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Impacts of the Meat Industry: Land and Resources

  • Writer: Hannah Muncal
    Hannah Muncal
  • May 28, 2018
  • 2 min read

Updated: Feb 28, 2021


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Raising cattle here in Alberta has its benefits. We have a great water supply (Bow River), 70% of Alberta is capable to raise and feed cattle and Alberta Beef is very strict in regards to animal care and food safety (Canadian meat inspections), but there are also some cons to this scenario:



1. Raising cattle uses a great amount of resources within its lifespan.

The average weight of a cow before slaughter is 272 kg and only 200 kg of boneless meat is obtained. It takes 7,200 pounds of grain to grow 1 cow which could feed 38,400 people in a day serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cows also consume 1,500,000 gallons of water before they are slaughtered which is able to overflow 2 Olympic sized swimming pools.


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2. Growing cattle requires a great amount of space.

Here in Alberta, we hold majority (41.6%) of all cattle as of January 2018. This means we are using a great amount of our own resources in order for our agribusiness to flourish; thus feeding the Canadian population. To raise 1 cow, we need 20-30 ft2 of land. Here in Alberta we have 149 feedlots which may contain 1000 cows or more which take up a minimum area of 20,000ft2 - 30,000ft2 for 1 feedlot. Since there are 47,500,000 cows grazing in Alberta that means 4,470,000 ft2 is taken up by agribusiness which negatively affects wildlife habitats as well.


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As of 2040, the Albertan population will double to 8 million people and as a result, there will also be a drastic increase in Albertan meat consumption. As the beef industry grows it will require more and more resources; these resources will not stay forever and will eventually run out, thus will greatly affect our future generations. We are already seeing how the lack of resources, such as water, affects other places in the world (ex. California & China). We need to be more aware of how we are using our resources and take preventative measures so that it doesn’t build into a major problem in the future.

An increase in population will also increase the amount of land being used up. Albertan cities will expand in order to provide shelter for more people and due to an increase in meat consumption, more area will be used for agribusiness and as a result will negatively affecting Canadian Wildlife and their habitats.


Interested to learn more? Check out these websites:

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