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Overhaul factory farming to protect farmers and consumers
3 September 2010
Commenting on reports on new fears of global food price inflation caused by wheat shortages and rising demand for meat in developing countries, Friends of the Earth's food campaigner Kirtana Chandrasekaran said:
"The drought in Russia has once again exposed the fragility of our food system.
"Industrial farming is one of the biggest contributors to climate change - and the ever rising global demand for meat, dairy and biofuels is sucking up the world's grain supplies, causing food prices to surge, and leaving millions of people vulnerable to starvation.
"The only beneficiaries from the cheap meat treadmill are speculators and big business - while people and the planet suffer.
"We should be focusing on planet-friendly farming that provides healthy food for local people rather than industrially-produced commodities for export.
"The Government should back the Sustainable Livestock Bill to overhaul damaging factory farming and ensure livestock and animal feed are produced in the UK instead of imported from abroad."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. Friends of the Earth's Food Chain Campaign is calling on the Government to get behind planet-friendly farming www.jointhemoovement.com
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2010
