Deforestation
According to Cowspiracy, “animal agriculture” is responsible for 91% of Amazon deforestation. Vegan activists repeatedly claim that the Amazon Rainforest is being cut down primarily to make room for pastureland and fields to grow feed crops.
Not only is this inaccurate, but it’s physically impossible for a number of reasons. |
What is in Livestock Grain
The majority of livestock grain is not fully produced crops—it’s seeds and oils. Seeds are used because they have a higher concentration of nutrients that the plant would use when it sprouts, making it a more active ingredient in livestock grain. Some types of livestock grain are made up of the by-products that are left over after food processing, such as corn gluten feed or corn gluten meal. If these byproducts weren’t going to be fed to livestock, corn gluten feed and many other food processing by-products would become pollutants because they have no other use.
The majority of livestock grain is not fully produced crops—it’s seeds and oils. Seeds are used because they have a higher concentration of nutrients that the plant would use when it sprouts, making it a more active ingredient in livestock grain. Some types of livestock grain are made up of the by-products that are left over after food processing, such as corn gluten feed or corn gluten meal. If these byproducts weren’t going to be fed to livestock, corn gluten feed and many other food processing by-products would become pollutants because they have no other use.
Two exceptions to this are soybean and sugarcane. Soybeans are usually only fed in drought conditions, although some farmers believe it can be beneficial year-round. Sugarcane is used in the form of molasses, and is probably the only feed crop that can be linked directly to South American nations… but not deforested land (more on that in a second).
There’s also the issue of a lack of technology for grain processing in South America. All of the grain ingredients I’ve addressed so far require advanced machinery and thorough education of livestock nutrition—two things that South American ranchers don’t have access to. Even if fully produced crops were manufactured into livestock grain, it would require money and resources to build mills to mix and package the grain. For these reasons, beef cattle raised in South America are all almost exclusively grass fed.
Rainforest Land is Not Suitable for Crops
The main reason why agriculture could never be a leading driver of deforestation is that land that houses forests simply cannot sustain crops. Because of the high moisture content and the methods in which rainforests recycle nutrients (nutrients are stored in the live vegetation, especially trees, not the actual soil), the ground that used to be home to forests will not grow crops. The Brazilian government refuses to subsidize farmers who try to till previously deforested land because it’s not efficient.
The ground may sustain a small harvest for a few years after the ground has been cleared by using the decomposed plant material (compost) for nutrients, but once that is used up, the high moisture content of the land leeches all nutrients out of the soil making farming next to impossible. Previously deforested lands also suffer from poor soil structure and inhibited groundwater flow.
Deforestation and Pastureland
The notion that forest land is being cut down for pastureland is misleading. Although it’s true that many cattle raisers expand onto or migrate through the lands after it’s cleared, the forest is not being cut down because the farmers asked for it to be. Deforestation would continue at the same rate even if all livestock was removed from Brazil. It’s important to note that most breeds of cattle native to that area can survive in the forest—this means that forests don’t need to be cut down for livestock production to occur. In fact, many South American livestock raisers prefer to keep their cattle protected in the cover of the forests.
So no… deforestation is not being done for agriculture. The reason people are cutting down the trees is for lumber. Environmental researchers are placing the blame of this environmental assault entirely on the lumber companies. And common sense tells us that, if the impoverished agricultural industry cannot afford feed mills, they definitely are not able to fund the massive excavation efforts, including millions of dollars of machinery, fuel, and salaries that are required to cut down the Amazon.
There’s also the issue of a lack of technology for grain processing in South America. All of the grain ingredients I’ve addressed so far require advanced machinery and thorough education of livestock nutrition—two things that South American ranchers don’t have access to. Even if fully produced crops were manufactured into livestock grain, it would require money and resources to build mills to mix and package the grain. For these reasons, beef cattle raised in South America are all almost exclusively grass fed.
Rainforest Land is Not Suitable for Crops
The main reason why agriculture could never be a leading driver of deforestation is that land that houses forests simply cannot sustain crops. Because of the high moisture content and the methods in which rainforests recycle nutrients (nutrients are stored in the live vegetation, especially trees, not the actual soil), the ground that used to be home to forests will not grow crops. The Brazilian government refuses to subsidize farmers who try to till previously deforested land because it’s not efficient.
The ground may sustain a small harvest for a few years after the ground has been cleared by using the decomposed plant material (compost) for nutrients, but once that is used up, the high moisture content of the land leeches all nutrients out of the soil making farming next to impossible. Previously deforested lands also suffer from poor soil structure and inhibited groundwater flow.
Deforestation and Pastureland
The notion that forest land is being cut down for pastureland is misleading. Although it’s true that many cattle raisers expand onto or migrate through the lands after it’s cleared, the forest is not being cut down because the farmers asked for it to be. Deforestation would continue at the same rate even if all livestock was removed from Brazil. It’s important to note that most breeds of cattle native to that area can survive in the forest—this means that forests don’t need to be cut down for livestock production to occur. In fact, many South American livestock raisers prefer to keep their cattle protected in the cover of the forests.
So no… deforestation is not being done for agriculture. The reason people are cutting down the trees is for lumber. Environmental researchers are placing the blame of this environmental assault entirely on the lumber companies. And common sense tells us that, if the impoverished agricultural industry cannot afford feed mills, they definitely are not able to fund the massive excavation efforts, including millions of dollars of machinery, fuel, and salaries that are required to cut down the Amazon.
They Don't Export
Because the soil from fields that were previously rainforest cannot sustain intensive farming, it would be completely illogical for largescale farm operations (the only kind that would have the resources to export goods to developed countries—the places where people care enough about the rainforests to cut supposedly problematic products out of their diet) to set up shop on these lands. They simply wouldn’t yield enough goods to take care of themselves, much less to have enough to ship to other countries. |
As for the livestock raised on previously deforested lands, developed countries do not allow animal products from most South American countries to be imported. In June of 2017, the USDA banned all beef imports from Brazil to America because the meat was not passing sanitary inspections. Another concern about importing beef from these regions is that they don’t vaccinate for Foot and Mouth Disease which has caused horrific and fast-spreading outbreaks across the northeastern regions of South America. Furthermore, there really is no need to import meats from these areas. Speaking for America in particular, we produce 20% of the world’s beef and only are responsible for feeding 4.6% of the world’s population.
In Conclusion
This is not to say that deforestation isn’t a serious problem. However, agriculturalists are not the culprits. What’s more is that many agricultural organizations in developed countries have provided recommendations and resources to South American farmers to help them use more sustainable practices. Farmers care about the environment just as much as you do. However, to solve this problem, we cannot give into propaganda from public interest groups who are attempting to misdiagnose the problem for personal gain. We all need to do unbiased research and practice logical reasoning to educate ourselves about the real driver of deforestation, and implement sensible solutions to end the problem.
In Conclusion
This is not to say that deforestation isn’t a serious problem. However, agriculturalists are not the culprits. What’s more is that many agricultural organizations in developed countries have provided recommendations and resources to South American farmers to help them use more sustainable practices. Farmers care about the environment just as much as you do. However, to solve this problem, we cannot give into propaganda from public interest groups who are attempting to misdiagnose the problem for personal gain. We all need to do unbiased research and practice logical reasoning to educate ourselves about the real driver of deforestation, and implement sensible solutions to end the problem.