[INFORMATIVE] How Cattle Farming Impacts the Environment

How Cattle Farming Impacts the Environment

By: Maithirry Sarangan

Cattle farming (which is identified as the cultivation of cattle in order for them to be eligible to provide food through dairy production or for them to become the food) is one of the driving forces of climate change. While beef and dairy production is one of the highest income sectors for agriculture, it is also one of the most harmful types of agriculture. With the world's increasing population, the demand for dairy products and beef also increases, causing the environment to suffer the consequences. The growing demand is shown by the statistics, as it is predicted that by the year 2030, cattle production will increase to 69-89 million tonnes.

The reason that cattle production specifically has an impact on the environment is due to the cows producing methane during their digestive process. Methane is both a hydrocarbon and a greenhouse gas. While carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas and has a severe impact on the environment, methane is just as dangerous and impactful. This is because methane is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This means that the impact and contribution it has to climate change is proportionally larger than one would expect; as stated, methane is directly responsible for 30% of the current rise in global temperatures.

The cow's diet is the main source of methane production during digestion; methane is merely a waste product, yet it is still a dangerous greenhouse gas. A cow's diet is the main source of methane, grass, hay, and other tough roughage that it consumes when eating. The rumen (a cow's largest stomach) is where fermentation happens and the production of a useless by-product: methane. This gas is then removed from the cow through the cow's bleaches, and this releases methane into the atmosphere. This then causes methane gas to trap heat from the sun, resulting in the temperature of the Earth rising. This then contributes to climate change.

On the other hand, even if cows produce a large percentage of methane, which is a major driving factor for climate change, humans have also caused an impact on the environment through cattle farming.For instance, 80% of the deforested land in the Amazon rainforest is used for cattle farming. One of the driving forces for deforestation all over the world is the expansion of the cattle farming industry expanding and taking more space. The sheer waste of space is evidently seen as cattle farming being a driving force for deforestation, as the Amazon rainforest is being chopped down to make room for cattle farming. Deforestation can have numerous impacts on the environment, making it clear that cattle farming has a huge impact on the environment.

Not only is a significantly large amount of land wasted, but the words value resources. It is calculated that for one pound of beef, 1799 gallons of water. The amount of water used to produce beef is just an example of water being wasted. This water waste indicates that there will definitely be an environmental impact. Due to the water waste from cattle farming, ecosystems and arid and dry regions of land will be critically affected.

However, the impact of cattle farming on the environment can be reduced and minimised. Virgin Atlantic has removed beef from its menu items on its planes. This is because they have removed unsustainable foods such as beef and palm oil.Another way to minimise impacts is through a cow's diet, which could be changed from grass/hay to red seaweed. This means that methane is not a significant byproduct. This is a step in the right direction to minimise the impact of cattle farming on the environment.

The agriculture industry is a flawed system, and while hundreds of resources are spent on cattle farming, the impacts on the environment are blatantly ignored.The continuous ignorance of the issues surrounding cattle farming needs to be addressed to overcome the impacts of cattle farming. It is always important to consider that you can do your part to support the environment and minimise its impact.


Citations:
Giuseppe, P., Acciaro, M., Alberto Stanislao, A., Battacone, G., Crovetto, G. M., Marcello , M., Pirlo, G., & Rassu, , S. P. G. (2021, October 9). Animal Board invited review – beef for future: Technologies for a sustainable and profitable beef industry. Animal. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731121002019

Environmental Protection Agency. (2016, November 15). Importance of Methane. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane#:~:text=Methane%20is%20more%20than%2028,due%20to%20human%2Drelated%20activities.

International Energy Agency. Global Methane Tracker 2022: Methane and Climate Change. IEA, 2022, www.iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2022/methane-and-climate-change. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.

Branson, Richard. "Why I've Given up Eating Beef." Virgin, 9 July 2014, www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog/why-ive-given-eating-beef. Accessed 26 Sep. 2024.