Why are CAFOs so expensive to us as taxpayers and patients?
First, let’s look at how CAFOs work and what policies benefit them. • CAFOs are small warehouses or barns that are used to raise large numbers of animals. The aim of CAFOs is to produce the most meat, milk or other animal products for the lowest cost. • CAFOs are known for their hot temperatures and putrid smells, as high quantities of animal waste is stored in lagoons inside. • Between 1975 and 2006, a simultaneous mass exodus and balloon expansion occurred in the agricultural industry. While small farmers left the profession, farm sizes increased exponentially as the remaining producers worked to achieve “complete vertical integration.” This means that one company owns and operates the equipment for several stages of production. • These changes in the agricultural industry are not simply the result of the free market in action. • In fact, CAFOs benefit from direct and indirect government subsidies, including government subsidization of grain crops like corn and soy. CAFOs also benefi
