What Makes A Poultry Farm Sustainable?
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Lately modern households are taking extra steps to make sure that their food intake isn’t damaging to the environment and that that it’s healthy and fit to the needs of the family. This presented a rather serious problem when it comes to chicken consumption. Most green activist propose simply not to eat chicken since it’s mass produced in the way that’s inhumane and rather damaging to the environment. There have been numerous farms catering to restaurants but also to the general public that that their poultry farm is sustainable. But, is it really?
What Does It Mean To Be Sustainable?
The word sustainable is throw around a lot and for most people it just means that something is made with the care for the environment in mind. However, things are a bit more complicated than that. Sustainability is about three main components: environmental health, social and economic equity, and economic profitability.
Within this, there are countless different approaches that you could take and still fall within the guidelines. When it comes to farms in Texas, there are also governmental guidelines that a farm needs to follow if they want to use the term in their advertising.
Why It Matters?
Sustainability matters in a multifaceted way. First of all, we need to freeze the carbon footprint that’s created by the industry. At the same time farming industry isn’t something that can really be scaled down. This is because there are already lifestyle choices we are accustomed to and the population is growing.
At the same time, there’s an issue of humanly treating animals that has become increasingly important in recent years, and that factors greatly in the decision to choose a particular brand or a particular farm.
Chicken
All of this becomes especially noticeable when it comes to chicken. There are a few reasons why this is the case. Firstly, chicken is one of the most consumed meats in our culture but also in almost every other culture in the world. Secondly, chicken is the least expensive poultry to produce relative to how much meat it offers.
Thirdly, it’s therefore one of the least expensive foods out there and that’s an important factor to consider as well. All of this is especially noticeable when chicken is grown on the industrial and large scale level. Sustainable poultry farms need to approach the industry in a new way.
Technology
Technology is starting to play a big role in how to find these farms on the consumer end of things. That’s first noticeable with the rise of interactive website, maps, and apps that show you where the nearest poultry farms and what kind of sustainable practices they have to offer.
These apps do more than just alert you about the poultry farms nearby. Their bigger role is in the fact that they create a community amongst those that find sustainable food industry to be of importance and a way of the future as well.
Expectation
There’s a problem with what’s expected out of the sustainable chicken farm. Those who hear that word often imagine a big open space in which chickens are allowed to walk free and it freely. This is a charming image but it’s rarely true not only when it comes to industrial farms but when it comes to sustainable farm as well.
Even these sustainable farms have large number of poultry kept in a small space. It sometimes numbers in the thousands and tens of thousands in a batch. Those who care about sustainable farming but also about animal cruelty can’t accept that either.
What Metric Matters
If you don’t want to choose your poultry farm based on animal cruelty standards but on the pollution standards there are a few metrics you should ask about. One of these that are often overlooked is how much water a farm spends on each chicken.
What you’re looking for in here is the balance between waste prevention and the needs of the animals. This is something that’s best found out within small communities where you can talk to the farmer directly. That will give you a chance to find out how the farm works first hand.
Conclusion
Chicken and poultry in general is one of the most common foods consumed in Texas. These farms have started claiming that they are sustainable in the way they treat their chicken and they produce meat. There are even apps that help you find such farms.
However, it’s hard to say what sustainable means when it comes to poultry. It’s best to focus on the water consumption and the way chickens are fed in these farms. Even the sustainable farms place a large number of chickens in a small space and it’s best to talk about these practices with the farmers directly.
Looking for fresh, grass-fed meat delivery in Texas? Check this 9 Farms Providing Fresh Grass-Fed Meat Delivery in Texas!
