Meat has an environmental impact. We all know this. The more we want hamburgers, steak, meatballs, the more cows we have to have at the ready. And, those cattle need somewhere to graze. But there are other environmental consequences, too. Now, we have a very real example of how bad things can get.
Tyson Foods
In 2017, news outlets reported on a ‘dead zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico that was over 8,000 square miles. The culprit according to the environmental group, Mighty Earth, is agribusiness. Interestingly, former congressman, Henry Waxman, chairs the organization. Although there is a “highly industrialized and centralized factory farm system” to blame, one company stands out among the rest. That company? Tyson Foods, supplier of McDonald’s and Walmart. (1)
What Is A Dead Zone?
National Geographic explains it like this:
When pollutants, such as fertilizer, end up in waterways, that water is eventually carried out into the ocean. Then, the “fresh water, less dense than ocean water, sits on top of the ocean, preventing oxygen from mixing through the water column.” It gets worse though; “freshwater nutrients can spur a burst of algal growth, which consumes oxygen as the plants decompose. The resulting patch of low-oxygen waters leads to a condition called hypoxia, where animals in the area suffocate and die.” (2)
Results of The Dead Zone
“When the oxygen is below two parts per million, any shrimp, crabs, and fish that can swim away, will swim away,” according to Louisiana State University ocean ecologist, Nancy Rabalais. “The animals in the sediment [that can’t swim away] can be close to annihilated.”
But even the ones who do swim away can be damaged. Shrimp who are impacted by the low oxygen will end up much smaller than normal. (2)
How Is Tyson Responsible?
Well, as explained by The Guardian, “stripped soils can wash away in the rain, bringing fertilisers into waterways.” How does soil become stripped? Well, that happens when farmers and companies remove natural grasses–like, when companies convert land to farmland.
We’ve talked about how farmland feeds animals. And the more animals you have, the more crops you need. But, whether you believe that meat is murder or necessity, the sheer amount of animals slaughtered by Tyson is astounding. In a single week, 35 million chickens and 125,000 cattle were killed. To feed this absolutely monstrous amount of livestock, Tyson uses 5 million acres of corn a year. (1, 2)
#CleanItUpTyson
In September of 2017, cities across America started the hashtag: #CleanItUpTyson. A variety of communities, from New Orleans, to Omaha, Kansas City, Texas, and Chicago, protested the “vast environmental impact” of Tyson. Unfortunately, Tyson causes “widespread water pollution, clearance of natural landscapes, high rates of soil erosion, and greenhouse gas emissions.” Significantly, the press release from Mighty Earth says that all the environmental damage Tyson causes have a financial impact on real people. “Local communities from the Heartland to the Gulf are among those most affected by the meat industry’s impacts,” says the press release. These communities “pay billions each year in clean up costs.” (3)
