What part did intensive farming have in the BSE crisis?
The intensive farming approach was successful in the short run as the production of large quantities of low cost food was realized. However, this success has been questioned recently with the slow realization that these practices may have wide-reaching effects that no one considered. The emergence of new diseases like BSE and vCJD have been linked to the practice of recycling slaughtered animals and using their rendered protein as a feed supplement for livestock, thus facilitating the spread of the infectious agent of BSE. There were many contributing factors in the evolution of the BSE/vCJD crisis. The relevant elements and effects are linked in complex patterns on many levels. Individual farmers make production decisions that best fulfill the market imperatives under which they work, national and regional authorities create economic policies, and regional and global market pressures reflect consumer and transnational corporate demands. What are the future implications for farming pra
