The article
"Dairy Farms key to Local Economy" in the Vernon Morning Star of April 22nd
should be followed by another article entitled "Factory Farms deterrent to Local
Economy" highlighting the hidden and not so hidden but little-known costs
associated with these factories.
Factory farms are a threat
to public health due to their heavy use of chemicals and antibiotics and to the
toxic gases emanating from them. Chemicals are used to drench the surrounding
monoculture fields that grow the GMO crops that feed the animals, and
antibiotics are needed to compensate for illness resulting from extremely
crowded conditions. These find themselves in the water, air, and soil as well as
the food chain contributing to pollution and the rise of antibiotic resistant
bacteria.
Factory farms are also a
threat to the natural environment due to the toxic gases that emanate from them
and due to the over application of manure that runs off the land and accumulates
in waterways and kill aquatic life. In addition, factory farms "take over"
communities by making it unattractive for any other kind of development to
occur. They destroy the charm of rural communities, lower the values of
properties, kill tourism, and make it impossible for small family farms and
rural attractions to survive. It is telling that tourist brochures never showcase an
area by showing these factories.
The hidden
costs of factory farms are borne by all of us through our degraded environment
and reduced health. We pay again through increased taxes for extra water
treatment, farm subsidies that go mostly to factory farms, and for increased
health care costs. The social costs are damaged communities, loss of potential
tourism and business revenues, and loss of good farmland and family
farms.
Huguette
Allen
250-547-0272
Lumby
BC
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