Food & Water Watch Oregon: it’s time for a factory farm moratorium now
Source: The DairyNews
Recent analysis of the USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture data by Food & Water Watch has unveiled a concerning trend in Oregon's industrial animal agriculture sector.
The findings, released yesterday, indicate a 60% increase in the number of cows on mega-dairies in the state from 2002 to 2022, accompanied by a 50% growth in the average mega-dairy size. This surge in factory farming poses a threat to family-scale operations, the environment, and has spurred a grassroots campaign for a moratorium on new and expanding factory farms.
The number of cows on Oregon's mega-dairies surged by 60% over the past two decades, coupled with a 50% increase in the average mega-dairy size, USDA reported.
The dominance of factory farms has led to a significant decline in small dairies outside the factory farm system. Oregon witnessed a net loss of 620 family-scale dairies, with 126 fewer reported over the last five years alone (2017 to 2022).
Mega-dairies in Oregon collectively generate a staggering 4 billion pounds of manure annually, equivalent to the waste produced by over two-thirds of the state's human population or three million people.
The consequences of this industrialization are far-reaching, contributing to a water pollution crisis in Northeast Oregon. The contamination, linked to nitrates from pollution by factory farms and row crops grown to feed confined animals, poses severe health risks such as cancers, birth defects, and developmental delays.
Aimee Travis, Food & Water Watch Oregon Organizer, emphasized the urgent need for action: "Oregon's massive mega-dairies are wreaking havoc on small farmers, rural communities, public health, and the environment. As factory farming expands and pollution goes unchecked, thousands of people in Northeast Oregon are left with contaminated drinking water. State legislators must act quickly to safeguard Oregonians’ air, water, health, and independent farmers — it’s time for a factory farm moratorium now."
The number of cows on Oregon's mega-dairies surged by 60% over the past two decades, coupled with a 50% increase in the average mega-dairy size, USDA reported.
The dominance of factory farms has led to a significant decline in small dairies outside the factory farm system. Oregon witnessed a net loss of 620 family-scale dairies, with 126 fewer reported over the last five years alone (2017 to 2022).
Mega-dairies in Oregon collectively generate a staggering 4 billion pounds of manure annually, equivalent to the waste produced by over two-thirds of the state's human population or three million people.
The consequences of this industrialization are far-reaching, contributing to a water pollution crisis in Northeast Oregon. The contamination, linked to nitrates from pollution by factory farms and row crops grown to feed confined animals, poses severe health risks such as cancers, birth defects, and developmental delays.
Aimee Travis, Food & Water Watch Oregon Organizer, emphasized the urgent need for action: "Oregon's massive mega-dairies are wreaking havoc on small farmers, rural communities, public health, and the environment. As factory farming expands and pollution goes unchecked, thousands of people in Northeast Oregon are left with contaminated drinking water. State legislators must act quickly to safeguard Oregonians’ air, water, health, and independent farmers — it’s time for a factory farm moratorium now."
