A new study has found that the vast amount of animal-feed crops humans grow to satisfy the global appetite for meat is seriously harming the planet.
As The Guardian reports, the study by the World Wildlife Fund finds that the earth’s environment is being put under a heavy strain by the staggering amount of land and resources needed to grow crops like soy to feed chickens, pigs, and other animals.
Duncan Williamson, WWF food policy manager, said, “The world is consuming more animal protein than it needs and this is having a devastating effect on wildlife.”
He noted that many people are aware that eating a meat-based diet is unhealthy, but he said few consider the economic cost of such a diet on the planet’s environment. Globally, the largest consumer of crop-based feed is poultry. The second largest, with 30% of the world’s feed, is the pork industry.