Our Recent Food and Agriculture Accomplishments
UCS highlighted the economic and health benefits of farmers markets, outlined ways the beef industry can reduce its environmental impacts, and spurred progress against the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture.
Started a national discussion about the benefits of local, sustainable food systems.
Our report Market Forces: Creating Jobs through Public Investment in Local and Regional Food Systems demonstrates how the growth of farmers markets around the country can improve local economies as well as Americans' diets. The report shows how even modest support for farmers markets pays off in thousands of jobs and other benefits. Our analysis influenced federal legislation that would bolster support for local and regional food systems.
Highlighted ways the beef industry can reduce global warming emissions and nitrogen pollution.
UCS showed how changes in pasture management could reduce the beef industry's global warming emissions and nitrogen pollution in streams and groundwater. Our report Raising the Steaks: Global Warming and Pasture-Raised Beef Production in the United States also suggests policies that would create incentives for farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices.
Generated momentum to stop the unwise use of antibiotics in livestock.
A decade ago, UCS estimated that the amount of antibiotics used by livestock producers to compensate for unhealthy conditions was about eight times that prescribed by doctors, contributing greatly to the rise of drug-resistant disease. In 2010 a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report on this practice—required by a law UCS helped pass—corroborated our analysis. Meanwhile, UCS and our allies drew attention to the problem by persuading the House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold a hearing that increased support among legislators for action, and by generating 180,000 letters that led the FDA to state it will address the problem in forthcoming regulations.
Support our work.
UCS has been a leader in science-based advocacy for safer, more sustainable food production. You can help support this work:
