Problems with food production and distribution Flashcards
What is an ethical issue with intensive farming?
Some people think that forcing animals to live in unnatural and uncomfortable conditions i cruel. There’s a growing demand for organic meat which means he animals will not have been intensively harmed
What is an issue with intensive farming? (disease) (2)
1) The crowded conditions on factory farms create a favourable environment for the spread of diseases
2) To try and prevent disease, animals are given antibiotics. When the animals are eaten these can enter humans. This allows microbes that infect humans to develop immunity to those antibiotics - so the antibiotics become less effective as human medicines
What is an issue with intensive farming? (environment)
1) The animals need to be kept warm to reduce the energy loss as heat. This often means using power from fossil fuels (which wouldn’t be needed in the animals natural environment)
What is an issue with intensive farming? (fish)
Our fish stocks are getting low. Yet a lot of fish goes to feeding animals that are intensively farmed - these animals wouldn’t usually eat this source of food
What are the problems with food distribution? (3)
1) Some food products have lots if ‘food miles’
2) This can be expensive and it’s also bad for the environment
3) planes, ships and trucks all burn scarce fossil fuels and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming
What does it mean if something ha lots of food miles?
They’re transported a long way from were they’re produced to where they’re sold
Why are fish stocks declining?
We’re fishing too mcuh
What is the issue with declining fish stocks? (3)
1) There’s less fish for us to eat
2) The ocean’s food chains are affected
3) Some species of fish might disappear altogether in some areas
What needs to be done to tackle the problem of declining fish stocks?
We need to maintain fish stocks at a level where fish continue to breed. Sustainable food production - having enough food without using resources faster than they renew
What are the 2 ways of maintaining fish stocks?
1) Fishing quotas
2) Net size
Describe ‘fishing quotas’ as a way of maintaining fish stocks
1) There are limits on the number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas
2) This prevents certain species from being over-fished
Describe ‘Net size’ as a way of maintaining fish stocks (3)
1) There are different limits on the mesh size of the fish net, depending on what’s being fished
2) This is to reduce the number of unwanted/discarded fish. Using a bigger net size allows the unwanted fish to escape.
3) It also means younger fish will slip through the net allowing them to reach breeding age
