What is Filthy Feed?
Feeding poultry litter to cattle is a dangerous agricultural practice that should be banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect animal and human health. In areas of the United States where large cattle and poultry operations coexist, chicken waste is routinely fed to cows. Poultry litter consists primarily of manure, feathers, spilled feed and bedding material that accumulate on the floors of the buildings that house chickens and turkeys. It can contain disease-causing bacteria, antibiotics, toxic heavy metals, feed ingredients normally prohibited for cattle, and even foreign objects such as dead rodents, rocks, nails and glass. Few of these hazards are eliminated by any composting that might occur before use as feed. Surprisingly, this unhealthy and inhumane practice is legal, therefore creating unacceptable risks to human health and animal health.
