The Month in a Minute: October 2024

A report from the World Wildlife Foundation revealed that over the past 50 years, wildlife populations have shrunk by 73 percent thanks to habitat loss caused by unsustainable agriculture, with a whopping 82 percent of all farmland used for grazing or growing feed for livestock. Plus, bird flu deaths are rising among California dairy cows, with a higher than expected 10 to 15 percent mortality rate. Two new human cases were diagnosed in California, with experts stating “we could have a major human outbreak” on our hands. 

Plus: 

Meanwhile, bird-flu infected cattle were dumped at a California roadside.

Pork producers launched an ad campaign fighting for a federal solution to Prop 12, with adverts claiming small family farmers will be crushed

Meanwhile a new report highlights farmers supporting Prop 12, with some claiming “we tore all our gestation crates out… and we’re doing better”

And in the the UK, lab-grown meat could be sold in next few years, with applications for lab-grown steak, beef, chicken and foie gras already submitted

Here are more headlines that caught our attention this month:

Agriculture

Rural communities are furious with Washington, argues a New York Times editorial, and the consolidation of factory farms may be to blame. 

A report by Farm Action tracks how monopoly power has expanded since the 1980s, a decade when anti monopoly laws stopped being enforced.

Climate

Hurricane Helene wrecked the chicken farming capital of America in Georgia, where 107 farms have been destroyed or badly damaged. It is estimated that anywhere from 2.14 to 5.56 million chickens died, though official numbers have not been released. 

Scientists have criticized the UN for its livestock emissions report, which downplays the role of dietary change in lowering emissions.  

Health

37 percent of Veganuary participants have reduced the meat they eat by three quarters. 

These Blue Zone diets have helped people become centenarians with mostly plant based whole foods. 

Law & Justice

Civil Eats highlighted stories featuring the contributions of immigrants to the U.S. food system. 

A film titled, “First Time Home,” follows the children of Indigenous Mexican immigrant farm workers in the Western U.S. traveling to their ancestral village in Mexico. 

Gavin Newsom signed into law a bipartisan bill that bans octopus farming in California, a big win for cephalopods and their advocates. 

Future of Food

Moolec Science, a molecular farming company, has earned approval from the USDA for their genetically modified peas, which can produce beef protein. 

Scientists are recommending less red meat for the next U.S. dietary guidelines, and this has already sparked an outcry from the meat industry. 

From Sentient

A slaughterhouse moratorium is on the ballot in Denver, which could make it the first city to ban slaughterhouses. 

The weed killer paraquat may be behind farmers experiencing Parkinson Disease.