'Factory Farming' Event at Lakewood Public Library

A public forum hosted by The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Reforming Industrial Animal Agriculture Campaign

Presenter:  Tom Bullock, Ohio Representative, The Pew Charitable Trusts

When: Sunday, April 28, 2013, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Where: Multi-Purpose Room, Lakewood Public Library, Main Library, 15425 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio

Join Tom Bullock for a presentation and discussion of the public health and environmental impacts of factory farms that provide the vast majority of meat in our grocery stores.  Hosted by The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Reforming Industrial Animal Agriculture Campaign, the forum will describe changes needed “to move a broken, unhealthy and unsustainable system of food production toward a new model that is less damaging to the environment, rural communities, human health and animal welfare.”

Background:   

In the last few years, Northeast Ohio has seen twin trends: a growth in severity of Lake Erie algae blooms, and rapid growth of urban farming and community-supported agriculture. Ohioans are increasingly choosing fresh, local food and are spending their dollars to support farmers whom they know personally and can ask questions about health and environmental impacts of food production. Sustainable agriculture is taking root and is  positively impacting public health, animal welfare, the environment, and rural communities. 

It's not only vegetables and crops, but also food animals (eggs, meat, and dairy), that can be raised more sustainably. A major area in need of reform: Intensive industrial agriculture of hogs, cattle and poultry carries enormous environmental costs. The high concentration of animals leads to vast amounts of manure that is stored outside or spread over nearby fields without environmental safeguards. This waste washes into our waterways and is a leading cause of the dead zones that form in coastal waters. To sustain this system of large-scale production, industrial animal agriculture relies extensively on excessive amounts of antibiotics for animals, increasing bacterial resistance and complicating medical treatment for humans.

This system must change. The Pew Charitable Trusts' Reforming Industrial Animal Agriculture Campaign is working to increase accountability and reduce damage to the environment, communities, human health and animal welfare.

About Pew: 

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. www.PewTrusts.org