Exploring Health and Environmental Costs of Food Workshop Summary (2012) / Chapter Skim
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6 Exploring Costs and Benefits
6 Exploring Costs and Benefits
Pages 67-82
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From page 67... ...
For example, concentrated animal feeding operations may provide improved control of some pathogens of public health concern and create less waste per pound of product, but these large operations also produce considerable quantities of manure that may lead to run-off problems when applied to nearby cropland. To reiterate the linkages and provide a more complete picture, some effects may appear in more than one of the subsequent working group summaries.
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From page 68... ...
Trade-offs related to the source of the effect and methodologies and limitations to measuring trade-offs 6. The life cycle stage during which the effect occurs (e.g., production, processing, distribution)
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From page 69... ...
With respect to GHG emissions, LCA could be used to evaluate both major emissions (i.e., CO2, CH4, N2O) and minor emissions (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons used as refrigerants; perfluorocarbons used during aluminum production)
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From page 70... ...
Indirect land use change impacts can be important, but are difficult to quantify. With respect to energy usage, Keoleian reported that British thermal units of primary energy consumption can be quantified "pretty well." LCA can also be used to quantify impacts from air pollutant emissions associated with energy usage (e.g., NOx, PM, Hg, SO2 from coal combustion)
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From page 71... ...
Participants highlighted several potential improvement strategies for countering these effects: adjusting animal rations and managing feed quality; harvesting energy from manure through anaerobic digestion; substituting renewable energy sources; and shopping more frequently to reduce household refrigeration. Trade-Offs Related to Alternative Strategies Many participants of the working group recognized that, when considering GHG emissions and energy usage, particularly when considering policies and interventions aimed at reducing GHG emissions or energy usage, one must also consider the human health, environmental health, and economic trade-offs.
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From page 72... ...
. SOIL, WATER, AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF FOOD PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, AND CONSUMPTION Participants in this group spent most of their time discussing challenges to characterizing the soil, water, and other environmental consequences of the food system, as reported back to the group at large by Justin Derner, research leader for the Rangeland Resources Research Unit of the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
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From page 73... ...
Effects to Consider Although they did not identify externalities in the pure economic sense of the word, the group participants considered a wide range of effects: soil water erosion, soil wind erosion, soil fertility, water quality, water quantity, water scarcity, biodiversity, air quality/odors, pesticides, herbicides, open spaces, genetically modified organisms (plant and possibly animal) , land use change, and deforestation.
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From page 74... ...
; a realization that the global supply of phosphorous is limited and predicted to be depleted in less than a century, with consequences for cropping systems; the likelihood that there may be "sensitive areas" of high concern that could be targeted for sampling, with a cluster analysis focused on those areas; and water laws/rights and their impact on the cost of food. CONSEQUENCES OF ANTIMICROBIAL USE IN AGRICULTURE This group focused most of its discussion on swine production, reported facilitator Michael Doyle, Regents Professor of Food Microbiology and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.
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From page 75... ...
Some individuals suggested that risk assessments are necessary and have been used successfully in the past to address this issue. Others expressed concern that risk assessments modified to evaluate risk from the use of antimicrobials in agriculture would be too costly and that conducting risk assessments on every antibiotic in every animal species would not be feasible.
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From page 76... ...
• Data on the evolution and transfer of resistance genes in different types of bacteria • Data on co-selection • Data on the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant microbes -- that is, the number of animals in an animal production facility actually carrying resistant strains of potentially harmful microbes • Data on the impacts of different farm practices on disease manage ment (e.g., Doyle suggested that Denmark would be a good place to start with respect to studying the impact of different farm practices, given its major strides in reducing antimicrobial use without impact ing production cost or efficiency) Many participants also emphasized possible improvements to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, which is the main system used to monitor antimicrobial resistance in animals, humans, and meats.
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From page 77... ...
; • mental health impacts (e.g., mental stress associated with living or working near concentrated animal feeding operations [CAFOs] or with living and working conditions among migrant laborers)
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From page 78... ...
Federal agencies, state departments of public health, and possibly some private-sector organizations will be important sources of data; examples include the EPA for air and water pollution exposure data, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, state health departments and possibly labor unions for occupational safety data, and the CDC for surveillance data on foodborne illness and other health outcomes. The 2003 Institute of Medicine (IOM)
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From page 79... ...
Potential benefits of CAFOs include an economy of scale that affords more efficient sewage and manure management and, in some cases, improved control of some pathogens. For example, trichinosis from pork has been significantly reduced by the improved rodent control made possible by confined feeding operations.
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From page 80... ...
8. Considering production methods is important when evaluating health impact.
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From page 81... ...
2007. Community health and socioeconomic issues surrounding concentrated animal feeding operations.
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From page 82... ...
2010. Technical Support Document: Social cost of carbon for regulatory impact analysis, Under Executive Order 12866.
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