The disruption of the digestive process causes ulcers that lead to buildup of particularly nasty strains of E. Coli and other bacteria to multiply. These are spread into our food supply during the slaughtering process. In response, ranchers and feedlot owners use large amounts of antibiotics to keep their cows healthy. The researchers theorize that this in turn causes resistant strains of E. Coli to develop, which can lead to human fatalities when antibiotic treatments for food poisoning fail. Cows and sheep are grazing animals, and their biology is very closely linked to a landscape of grass.
Roughage is crucial to maintaining a balance in their digestive system.
And while grazing can be abused and cause environmental degradation, it is the only truly sustainable method of producing meat and dairy products. Feedlot production requires massive amounts of intensive grain production, and concentrating animals in a small space creates a huge waste disposal problem out of what is otherwise a beneficial resource manure. When spread over hundreds of acres over many months by grazing cows appropriately, manure builds the soil and fertilizes the pasture. And polluted water poses the same human health risk with the same resistant E. Coli as contaminated meat. Many ranchers who produce cattle this way know it is wrong.