What’s the truth about the “climate effects” of raising farm animals, and how will it affect our meat-eating pets?
Because we’ve worked for years with small family farms (and these farms are emphatically not “factory farms” or “corporate farms” in any way) as we improve the health of dogs and cats, we’re extremely aware of what’s being said about the “climate change effects” of raising farm animals. In fact, this is why we long ago chose to work exclusively with small family farms exclusively practicing healthy, clean, ethical polyculture agriculture.
The rate of environmental damage is certainly cause for concern, and this concern has become a priority to us and to all those who hope to solve the issues.
But, the popular conclusion today – that ending animal agriculture will be a “solution” to the problem – is a particularly disturbing viewpoint to us, because of the inaccuracy of the conclusion, and the terrible impact this “solution” will actually have on the environment.
Misconception after misconception
What do we mean? An often-repeated view is that veganism or vegetarianism can save the world. “Give Up Meat, Save the Planet.” Misconception after misconception plagues the understanding of the issues. Well-meaning people hear statements like that, and soon believe it. A top misconception out there is that consumption of, and production of, meat, eggs and dairy products can harm to the environment. Get rid of meat and animal products, and all will be well and we will thrive, goes the idea.
Turns out this is an overly simplistic line of thought. It’s almost certainly not the wise answer to environmental concerns. It’s not scientific, and as it turns out, it’s even dangerous.
Here’s why. Fact is, a vegetarianism stance can, unexpectedly to many, actually be pretty detrimental to the land and to animals. And, it’s actually destined to be very detrimental to natural biological carnivores like dogs and cats whose bodies are designed to need protein to live and to thrive.
Animal agriculture is actually essential
Properly handled, ethical, humane animal agriculture is actually essential for the well-being of our land – the soil itself – and for feeding us and our pets.
Polyculture agriculture, an ages-old method common to small cleanfood farmers, has been proved to produce healthy soil, water, and air. A trip to our part of rural Pennsylvania and the generations-old family farms that patchwork the land shows that correct farming actually sustains the environment in good land health.
Animals like goats and chickens are raised together, grazing side by side on areas of land. The natural symbiotic use of the droppings they leave, and the insects and plant life they’ve consumed, leads to nourished, naturally replenished soil and water. A circle of life that keeps the animals healthy as well. Soil is supported, kept fertile and regenerated by its animal guests and the animal guests benefit from the soil they’ve naturally helped maintain. Toxins, chemicals, pesticides are never allowed.
It’s not a new idea; clean, toxin-free pesticide-free proper farming methods have sustained farmlands for thousands of years. Our farmers are doing what generations of their families have done before them, on the same acres of land, the natural way. The beauty of their lands and goodness of the cleanfood they produce exemplifies the truth of the matter: animal agriculture isn’t necessarily the real culprit that popular media would like us to believe.
Polyculture agriculture and small farms aren’t detracting from the earth’s wellbeing – they’re contributing to it, as they have for thousands of years.
The problem of industrial-style corporate farms
But our kind of polyculture agriculture is a far cry from the problem of big, industrial-style corporate “farms”, where unhealthy, crowded, unnatural living conditions, lack of access to fresh air and nature, unnatural diet and synthetic dietary additives and unhealthy animals and runoff are the norm.
Chemicals, antibiotics, unnatural or unhealthy feed, and other toxins may be introduced to these giant corporate “farms” daily, resulting in poor animal health, and runoff from this bad mix.
So, it’s an important time to see exactly where the real environmental problems come from, because the facts don’t necessarily supportthe radical conclusion of eliminating animal agriculture. Eliminating animal agriculture is merely an example of jumping on an idea blindly, instead of looking at the real agricultural science that shows us the way to maintain heathy animal agriculture is through more polyculture cleanfood farming, and re-addressing the many harmful problems created by big corporate farms.
This is why Kure will never use corporate farms. We are small farmers, for the lasting good of our earth, and our pets.
Animal culture is necessary life culture for our pets
And this culture is why we’re happy to debunk the propaganda-like idea that eliminating the consumption of livestock products is a solution to environmental impacts supposedly left by the animals.
What’s more, this wrong idea not only lacks scientific support, it puts our dogs and cats in harm’s way due to their biology, which cannot be changed by rhetoric.
Meat, we’re told by the propagandists, is the connection to global warming.These vegetarian proponents will say that Ruminants (cattle, sheep, goat, antelopes, deer) give off methane that in return creates a greenhouse effect on the environment. So, if we live without meat, everything will be better.
The truth flips this silly idea on its meatless head.
The biological needs of pets
Aside from disrupting our own natural food supply, how does this solution affect the biological needs of pets?
These ideas form the incorrect conclusion that if animal agriculture has a negative impact on the environment, we should end it. And dogs and cats can then eat plants., and that companies need to offer plant-based, carbohydrate, and/or vegan diets to pets.
Mother Nature disagrees. You can’t change cat or dog biology.
First, take the “veg agenda” idea that we can label dogs as omnivores, which is one huge mistake. Omnivores are animals that eat food of both plant and animal origin. Although dogs can eat some plants, they are biologically carnivores. Their biological makeup is designed by nature to digest and thrive off of animal flesh. They need the nutrients that come from animal origins.
Cats are obligate carnivores which means they absolutely need animal flesh in order to live. They have no other biological option if they wish to survive, hence their innate, honed hunting skills in the wild.
In short: a cat will die without the biologically derived nutrients from animal flesh.
Our pets have no biological need for carbohydrates and plants, but an obvious need for the protein, fats and essential nutrients that come from animals. Again, that’s nature speaking.
It also means that the only logical approach would be to first ask the question, what kind of diet requirements do dogs and cats have, by nature, in order to survive and thrive health-wise? And how can we best produce the foods to meet those diet needs according to what’s best for our environment?
Is eliminating animal agriculture the only solution?
Or, is there a solution that will offer sustainable life to us, our pets and the environment?
How about the obvious, proven idea of supporting healthy natural polyculture farming and small farms as a more logical and sensible solution.
Add to that a commitment to get rid of the dangerous practices of corporate animal farming, and we might finally be on to a platform that serves our natural biological need for animal proteins, while offering sustainable life to our pets and environment.
Here’s hoping for a better future, built on logic, evidence, and proven clean practices.
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Naturally has over 200 species of healthy bacteria
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Over 60 different raw enzymes
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Good bacteria is enhanced by fermentation of raw dairy
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Billions of living thriving bacteria (probiotics) after fermentation
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Most lactose-intolerant can tolerate raw fermented milk, as probiotic bacteria consumes milk sugars, leaving virtually no lactose behind
Raw diary is great for pets. It naturally contains more than 200 species of healthy bacteria, something the gut uses to help support the body in optimum health. This good bacteria is further enhanced by fermenting the raw dairy. The fantastic result: our Kure Raw Fermented Milks contain billions upon billions of living, thriving bacteria (probiotics) per ounce. The other good news: most pets that are lactose intolerant can tolerate raw fermented milk. Here’s why: with all commercial milks, pasteurization damages the enzyme lactase, which is required to digest lactose. Raw milk contains perfectly healthy and intact lactase enzymes, allowing for the ability to fully digest milk with ease. Using fermentation, instead of pasteurization, means the milk sugars (lactose) will be nearly completely consumed by its probiotic bacteria, leaving virtually no lactose behind. Kure Pet Food’s raw milks are abundant in enzymes: there are more than 60 different enzymes in raw milk, including lactase, which is the enzyme responsible for the digestion of lactose. This means you can always trust our fermented milk products to be a great form of digestible lactose. Another reason we choose to ferment our milks: did you know that when proteins like meats or milks are pasteurized or cooked (subjected to heat or pressure), they actually become denatured? When this occurs, and this altered milk food is fed to the dog or cat, the pet’s immune system may not recognize the proteins. This in turn produces an unwanted inflammatory response, such as the inflammation associated with common issues like arthritis or asthma. Processing foods by pasteurization (HPP) in this manner can also lead to leaky gut, a condition in which large proteins are passing through the permeable intestines into the pet’s blood stream, creating globulins, which in turn can be a root cause of further inflammation. We’ll never subject our cleanfood to high pressure pasteurization. For the wellbeing of all our pets, we’ll always choose the multiple health benefits of fermentation instead.