Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Writes Eric Schlosser in the foreword of
Slaughterhouse Blues: The Meat and Poultry
Industry in North America
: “America's
current methods of raising livestock and
processing meat . . . imposes enormous
costs upon society that are not reflected
in the price of meat. Much like industrial
polluters in the days before environmental
laws, today's meatpacking companies are
now imposing their business costs on the
rest of the nation. . . . [T]he current system
needlessly harms workers, consumers, and
the environment. It mistreats animals. It
brings poverty, drug abuse, and crime to
rural communities. When all the social costs
are tallied, our cheap meat is much more
expensive than we can afford.”
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