Animal agriculture is the second largest cause of our planet’s rapidly declining ecological health.

The problems include deforestation, desertification, water and air pollution, and reduced biological diversity.

Every pound of grain or hay fed to a cow, a chicken, a fish, or a pig, for instance, had to be grown on land that could have produced food directly for humans.

And because every pound of flesh produced requires many pounds of grain or hay, much extra land must be cultivated to produce animal feed than would be used if it was feeding humans directly. Thus, there is much less room for native species.

And every animal raised requires extra water and produces extra waste that frequently ends up polluting our waterways.

By choosing a vegan diet, we dramatically reduce the amount of land needed to produce our food; we dramatically reduce the pollution caused from producing our food; we save forests, species, and reduce the additional hidden environmental costs of treating the diseases brought on by diets high in animal fats.

And it's not just factory farming.

For instance, herding goats is a primary cause for the expansion of the Sahara Desert. Trees are cut down so that goats can feed on the leaves they would not otherwise be able to reach. Animal agriculture, wherever it is widely practiced, always comes with extraordinary environmental costs.

For much more about the many problems associated with animal agriculture visit  Vegan Outreach.

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