A recent article by staff writer David A. Fahrenthold published in the leading US newspaper The Washington Post highlights the growing environmental threat of manure from industrial-scale animal farming, which he states presents a bigger problem than any other known pollutant.

Originally touted as fertilizer for crops, the vast quantities of livestock manure have increased to such proportions that they now exceed practical use.

Meanwhile, manure is already known to be a major cause of both groundwater pollution and atmospheric warming, and is the fastest growing source of the greenhouse gas methane in the United States.

Moreover, runoff from manure and other crop fertilizers accounts for some 230 oxygen-depleted dead zones along the US coast alone. We thank Mr. Fahrenthold and The Washington Post for bringing this valued information to the attention of the public.

Let us quickly replace all environmentally harmful animal raising with clean, humane plant-based fare to best serve people, animals and our planet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/28/AR2010022803978.html
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/green/2010/03/pick_your_water_poison_animal.html