Therefore, it is important for farmers to consider practices that limit several costs, regardless of their specialization under modern industrial farming. Some of the most urgent alterations you would seek to modern industrial farming include the introduction of biotechnology and the elimination of the use of confinement systems such as battery cages and gestation crates. Also, farmers can closely regulate the types and amounts of antibiotics used in factory farms and reduce the use of chemical pesticides and genetically modified organisms. Farmers can closely regulate the types and amounts of antibiotics used in the factory. With that, farmers can know which antibiotics are resistant. Antibiotic resistance, for instance, reduces food production, increases food safety concerns and economic losses, and could result in environmental contamination. Thus, modern industrial farmers must analyze their antibiotic type prior to usage as they can impact the farm’s overall activities and practices, forcing it to experience additional costs.
Works Cited
Bolotnikova M. US Supreme Court to hear case on California’s ban on extreme confinement crates (2022): 1-5. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/03/supreme-court-proposition-12-pig-gestation-crates-california-animal-welfare-law
