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Soy Used for Factory Animal Feed Destroying Rain ForestWednesday, July 26, 2006FA.Net Daniel Howden Read the full article: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1181617.ece The Amazon basin is home to one in ten of the world's mammals and 15% of all land-based plant species. More than half of the world's fresh water is held there and the basin's vast forests serve as Earth's largest carbon sink, providing a vital check on the greenhouse effect [...] Eighty percent of the world's soy harvest is used for farmed animal feed. Brazilian soybeans are also "feeding Europe's growing hunger for cheap meat substitutes." Last year, Brazil produced more than 50 million tons of soy across an area the size of the United Kingdom. Despite commitments from the government, the rainforest continues to be destroyed - almost three-quarters of it occurring illegally. The article tells of courageous efforts by local activists against soy processor Cargill, the largest privately owned company in the world. Cargill also owns Sun Valley foods, which processes a million chickens a week, with McDonald's as one of it's major clients. |