It is no secret that producing meat en masse wreaks havoc on the planet and animal welfare. But, understandably, most attention around the horrors of livestock production is directed to factory farming,
a gruesome system that capitalizes on immense animal suffering while emitting a horrifying amount of greenhouse gasses. A new
study, however, highlights
another dark aspect of meat production: that cattle ranching is destroying the planet too.Sign now to demand that the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management immediately suspend all cattle ranching on public lands and in national parks!A report examining the Point Reyes National Seashore – the most comprehensive independent study to date – confirmed that dangerous water pollution is occuring in the protected area. Over a third of the National Park Service's land at Point Reyes is leased to ranchers, a whopping 28,000 total acres.
All of this ranching is done at the behest of the meat and dairy industry, which grazes an average of 5,000 cattle in the public area. And the environmental consequences of this for-profit industry's access to public land are horrifying.
Livestock grazing can devastate local ecosystems and crucial habitats for hundreds of species.
Grazing has been proven to endanger native species, cause desertification – a process already worsening as the climate warms – and can literally poison water supplies. This is exactly why the number of parks that allow cattle ranching is dwindling. The dangers of grazing on protected lands are well known, and there is no reason this practice should still be allowed at Point Reyes.
To make matters worse, the private ranching taking place on this land is government subsidized, meaning our government is actively propping up an industry that is polluting local waterways. Wild animals and visiting humans deserve access to clean, healthy waterways, and protection from water pollution.
We must tell the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management that it is time to finally suspend cattle ranching on all public lands and national parks! Sign now if you agree!