According to the Statesman Journal, Tillamook Bay in Oregon has been closed for two weeks due to a massive liquid manure spill from a nearby dairy farm.
Over 190,000 gallons of manure were released from an above-ground storage tank at Tony Silveira Dairy after a valve broke.
The manure ran into a nearby field, flowed across three other landowners’ properties, and passed through a drainage system that dumps into the Tillamook River, which empties into the bay.
While this has been reported as an accident, the Oregon State Police, Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are all investigating the spill. Wym Matthews, who oversees dairies for the state department of agriculture, said that the farm will probably be cited and fined.
Sadly, the U.S. dairy industry has a record of egregious water pollution. In fact, animal excrement and other agricultural runoff from large-scale farms has already polluted nearly one-third of the nation’s rivers.
What’s more, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits.
Dairy production is not only dangerous for our planet but also terrible for cows, who suffer immensely on dairy farms.
Thankfully, you can join the millions taking a stand against this destructive and cruel industry by switching to a delicious and compassionate vegan diet. Enjoy one of the many plant-based dairy alternatives currently on the market.
Click here for tips on making the transition to a cruelty-free lifestyle.
