Water Pollution

1.3 billion tons of animal waste produced in the U.S.

Pollution strength up to 160 times greater than raw municipal waste.

Animal wastes contribute to large oceanic “dead zones,” which extended to nearly 7,903 sq. miles in the Gulf of Mexico during Summer of 2007.

In the U.S. alone, livestock is responsible for:

• 55% of erosion and sediment
• 37% of pesticide use
• 50% of antibiotic use
• 33% of nitrogen and phosphorus in freshwater

RESOURCES:
America's Animal Factories
How States Fail to Prevent Pollution from Livestock Wast
(Natural Resources Defense Council)
NOAA and Louisiana Scientists Predict
Largest Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” on Record This Summer
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Livestock’s Long Shadow(executive summary, p.xxii)
(UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 2007)