Daily Times

The British Guardian newspaper is Exhibit A, or maybe, as members of the scientific community, we should say Public Enemy No. 1. The paper sought and received a grant $886,600 from an advocacy group, the Open Philanthropy Project (OPP), to publish a series titled “Animals farmed.”

The grant spurred a succession of articles that paint animal husbandry variously as inhumane, unhealthy, or dangerous to the environment:

1. A swipe at Canadian agriculture, alleging that ractopamine, a banned feed additive, was found in Canadian pork exports. In fact, that has never been documented, and it is unlikely, because Canadian meat exports are tested for the chemical. The real story is that China’s ban on Canadian pork imports was part of a much broader retaliation for Canada upholding its commitment to international law agreements when it arrested the CEO of Huawei, a Chinese multinational technology company that makes telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics.
2. A claim that animal husbandry is a major contributor to climate change. That is hype, not fact, and lacks context – namely, the significant benefits of consuming meat protein.
3. An allegation that “across the Midwest, the rise of factory farming is destroying rural communities.”
4. An article ludicrously titled, “Why factory farming is not just cruel – but also a threat to all life on the planet.”

The original story appeared at the genetic literacy project