According to the
Associated Press, Ohio’s natural resources agency fined the operators of three farming
businesses more than $30,000 for polluting nearby rivers with livestock manure, which led to the deaths of tens of
thousands of fish.
State officials found
that the manure spills killed nearly 67,000 fish, including minnows and sunfish
in creeks in Williams, Allen, and Hardin counties.
Unfortunately,
spills like this happen all too often as toxins from factory farm runoff,
mainly manure and fertilizer, leak into nearby waterways. These toxins promote
the growth of algae blooms, which create oxygen-deprived zones that cause
marine life to die.
Animal agriculture
is a major source of water pollution. In total, animal excrement and
agricultural runoff have polluted nearly one-third of rivers in the U.S.
Recently, Tyson
Poultry Inc., a subsidiary of Tyson, pleaded guilty to two violations of the Clean
Water Act from a 2014 spill after
a tank used to store an acidic feed supplement sprang a leak at Tyson’s Aurora
feed mill. The spill, which caused major environmental damage, killed about
108,000 fish in Clear Creek. Alimet, the feed supplement, is known to contain ammonia and is extremely toxic to fish.
But it’s not just
Tyson. Several other large-scale meat producers ranked higher in toxic releases
than Exxon, including Perdue Farms and Pilgrim’s Pride. HP Hood, a dairy
company, came under fire earlier this year for regularly violating
pollution limits in
wastewater since 2014.
Factory farming is
not only damaging to human health and the environment but also unspeakably cruel to
farmed animals.
Pigs, cows, and
chickens at factory farms endure miserable conditions and suffer appalling cruelties, such as extreme confinement, barbaric
mutilations, and violent deaths.
Watch.
It’s abundantly
clear that the meat, dairy, and egg industries don’t care about the planet, our
health, or the well-being of animals. But you can boycott these destructive and
cruel industries by withdrawing your financial support and switching to a
compassionate vegan diet.
Click here to get started!