
I’ve often wondered how any reasonable human can look at those operations and think there is even the tiniest part of the process that is acceptable and sustainable.
All emotion aside, what exactly is a CAFO? According to the U.S. government, to be classified as a CAFO one must first be classified as an AFO. An AFO is “a large feeding lot where animals are confined for 45 days or more per year and forage or vegetation” is basically not available to them. Adding the ‘C’ to the AFO gives you a CAFO; which basically refers to the number of animals and the fact that the waste material “comes in contact with the water supply”. I’m not sure which part of any of that sounds like a good idea.
Sadly, the discussion concerning CAFO’s has been so manipulated that it actually sounds like quite a cheery prospect. Take for example the following opening paragraph in a document produced by the CDC and the National Association of Local Boards of Health; this document was produced to help communities prepare for the impact that CAFO’s would have on their local environment, encouraging them to be forward thinking and prepared for welcoming with open arms these devastating operations.


The point of the CDC/NALBOH document is to help local health boards prepare for the impact of CAFO’s on their local environment; things like polluted water from the waste runoff, decreased air quality, how to deal with pathogens introduced from the over crowding and even how it might effect local property values. You may have noticed by now that the main focus of the document and any other supportive discussion about CAFO’s is typically focused on commerce and quantity; in other words, what’s the bottom line. It basically comes down to how much money can be made at the expense of your community, the animal’s well-being, and the environment. Worse yet, the corporations that own the CAFO’s that have moved and are continuing to move into your communities, do not live anywhere near them. In fact, in most cases, they are simply numbers on a ledger; along with a group of other numbers around the country.

The truth is no matter how you cut it, there is no good reason to have CAFO’s in your community. CAFO’s are, in fact, an abomination. Don’t take my word for it, read the supporting document, that’s meant to encourage you to say ‘yes’. The financial ‘reward’ won’t go to you or your local economy, yet you will suffer the consequences. the environmental impact will be added to the list of things that require taxation, (a list that’s already too long), not to mention will impact your local healthcare system, and there is always looming in the story, the marked suffering of animals in this predicament...and trust me, they do indeed suffer.
We vote with our dollars, I encourage you to purchase small farm, pasture raised meats, eggs, and other animal products. This will come back to you and your community in so many supportive ways that you can’t even yet imagine.
CDC NALBOH Document
More about CAFO's