Lady Freethinker (LFT) has officially signed onto a letter urging Congress to not use COVID-19 relief funds for factory farm bailouts.
More than 50 organizations are supporting the letter, which cites industrial animal agriculture as “a major pollution source” and “a significant contributor to climate disruption.” It calls on the government to use the $23.5 billion agricultural allotment from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) for small and mid-sized farms that produce climate-compatible and plant-based foods.
“Polluting factory farms threaten our food security and degrade the environment,” said Stephanie Feldstein, director of the Center of Biological Diversity’s population and sustainability program. “Congress must not hand this destructive, unsustainable industry another blank check.”
The letter argues that workers at factory farms, slaughterhouses, and processing plants continue to be underpaid, left without sick leave, and receive inadequate personal protective equipment, despite meat and dairy industries receiving $28 billion in subsidies last year from the Trump administration. Instead of another infusion of capital, the letter urges Congress to direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require personal protective equipment, paid sick leave, and other protections for front-line food industry workers.
Additionally, the letter discourages Congress from allowing industrial agriculture to use COVID-19 as an excuse for relaxing the Clean Water and Clean Air acts, as well as other environmental protection laws.
“COVID-19 is a global tragedy that underscores how interconnected human societies are with each other and with nature,” explained Mia MacDonald, executive director of the environmental think tank Brighter Green. “Congress should reject the environmentally damaging and broken agenda of agribusiness. Stimulus and bailout funds can support sustainable and equitable food systems, protect food workers and ensure healthy produce reaches those most in need now.”
LFT joins the Center for Biological Diversity and other organizations in pushing Congress to use coronavirus relief funds to the benefit of smaller, sustainable farms, rather than to provide yet another stimulus package to the cruel factory farming industry.
What’s New…
Please no bail out*
“COVID-19 is a global tragedy that underscores how interconnected human societies are with each other and with nature,” explained Mia MacDonald, executive director of the environmental think tank Brighter Green. “Congress should reject the environmentally damaging and broken agenda of agribusiness. Stimulus and bailout funds can support sustainable and equitable food systems, protect food workers and ensure healthy produce reaches those most in need now.” NO ONE IS IMMUNE INCLUDING POLITICIANS AND THEIR FAMILIES! WAKE UP!!
It’s bad enough we still have factory farms that have no compassion at all for the suffering of animals, let alone using our tax dollars to bail them out. No more factory farms. These factory farmers ( heads of corporations) need to get a soul. Time is short and so are our lives. These people need to do some good in this world before they go. When they go, they will be judged by their compassion and empathy, or lack of it.
Congress needs to protect the small farmers and small farm workers, not Big Ag who with its tight confinement of animals and daily antibiotics in their feed, has done more to cause the potential of another pandemic in this country than any other industry. Their greed and lack of concern for the welfare of animals and us, if not stopped, will harm all of us.
moche
Factory farms are an enormous polluter and their treatment of animals is abysmal. NO BAIL OUT FOR THEM!!!!! Better, I’d be happy to see them gone. Our consumption of meat serves no one’s best interest except that of the corporate owners who give lots of money to our legislators to look the other way while they destroy the environment, our health, and the animals. Reprehensible.
No Bailout for factory farms!
NO bailout for factory farms!
I don’t agree with factory farms, I pay money for grass fed beef. This is not the time to be the food police. Something needs to be done, since meat processing has been hit with Covid 19. Its very sad, many people could starve in the future. Produce thrown away, milk being thrown away and next meat. No not the time, studies need to be done to make sure the supply is safe.
There should be no bailouts for factory farms that have animals and their product.
We should return to mixed farms they were so much better. 🐮🐂🐃🐄🐷🐖🐽🐏🐑🐐🐔🐓🐣🐤🐥
There should be no bailouts for factory farms that have animals and their product.
PLEASE HELP THE ONES THAT REALLY NEED IT, NOT THE ONES WHO ABUSE, TORTURE, AND HATE ANIMALS !!! BECOME A VEGAN WOULD BE A HONOR TO ALL LIVING AND DEAD ANIMALS WITH THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF ‘EARTH DAY’ TOMORROW, WE ALL WILL FACE JUDGEMENT DAY ONE DAY…
they need to shut down meat needs to be raised on small farms ,, humainly killed and sold like caviar @ 40-50 a lb
it caused all sorts of diseases in large amounts