Description:

RACE-Approved for 1.0 CE Credits, Course # 20-1109506

This 1-hour presentation will discuss the environmental and social impacts of livestock production. It will focus on greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution, but will also touch on issues such as feed-food competition and antimicrobial resistance. The talk will explain why these impacts arise, how they differ between different kinds of production, and the trade-offs involved in attempting to reduce them.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS: Rachel Mason received research funding from the Tiny Beam Fund (a foundation that addresses the negative impacts of industrial food animal production in low- and middle-income countries), and Animal Charity Evaluators (an organization aimed at reducing harm to farmed animals). While I do not believe this represents a conflict of interest, I am listing it in the interest of full transparency.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:
- State the main unintended consequences of livestock production
- Explain why livestock production has these effects on the environment and public health
- Understand why scientists sometimes come to different conclusions and make conflicting recommendations
- Describe three possibilities for the future of the food system

60 minutes lecture time.