Sanders, Warren, Booker sponsor bill to ban factory farming by 2040

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

This week, former presidential candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) signed on as a sponsor of the Farm System Reform Act (FSRA). Vegan Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced FSRA in December. FSRA aims to transition animal agriculture away from factory farming by banning the opening of new large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and limiting the growth of existing CAFOs in the meat and dairy sector. The bill also aims to phase out the largest CAFOs—as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency—by 2040 and hold large meatpackers accountable for the pollution they create.

[...]

FSRA is gaining traction amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed the inefficiencies and zoonotic disease potential of the heavily consolidated meat industry—which is controlled by only a few multinational companies in a virtual monopoly. “Factory farming is not only an urgent environmental, justice, and ethical issue but also an issue of public health,” Michael Webermann, US Executive Director of nonprofit ProVeg International, said. “Mega-farms have taken over the agriculture sector, leaving fewer choices for consumers and creating a breeding ground for future pathogens because animals are cramped tightly together in severe, unsanitary conditions. We’ve long known that factory farms pollute the air, contaminate water, and destroy biodiversity. But now that we are living the consequences of a global pandemic, we can no longer stand idly by without change.”

Veg News

Major kudos to the sponsors for taking up this issue which is rarely talked about outside animal rights circles.

[lfromnj]

Really helping the poor out.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I approve.

[SevenEleven]

Really helping the poor out.

Yes, in fact, we will all benefit because this helps with climate change without serious disruption to energy prices.

[SWE]

Really helping the poor out.

Yes, in fact, we will all benefit because this helps with climate change without serious disruption to energy prices.

Not to mention the serious health impacts that can happen from factory farms contaminating local water supplies. If you don't think that this is an issue that will help poor people you're really exposing yourself as being completely oblivious.

If anything, the "by 2040" qualifier is an irresponsibility long timeframe

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

This is about as realistic as Sanders plan to create alternatives for air conditioning.

[TDAS04]

Good.

[Libertas Vel Mors]

"Why won't rural voters vote D?!?" -- the same Atlas posters backing this ban, two days from now, talking about how if you live in a rural area and vote Republican you must be racist

[S019]

This is good news, and I commend Sanders, Warren, and Booker to introducing this.

[Crumpets]

FFs. Now let's get it done.

[MasterJedi]

"Why won't rural voters vote D?!?" -- the same Atlas posters backing this ban, two days from now, talking about how if you live in a rural area and vote Republican you must be racist

It’s a completely fair point when this will help rural conservatives by cracking mega farms, reduce supply and help the farmers who are getting destroyed by overproduction and Republican policy. But it won’t help, too much brainwashing that socialism is bad when they beg for socialism to keep themselves alive.

[dead0man]

won't this make food much more expensive?  Doesn't that hurt poor people?  I 100% agree that what we do to (most) farm animals is tragic not to mention the horrible environmental impacts farming has ("factory" or otherwise), but making food more expensive seems like a bad idea to me.

We should be pushing hard for factory (as in an actual factory) meat and processed food made with bugs or kelp (or whatever) that can produce crazy amounts of calories in a tiny footprint.  And in the meantime, GMO crops that reduce bad things, increase good things and also has a smaller footprint.  Of course that's more complicated, more permanent and most of all, doesn't hurt anyone directly so it's much less likely to be supported by people who support the ham fisted measure proposed by the OP.

[Santander]

It should be banned by 2030. But better late than never.

[Bismarck]

A terrible ignorant attack on the hardworking family farmers of America by urban northeastern leftists. The alternative to having large farms is importing meat. So you can ban “factory” farms aka big barns but all that does is move the big farms to foreign countries or make meat more expensive for the poor. I know families from the town where I grew up who would lose their livelihoods if this is enacted

[KaiserDave]

This is a good thing in the long term, and a necessary move against farming monopolies.

[MasterJedi]

A terrible ignorant attack on the hardworking family farmers of America by urban northeastern leftists. The alternative to having large farms is importing meat. So you can ban “factory” farms aka big barns but all that does is move the big farms to foreign countries or make meat more expensive for the poor. I know families from the town where I grew up who would lose their livelihoods if this is enacted

So you're saying you know a lot of rich people. Most farms are folding, hard and fast. Squeeze the rich to save the actual family farms.

[SWE]

The alternative to having large farms is importing meat.

The easy solution to that is ban that too

[SevenEleven]

won't this make food much more expensive?  Doesn't that hurt poor people?  

No and no. Plenty of cheap food out there.

[dead0man]

won't this make food much more expensive?  Doesn't that hurt poor people? 

No and no. Plenty of cheap food out there.

what's your evidence for this?  How are non-factory farms going to make up for the losses in efficiency?

[SevenEleven]

won't this make food much more expensive?  Doesn't that hurt poor people? 

No and no. Plenty of cheap food out there.

what's your evidence for this?  How are non-factory farms going to make up for the losses in efficiency?

Evidence that cheap food is out there? I, uh, go to the grocery store regularly.

This bill only deals with meat and dairy, which are not essential foods.

[Libertas Vel Mors]

"Why won't rural voters vote D?!?" -- the same Atlas posters backing this ban, two days from now, talking about how if you live in a rural area and vote Republican you must be racist

It’s a completely fair point when this will help rural conservatives by cracking mega farms, reduce supply and help the farmers who are getting destroyed by overproduction and Republican policy. But it won’t help, too much brainwashing that socialism is bad when they beg for socialism to keep themselves alive.

See, this is also indicative of what I was just talking about.

How do you think most farmers farm today? Even smaller ones? I'll give you a hint: putting 5 chickens in a pen doesn't cut it. And besides, even if this law did pass, all it would cause is for us to import the same quantities of food but from foreign places without these regulations, creating the same offshoring you so love to bash.

Also, imagine thinking that "overproduction" is some sort of capitalist problem when the entire issue, to the extent that it exists or is an issue, is caused by government farm subsidies that distort market forces lmao.

[dead0man]

won't this make food much more expensive?  Doesn't that hurt poor people? 

No and no. Plenty of cheap food out there.

what's your evidence for this?  How are non-factory farms going to make up for the losses in efficiency?

Evidence that cheap food is out there? I, uh, go to the grocery store regularly.

right, thanks in large part to "factory farming".  Due to their efficiencies over non-factory farming...which brings us back to my question.

This bill only deals with meat and dairy, which are not essential foods.

I'll let the mob deal with this.  Good luck.

[President Johnson]

It should be banned earlier, or imposed more restrictions. Meat in many cases too cheap at the expense of animals and small farmers.

[GP270watch]

 If we're serious about fighting climate change we need to seriously reform farming practices. Government has every right to do this since farming is one of the largest industries/livelihoods that receives disproportionate government aid.

[lfromnj]

won't this make food much more expensive?  Doesn't that hurt poor people?  

No and no. Plenty of cheap food out there.

what's your evidence for this?  How are non-factory farms going to make up for the losses in efficiency?

Evidence that cheap food is out there? I, uh, go to the grocery store regularly.

right, thanks in large part to "factory farming".  Due to their efficiencies over non-factory farming...which brings us back to my question.

This bill only deals with meat and dairy, which are not essential foods.

I'll let the mob deal with this.  Good luck.

I was told us Libertarians are the cruel and heartless ones? No Meat or driving for the plebs!