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ducks in the same rice paddies resulted in 500 million cases of influenza during the same year.’ the human can utilize. The fact is that over two-thirds of the feed fed to animals consists of substances that are either undesirable or completely unsuited for human food. Thus, by their ability to convert inedible plant materials to human food, animals not only do not compete with the human; rather, they aid greatly in improving both the quantity and the quality of the diets of human societies.’ their ability to convert inedible plant materials to human There is little doubt, though, that commercial farming methods, food, animals not only do not compete with the human; whether of plants or animals, produce harm to the environment. rather, they aid greatly in improving both the quantity and With the heavy use of agrichemicals, pesticides, artificial fertilis- the quality of the diets of human societies.” ers, hormones, steroids and antibiotics common in modern agri- culture, a better way of integrating animal husbandry with agricul- Furthermore, at the present time, there is more than enough _ ture needs to be found. A possible solution might be a return to food grown in the world to feed all people on the planet. The "mixed farming", described below. problem is widespread poverty, making it impossible for the The educated consumer and the enlightened farmer together starving poor to afford it. In a comprehensive report, the can bring about a return of the mixed farm, where cultivation Population Reference Bureau attributed the world hunger problem of fruits, vegetables and grains is combined with the raising to poverty, not meat-eating.* It also did not consider mass vege- of livestock and fowl in a manner that is efficient, economical tarianism to be a solution for world hunger. and environmentally friendly. For example, chickens run- What would actually happen, however, if animal husbandry ning free in garden areas eat insect pests, while providing were abandoned in favour of mass agriculture, brought about by high-quality eggs; sheep grazing in orchards obviate the humanity turning towards vegetarianism? need for herbicides; and cows grazing in woodlands and If a large number of people switched to vegetarianism, the other marginal areas provide rich, pure milk, making these demand for meat in the United States and Europe would fall, lands economically viable for the farmer. It is not animal the supply of grain would dra- cultivation that leads to hunger matically increase, but the buy- and famine, but unwise agricul- ing power of poor [starving] tural practices and monopolistic eople in Africa and Asia distribution systems.’ eoontdn' change at all Vegans who do not supplement The result would be very pre- their diet with vitamin B12 The "mixed farm" is also healthier dictable: there would be a . . for the soil, which will yield more mass exodus from farming. will eventually get anaemia crops if managed according to tradi- Whereas today the total (a fatal condition) as well as tional guidelines. Mark Purdey has amount of grains produced . . accurately pointed out that a crop could feed 10 billion people, severe nervous and digestive field on a mixed farm will yield up the total amount of grain system damage. to five harvests a year, while a grown in this post-meat world "mono-cropped" one will only yield would likely fall back to about one or two.’ Which farm is produc- 7 or 8 billion. The trend of ing more food for the world's peo- farmers selling their land to developers and others would ples? Purdey well sums up the eco- logical horrors of "battery farming" accelerate quickly.* and points to future solutions by saying: Our agricultural establishments could do very well to outlaw In other words, there would be less food available for the world the business-besotted farmers running intensive livestock to eat. Furthermore, the monoculture of grains and legumes, units, battery systems and beef-burger bureaucracies, with which is what would happen if animal husbandry were abandoned all their wastages, deplorable cruelty, anti-ozone slurry sys- and the world relied exclusively on plant foods for its food, would tems, drug/chemical-induced immunotoxicity resulting in rapidly deplete the soil and require the heavy use of artificial fer- BSE and salmonella, rainforest eradication, etc. Our future tilisers, one ton of which requires ten tons of crude oil to direction must strike the happy, healthy medium of mixed produce.* farms, resurrecting the old traditional extensive system as a As far as the impact on our environment is concerned, a closer basic framework, then bolstering up productivity to present- look reveals the great damage that exclusive and mass farming day demands by incorporating a more updated application of would do. British organic dairy farmer and researcher Mark biological science into farming systems."° Dire. ur “ o Vegans who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will eventually get anaemia (a fatal condition) as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage. In other words, there would be Jess food available for the world to eat. Furthermore, the monoculture of grains and legumes, which is what would happen if animal husbandry were abandoned and the world relied exclusively on plant foods for its food, would rapidly deplete the soil and require the heavy use of artificial fer- tilisers, one ton of which requires ten tons of crude oil to produce.* As far as the impact on our environment is concerned, a closer look reveals the great damage that exclusive and mass farming would do. British organic dairy farmer and researcher Mark Purdey wisely points out that if "veganic agricultural systems were to gain a foothold on the soil, then agrichemical use, soil erosion, cash cropping, prairie-scapes and ill health would esca- late".© Neanderthin author Ray Audette concurs with this view: Since ancient times, the most destructive factor in the degra- dation of the environment has been monoculture agriculture. The production of wheat in ancient Sumeria transformed once-fertile plains into salt flats that remain sterile 5,000 years later. As well as depleting both the soil and water sources, monoculture agriculture also produces environmen- tal damage by altering the delicate balance of natural ecosystems. World rice production in 1993, for instance, caused 155 million cases of malaria by providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes in the paddies. Human contact with It does not appear, then, that livestock farming, when properly practised, damages the environment. Nor does it appear that world vegetarianism and exclusively relying on agriculture to sup- ply the world with food are feasible or ecologically wise ideas. sources, Of all the myths, this is perhaps the most dangerous. While lacto and lacto-ovo vegetarians have sources of vitamin B12 in their diets (from dairy products and eggs), vegans (total vegetari- ans) do not. Vegans who do not supplement their diet with vita- min B12 will eventually get anaemia (a fatal condition) as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage. Most, if not all, 24 ¢ NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2002 MYTH #2: Vitamin B12 can be obtained from plant canreac WWW.NeXU smagazi ne.com