Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources
Factory Farming and alternative protein
Context: The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought attention to the dietary habits of people, especially the dependence on meat for proteins
What is factory farming?
Large-scale, industrial animal agriculture for meat, eggs, and dairy is called factory farming
It involves raising food animals that concentrates large numbers of animals into confined spaces.
To prevent disease spreading and encourage growth, drug programs such as antibiotics, vitamins, hormones and other supplements are heavily administered to these animals
It is also known as intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production
Hazards of factory farming
Energy Intensive: Our need for animal protein uses vast tracts of land and quantities of water to raise those animals, to graze them, and to grow crops to feed them
Global Warming: It contributes more to climate change than emissions from the entire transportation sector.
Environmental Degradation: Factory farming leads to imbalance in ecology causing species loss, and habitat destruction.
Health risk: It creates and increases planetary health risks at every scale. These animals are also the sources of viral outbreaks of swine flu and avian flu
Unethical: Confining animals in closed spaces usually leads to their discomfort, pain, injuries and distress. This is against welfare of animals and is protested by civil society.
Antibiotic resistance: Antibiotic use in livestock may create antibiotic-resistant pathogens which then infiltrate into the entire food-chain.
Against Small farmers: Factory farming requires heavy investment on land and machineries so as to achieve economies of scale. Thus, it is biased in favour of corporate players and affects livelihood of small & marginal players
Prone to market Shock: These products are dependent on global forces of demand & supply. Hence, a policy change in developed country will impact this industry in developing countries as well.
Way Ahead
Stimulating research and entrepreneurship in alternative proteins
Alternative protein involves making upgraded versions of meat, eggs, and dairy from plant or crop ingredients, or directly from animal cells.
These foods satisfy consumers and producers without taking away their choice, because they taste the same, are used in exactly the same way, but are vastly better for planetary health
Countries like Singapore and Canada are already making alternative protein a central piece of their food security story, with an emphasis on research, entrepreneurship, and self-sufficiency.
