Page 57 - The Welfare of Cattle

34 the WeLfare of CattLe

resources such as surface and ground water. In the EU, member states are required to design a
“program of measures” to ensure compliance with the existing microbiological standards of bath-
ing waters (CEC, 2006; Kay et al., 2007; WHO, 2003). In the USA, a series of Best Management
Practices (BMPs) and technologies such as using vegetative filter strips (small areas of grass that
surface runoff must transverse before leaving the farm) adjacent to confined animal feeding oper-
ations, and the use of anaerobic digesters, animal lagoons, and composting for treating animal
manure before applying it as fertilizers, have been suggested and widely implemented for treating
animal waste and controlling runoff from landscapes receiving animal manure (Atwill et al., 2002;
Kearney et al., 1993; Krieger et al., 1975; Lund et al., 1983; Nicholson et al., 2005; Oeschner and
Doll, 2000). Research is ongoing to identify and implement methods that will further reduce or
eliminate pathogens in manure.

IMPOrtaNCe OF CONFINeD aNIMaL FeeDING OPeratIONS
IN FOOD SUPPLY aND MaNUre MaNaGeMeNt

The debate about the future of confined animal feeding operations is ongoing with opponents
and proponents on both sides of the confinement issue. What is considered as fact is that confined/
intensive operations produce more food per unit input of resources such as land and water, and also
provide an option for lower environmental contamination of pathogens per unit of food produced.
The low recovery of manure in extensive systems with large areas results in more environmental
contamination on a per animal basis.

NeCeSSItY OF INteNSIVe aNIMaL PrODUCtION SYSteMS

Approximately 71% of earth surface area is under water, and only 29% of earth surface is land
area. Of this remaining 29%, we are already using more than 36% of land for agriculture, with 30%
in forests and 3% in urban use (World Bank, 2016). The remaining 31% is covered by various land-
scapes such as mountains, permanent snow, river, lakes, reservoirs, and is unlikely to be suitable
for food production.
Table 5.3 represents a scenario analysis of the land area required to support the numbers of beef,
dairy, swine & poultry currently residing in the top five states in the USA for each animal type if
they were moved from confinement to extensive systems (using standard stocking density numbers
currently in use). It shows that there is insufficient land to support the current animal production
numbers and the shortfall will be much greater as the world’s human population continues to grow.
There is a finite amount of land suitable for food production, and there is a recognized need to
preserve rain forests and other important ecosystems to maintain the Earth’s life-sustaining envi-
ronment. There is a foreseeable increased demand for food to meet the needs of the Earth’s growing
population and a market economically rewarding those who produce meat, milk, eggs, and animal-
associated by-products. The markets for more food and higher quality protein cannot be met in
extensive animal production systems because there is insufficient land to do so.

SUMMarY

• Microbial organisms are everywhere, including on the outside and inside of animals and humans.
• Most of these microbes are critical to our health; however, some can cause disease (pathogens) and
some can cause disease in both animals and humans (zoonotic pathogens).
• Animals and humans produce a significant amount of manure and sewage that contain high numbers
of microbes; some of which are pathogens.