Beef, The Big Bad Industry?

by DJL

I came across some information on the Beef Industry that is very interesting indeed and no I am not from PETA or a vegetarian:

More than 6 million hamburgers were sold in fast food restaurants alone last year.
The average American consumes the meat of seven 1,100 pound steers in a lifetime.
100,000 cows are slaughtered ever 24 hours
In South America, the cattle population is approaching the human population.
In Australia cattle outnumber people
Cattle raising is a major factor in the destruction of remaining rain forests.
Since 1960, more than a quarter of Central American forests have been razed to make cattle pastures.
In South America, 38% of the Amazon forest cleared has been for ranching.
According to a 1991 report for the UN, as much as 85% of range-land in the Western U.S. is being destroyed, largely by overgrazing.
Nearly half the water used each year in the U.S. goes to grow feed for cattle and other livestock.
A 1992 study by the California Department of Water Resources reported that more than 1,200 gallons of water are required to produce an 8-ounce boneless steak

Cattle raising is even a significant factor in global warming. The burning of tropical forests to clear land for pasture releases millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.
It is estimated that the earth’s 1.28 billion cattle and other cud-chewing animals are responsible for 12 percent of the methane emitted into the atmosphere.
The beef addiction also contributed to the global food crisis. Cattle and other livestock consume more than 70% of the grain produced in the U.S. and about a 3rd of the world’s total grain harvest- while nearly a billion people suffer from chronic under-nutrition.
If the land now used to grow livestock feed were converted to grow grain for human consumption, we could feed an additional 400 million people.
Even though the Surgeon General is warning Americans to reduce their consumption of saturated fat, the Agriculture Department’s beef promotion and research board is trying to persuade Americans to eat more beef. This year, the board is expected to spend $45 million on advertising.
The government’s grading system to measure the value of beef is also troubling. Established in 1927, the system grades beef on its fat content: the higher the fat “marbling,” the better the beef. By favoring fat over lean beef, the Agriculture Department has helped promote greater amounts of saturated fat in the American diet and, in so doing, has contributed to rising health care costs.
The government has been virtually subsidizing Western cattle ranchers, providing them with cheap access to millions of acres of public land. Today, 30,000 ranchers in 11 Western states pay less then $1.92 a month per cow for the right to graze cattle on nearly 300 million acres of public land.
In 1986, The Reagan Administration estimated the market value for pasturing cattle on the same grasslands to be between $6.40 and $9.50 a month. This giveaway program has resulted in land erosion and the destruction of native habitats and wildlife.