'The portrayal of the pollution and methane gas that emit from manure lagoons as naturally occurring and renewable are unequivocally false'
Joaquin Phoenix has called out the animal agriculture industry over the ‘deceptive’ marketing of factory farm ‘biogas’.
The acclaimed actor and vegan celebrity activist has partnered with the Animal Legal Defense Fund to ‘expose dangers of this emerging industry gaining traction’.
In a collaborative video entitled ‘Biogas or bullsh**?’, Phoenix explains how concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce billions of pounds of waste.
What is biogas?
Faecal matter and urine from livestock are flushed from the floors several times a day – requiring hundreds of gallons of water. This creates huge ‘manure lagoons’ which are typically the size of multiple football fields.
As this waste starts to decompose, it emits methane and other greenhouse gases. However, it is usually referred to as biogas, or other ‘greenwashing‘ terms such as renewable natural gas, biofuel, and biomethane.
“The portrayal of the pollution and methane gas that emit from manure lagoons as naturally occurring and renewable are unequivocally false,” says Phoenix.
“There is nothing natural about artificially inseminating cows and pigs and housing thousands of animals in windowless warehouses. Incentivising unregulated polluters to expand operations and telling the public it is environmental-friendly policy is deplorable.”
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‘Profit from its own pollution’
Stephen Wells of Animal Legal Defense Fund added: “The industrial animal agriculture industry is already subsidised to the detriment of animals and taxpayers alike.
“We need to be eliminating subsidies, not additionally allowing animal agriculture to profit from its own pollution.”
The video is available now to watch on Youtube.
Want to find out more about the damaging effects of the beef and dairy farming industries? Discover the truth about the plight of dairy cows and their calves
Featured image: Toni Anne Barson via Getty images
