Our lives are about choices and every choice causes a ripple effect that branches out to the rest of the world.
What am I getting at?
Every single piece of food and drink you buy from a particular company directly affects you, your children and the rest of the world. Negatively or positively, it’s your decision.
It’s a great responsibility and many are uncomfortable with it.
For instance meat and fish consumption is a heated subject at the moment and rightly so…
With inhumane viral videos on social media promoting the torture and killing of animals for our nutritional needs, it has a lot of peoples back up. What many people don’t know about are the radically different farming methods out there for animals and fish.
Commercial factory farming is arguably the worst horror for life on planet earth. The inhumane slaughter, terrible conditions and illness inflicted on the animals on such a grand scale is about as bad as it gets.
The result is sick needlessly suffering animals who also make us sick by eating them!
How does it make us sick? When animals are fed a diet of fungal laden grains, treated daily with antibiotics and in a constantly distressed state… mycotoxin build up, toxic fat and disease (including cancer) happens. Healthy meat it isn’t.
On top of all this, factory farming of animals as many of us now know, is one of the biggest influencers of climate change.
For those people in the world not at risk of starvation or nutrient deficiency, boycotting factory farmed meat and fish in my opinion is the way to go!
Those that want a better choice and more humane treatment of animals as well as high quality meat that is health giving, there is an answer that works with nature, not against it.
Organic biodynamic farming offers the highest standard for your health, animal welfare and the future of the planet. This is essential for plant food too not just animals…
How?
Here is the overview of Organic farming facts much of which is from a 30 year direct comparison study:
- Organic yields match conventional yields.
- Organic outperforms conventional in years of drought.
- Organic farming systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system.
- Organic farming uses 45% less energy and is more efficient. Conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases.
- Organic farming systems are more profitable than conventional
- It has been shown by E. Pfeiffer that conventionally grown grains on average contain 12% protein and biodynamic 18%!
‘The hallmark of a truly sustainable system is its ability to regenerate itself. When it comes to farming, the key to sustainable agriculture is healthy soil, since this is the foundation for present and future growth.
Organic farming is far superior to conventional systems when it comes to building, maintaining and replenishing the health of the soil. For soil health alone, organic agriculture is more sustainable than conventional. When one also considers yields, economic viability, energy usage, and human health, it’s clear that organic farming is sustainable, while current conventional practices are not.
As we face uncertain and extreme weather patterns, growing scarcity and expense of oil, lack of water, and a growing population, we will require farming systems that can adapt, withstand or even mitigate these problems while producing healthy, nourishing food.’ Rodale institute.
Emissions:
- The conventional systems emit nearly 40% more greenhouse gases (ghg) per pound of crop produced than the organic systems.
- The biggest ghg emissions from direct inputs in the conventional system came from fertilizer production and on-farm fuel use.
- The biggest ghg emissions from direct inputs in the organic system came from fuel use and seeds.
Top Soil:
Without healthy top soil, farming becomes impossible. And with much of the worlds top soil being destroyed through bad farming practices, the world needs to embrace better methods on a massive scale to reverse this. The U.K has the same problem as the rest of the world…
Human health:
Conventional systems rely heavily on pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) many of which are toxic to humans and animals. They are by name, definition, and purpose, designed to kill.
Numerous studies have begun to capture the true extent of how our low-level exposure to pesticides could be quietly causing serious health problems in our population. The toxins are nearly inescapable in the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe.
- Atrazine1 exposure at time of conception has been linked to lower math and reading skills in children.
- Researchers measured organophosphates2 in the urine of children and discovered levels of chemical indicators up to 14 parts per billion. (All of which disappeared when they were put on an
organic diet.) - Glyphosate3-based herbicides, currently legal in our food at low levels, have been shown to cause dna damage, infertility, low sperm count, and prostrate or testicular cancer in rats.
- Pesticides (including ones that have been banned for years) have been found in breast milk and umbilical cord blood.
- Inactive ingredients in herbicide and pesticide brands have been found to be just as toxic, if not more so, than the active ingredients, and these ingredients aren’t tested for human health impacts before being released.
- 1Atrazine is an active ingredient in herbicides. 2Organophosphates are the basis of many insecticides and herbicides, and are widely used as solvents and plasticizers. 3Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup®
- Some research has found certain agricultural chemicals can alter our dna, meaning the effects can be passed on through the generations.
- More than 17,000 pesticide products for agricultural and non-agricultural use are currently on the market. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to brain/ central nervous system disruption, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, kidney, testicular, and stomach and other cancers.
- The epa has required testing of less than 1% of the chemicals currently in commerce.
- When sampled for herbicide and nutrient leaching into groundwater in the FST, they found: water leaching from the conventional system more frequently exceeded the legal limit of 10 parts per million for nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in drinking water compared to the organic systems. atrazine leaching in the conventional
system sometimes exceeded the maximum contaminate level set by the epa for drinking water. And concentrations in all conventional samples exceeded 0.1 parts per billion, a concentration that has been shown to produce deformities in frogs.
Animal welfare:
The difference for animal welfare in organic biodynamic practices is like night and day. Although some Genotypes can get away with being Vegan as adults (developing children and teenagers is a different story) for a period of time, others simply can’t. Without going into the huge detail needed on the subject, this is vital information for those who are omnivores:
- Must have access to pasture (when weather and ground conditions permit) and are truly free range.
- Must have plenty of space – which helps to reduce stress and disease.
- Are fed a diet that is as natural as possible and free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Over a million tonnes of GM crops are imported each year to feed the majority of non-organic livestock which produce chicken, eggs, pork, bacon, milk, cheese etc. This practice is banned under organic standards.
- Graze and forage naturally on organic pasture (grasses and other crops) where only natural fertilisers are used and pesticides are severely restricted.
- Must not routinely be given antibiotics. Farm animals now account for almost two-thirds of all antibiotics used in the EU. These are passed to us through the food chain
Biodynamic farming goes much further than the above short list. Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) is the world’s leading animal welfare campaigning organisation and is in complete favour of it. Read more below:
RHHP’s recommendation on where to buy your food.
The above picture can be a bit shocking to people. The truth is that many of the food companies supporting factory farming, destruction of wildlife, polluting the environment and poisoning top soil actually own many smaller companies you’d have no idea contribute to the disease and destruction.
What can we do? Money talks… Buy only from companies that support your values!
Below are 3 of the best options you can buy from today:
Rated best to last…
1. Farmers markets and farm delivery companies – Seasonal and as fresh as can be. Many organic and biodynamic farms use this distribution method as there’s more return to the farm itself. Click here for a discount on our favourite:
CLICK HERE
2. Small family businesses that support local farms and organic produce – They have strong relationships with the farmers and you’re guaranteed fresher produce than a supermarket.
3. Anything with the ‘soil association’ logo on it – this guarantees high quality produce in line with the above.
Do your research for your area and you could be surprised as to what you find. Remember it’s not just about your health, it’s about all life, including future generations.
Eat well.
Rupert Hambly
Ref: Soil association. Rodale institute. USDA organic.
