Last updated on March 24th, 2024 at 02:01 pm

The Big Beef with Cattle’s Environmental Impact

Cow burps and farts are most likely the first thing that comes to mind when you think of cattle’s environmental impact. In case you need a refresher, here’s a quick summary: A cow’s digestion process produces methane, which is a potent greehouse gas (GHG). When this gas is expelled from either end of the cow, it ultimately finds its way to the atmosphere, contributing to the heat trapping process that leads to climate change. These expulsions (especially the burps) contribute to half of the the agriculture industry’s overall emissions, which account for 14.5% of the world’s total GHG emissions.

Scientists and governments from countries around the world are looking at different methods and legislation in order to address the GHG emissions of cows themselves.

• Improved breeding and health interventions to allow herd sizes to shrink, resulting in fewer, more productive animals
• Manure management, including biodigesters that convert methane produced from manure decomposition into energy and compost
• Better management of grazing land to improve production and offset carbon emissions
• Proposed emission limits on farms, which would likely result in increased price of milk and beef products
• Feed additives to decrease gas: Several companies, including a Bill Gates start-up called Rumin8, are working to develop seaweed-based feed. A study found giving cows small amounts of seaweed decreased methane emissions by 80%.

As much of a problem as this well-publicized source of GHG emissions creates, it is only part of the story of cattle’s environmental impact.

The lesser-known meaty details

Much attention has been given to the gassy side effects of the world’s insatiable appetite for beef, and for good reason. However, a huge factor in cattle’s environmental impact is the land conversion for grazing and animal feed, specifically deforestation.

Deforestation of the world’s forests, primarily the tropical rainforests, is nothing new. But the biggest drivers may come as a surprise to you. Logging for wood and paper products, while impactful, is responsible for just 13% of deforestation. While the palm oil industry has garnered a lot of attention lately, it, paired with soybean cultivation, is only responsible for 18%. While these industries are no doubt impactful, they don’t hold a candle to the impact of the cattle industry.

It may surprise you to know that clearing land to create pastures for cattle grazing and growing feed is responsible for 41% of worldwide deforestation. This includes a whopping 80% of the deforestation taking place in the Amazon rainforest, which has decreased in size by 17% over the past 50 years.

Consequences of deforestation

Probably among the first things you learned in science is how trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), the most plentiful and long-lasting of greenhouse gases. Once, the Amazon rain forest absorbed one-fourth of the planet’s CO2, but today, that amount has dropped by 30% as a result of deforestation. The simple explanation is less trees = less capability to absorb this gas. There are, of course, numerous other important roles forests play on the planet, and when forests are lost a landslide of additional problems result.

Wildlife loss

• Loss of habitat leads to decreasing numbers in population of species and less biodiversity. Habitat loss has been shown to decrease wildlife population growth and the number of large species, while disrupting species interactions, shortening the food chain, and diminishing animal breeding, predation, and foraging abilities.
• Fragmentation of land by roads, development, or other unnatural landscapes creates difficulties for migratory species along their migration routes. The fragmented habitat may not be large or connected enough that animals can find mates and food. Most of these species cannot adapt to these drastically altered landscapes, and the few that do adapt often come into conflict with humans by feeding on crops or livestock.

Ecological impact

• Removing trees deprives areas from the temperature regulation the canopy normally provides by blocking the sun’s rays during the day and retaining heat at night. This leads to more extreme temperature swings that can be harmful to native plants and animals.
• The water cycle in the region, and possibly even globally, is impacted through the compromise of a natural process called evapotranspiration. This is where tree roots suck up water through the earth, making its way into the leaves, where it is released back into the atmosphere as water vapor. Research has show that the forest produces more than half of its own rain through this process.
• Raising cattle uses vast amounts of water, both for the cattle themselves and to grow the crops used for their feed. All told, one pound of beef costs 1,800 gallons of water to produce.
• Deforestation alters the presence of native plant species, with unknown consequences. Lack of trees has led to more drought-tolerant plant species appearing, while those that thrive in wet areas are declining. New trees that are fast-growers or taller outcompete the shorter, damp-loving species. Another study shows the death rate of trees is increasing.
• Conversion of forests into land for agriculture leads to erosion and use of fertilizers and pesticides, which pollutes nearby water sources.
• Erosion leads to land destabilization, with loss of soil nutrients and natural microbes.

Rise in infectious disease

• An estimated 60% of infectious diseases originate from animals, and a major cause of viruses’ jump from wildlife to humans is habitat loss. For instance, bats normally stay away from humans, but a 2022 study showed that when bats are unable to find suitable habitat, they travel closer to areas inhabited by people, increasing the likelihood of transmission of disease. This makes preventing habitat loss key in decreasing the occurrence of pandemics like Ebola and Covid-19. 

Negative impact to native peoples

• Deforestation threatens the quality of life and possible displacement of native peoples. The loss of ancestral lands, threats to cultural identity, health impacts, and loss of livelihoods are all consequences that indigenous people face.
• Earth.org reports that despite accounting for only about 5% of the global population, indigenous people “effectively manage an estimated 20–25% of the Earth’s land surface. This land is adjacent to places that contain 80% of the world’s biodiversity and 40% of all terrestrial protected areas and ecologically intact regions. When compared to the global average for deforestation in unprotected tropical forests, rates on Indigenous lands were between 17-26% lower.” Read their article on this important issue here.

Where do we get most of our beef?

The United States is the second largest buyer of Brazilian beef in the world, behind China. Our country is home to only 4% of the world’s population, yet consumes about 20% of its beef, with the average American eating over 200 pounds of meat per year. Most of this is supplied by the Brazil-based company JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world. This absolute monster of a company garnered $72.6 billion in revenue in 2022. It owns 45 brands in the United States, sold in most grocery stores and served in numerous chain restaurants.

The company has been embroiled in unethical and illegal conduct from its inception.

JBS was formed by brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista. They bought their first U.S. meat plants in 2007, using illegally secured Brazilian bank loans. These loans allowed the company to rapidly expand to become what they are today. During a crackdown on corruption in Brazil in 2017, they agreed to a plea deal in exchange for immunity, where they admitted to bribing bank and governmen officials in exchange for low-interest rates. They had paid $150 million to over 1800 Brazilian officials in one of the biggest bribery schemes every revealed.

The company paid $3.2 billion to settle corruption charges, one of the largest in global history. Subsequently, the brothers were arrested for insider trading and dumping shares before their plea deal was made public. They went to jail for six months and were banned from running the company for two years, yet remained the largest shareholders by far. They have faced and continue to face corruption charges in other countries as well, including the United States.

JBS role in Amazon deforestation

JBS has repeatedly been accused of buying cattle raised on illegally deforested land, dating back to 2009.

Brazil lacks any laws specifically prohibiting the purchase of cattle from deforested land. Their cattle supply chain is one of the world’s most complex and therefore difficult to track. It involves thousands of ranches spread throughout the region, and many beef producers don’t track cattle origins. 

A significant problem lies with ranchers who know how to work the system and engage in “cattle laundering,” where they shuffle cattle from ranch to ranch to conceal their illegal origins and sell them off.

The Washington Post reviewed records between January 2018 and October 2020, which showed JBS factories made at least 1,673 cattle purchases from 114 ranchers who at the time owned at least one property cited for illegal deforestation. In addition, an audit performed by U.S. federal prosecutors looked at cattle purchased between July 2019 and June 2020 and found that 17% of cattle bought by JBS were from ranches with associated “irregularities,” like illegal deforestation. The organization Mighty Earth found 68 cases linked to deforestation, leading to an area the size of Sao Paulo.

Other illicit activities

Since contributing to massive deforestation wasn’t enough, in 2022 JBS was fined for employing more than 100 underage teenagers at meat plants across eight states in the US. Also that year, they agreed to pay $52.5 million to settle litigation accusing meat-packing companies of conspiring to limit supply in the U.S. beef market in order to inflate prices and boost profit. In April 2023, they paid another $25 million settlement to commercial beef purchasers that accused the meat-packing company of conspiring with industry rivals to restrict market supply in order to keep prices artificially high.

Other federal inquiries have unearthed more unethical activities, resulting in $20 million in fines over the past decade. For example, in 2018, they were fined for underpaying family farmers and ranchers by claiming the cattle weighed less than they did. Domestic cattle owners say they lost millions of dollars as a result.

JBS also exploits its workers by creating unsafe working conditions. A Washington Post analysis of OSHA data from 2015 to 2018 showed that JBS had the highest rate of serious worker injuries, such as those involving amputation and hospitalization, among meat companies in the United States. In fact, they had the second highest rate of serious injuries among all companies in the United States. Reporters in Australia recorded similar findings.

As if this wasn’t all scary enough, JBS has infiltrated the other meat markets like chicken and pork, and in recent years has starting acquiring salmon farms in order to continue their trail of destruction and corruption from the land to the sea.

So JBS straight up sucks, how do I avoid them?

Unfortunately, meat from JBS is sold pretty much everywhere. I am disappointed in Costco, who gets their beef from this company. But they’re not alone: Kroger, Walmart, and Winco are some of the large grocery store chains associated with this company. Chain restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Outback, KFC, Pizza Hut and Wendy’s also source their beef from JBS.

Click here for the list of JBS brands.

Your best bet is to buy meat from local ranchers and butchers.

How to eat meat sustainably and ethically

We’ve established that the environmental costs of raising cattle are significant, and the largest meat supplier in the world is a criminal enterprise. So what to do?

The most effective solution is to eliminate beef and dairy from your diet completely, or at least cut back on the amount you consume while adding more plant-based foods to your diet. Plant-based foods produce 10 to 50 times less CO2 than meat products.

In addition to decreasing your carbon footprint, there are many health benefits from eating less processed and red meats. The risk of developing many diseases and conditions decreases, including:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Many cancers

I’m not here to endorse vegetarianism, as I am not one myself. It is, of course, a great choice for many reasons, but not for me personally. Having said that, there’s no doubt that we could all stand to eat less meat and adopt more of a plant-based diet, or a flexitarian approach.

You’ve likely heard of Meatless Mondays, and that is a great place to start. The Meatless Monday campaign lists numerous environmental benefits from eating one less day of meat per week. A review of multiple studies has shown that adopting sustainable dietary patterns can result in reductions as high as 70–80% of GHG emissions and land use, and 50% of water use. The NRDC estimates that if every American eliminated just a quarter-pound serving of beef per week, the reduction in GHG emissions would be the equivalent of taking 4-6 million cars off the road.

How to choose sustainable meat

Unfortunately, the terms and labels printed on beef product labels can be vague. The United States lacks a universal certification system to ensure an animal was raised ethically or with the best environmental standards. It’s up to us to research companies and ranchers on our own.

Understanding the labels on meat

• Pasture-raised or pastured. This means the cow was able to roam and forage plants that it can easily digest, but it doesn’t mean that its diet wasn’t supplemented with grain. And it also doesn’t account for land practices or good grazing management.
• Grass-fed. Similar to pasture-raised, this doesn’t necessarily indicate the animal was grass-fed year round and also doesn’t account for land practices. This meat is leaner and higher in nutrients than grain-fed.
• Grass-finished. These are essentially 100% grass-fed cows that exclusively ate grass and foraged for their entire lives.
• Organic. Organic beef comes from cows that are required to receive organic feed (which can be grains) and are free from any hormones or antibiotics.
• American Grassfed Association. This logo indicates that the animals were raised humanely, not confined, and weren’t given hormones or antibiotics.
• Antibiotic-free. This label is not actually verified. “USDA Process Verified” on the label means the producer has tried to verify compliance, and these cows weren’t regularly given antibiotics. However, producers can label their beef as antibiotic-free even if other antimicrobial drugs were used.

Buy local

Hands down, the best practice is to buy locally as much as possible. It cuts out middlemen and limits transportation costs and emissions while supporting local ranchers and farmers. It is far easier to research local operations than the impossible task of sourcing meat purchased from big-box supermarkets. You probably already know that going this route will cost significantly more. This is largely thanks to the government subsidies given to large meat producers. These subsidies allow them to sell their meat for less, and that is an unfortunate and unfair limitation that prevents access to locally-produced meat for a large number of people.

Local meats can be found at local grocers, butchers, and farmer’s markets. You may be able to buy directly from a farm or ranch. If you have lots of freezer space, you can also go in on a meat share with other people, where you buy a portion of an animal. The most comprehensive online resource to help you find local producers is the Good Meat Project.

Final thoughts on cattle’s environmental impact

This was one of the tougher, most disturbing fact-finding missions I have encountered so far in this sustainability journey. To be honest, I love meat and always thought I would never survive life as a vegetarian. But what I have learned has me reeling. In our house, I have cut back on purchasing red meat significantly. I have added more meatless recipes to my repertoire, as well as substituting ground turkey, chicken, or pork as much as I can. I think the key is moderation, and that alone would make an enormous impact if everyone practiced it.

Whatever you do, I urge you to start decreasing your meat consumption by at least one day per week or a meal per day. Boycott JBS branded meats as much as humanly possible. I hate the idea of supporting such a huge, powerful, and incredibly corrupt machine. The fact that they are sitting back in luxury while the world unconsciously supports significant destruction of the planet disgusts me.

So please, do your best to moderate your meat intake and purchase the best, most humanely raised meats that your budget allows. If you decrease your total meat consumption, it will hopefully balance out the difference in cost for more sustainable and ethical options.

Learn other ways to decrease your environmental impact with your food choices here.