Egyptians like their meat. They eat a lot of it. In order to maintain their daily, often multiple times per day, factory farming has entered the country. Often, these factory farms have been marketed to the population as “organic,” but their tactics, closed walls, no sunlight, are part of the game of feeding the Arab world's largest country. The impacts from this growing industry have been felt by the population, and as hunger is grows, food prices continue to soar and the environment suffers from little to no regulation. Wadi Foods, a top “organic” food production company in Egypt rears chickens. Although the company refused a tour of one of their coups, a former employee was willing to discuss the situation inside the factory. He spoke on condition of anonymity, as he said his family would be in danger if his name was full name was revealed. Ahmed, as he referred to himself, admitted that the practices seen online and in investigative reports in the United States and Europe “were more common here in Egypt.” The term “organic” is a misnomer. Ahmed says that when he was at the company “chickens were stopped on, kicked around and dealt with without any questions asked because we had to cram in as many chickens into the barn as possible to produce more and more meat for Egypt.” He says that he had no problem with how the animals were treated. “That's what they are for,” he admits. The problem, says economist Jalil Barghouin, an Algerian researching farming practices in Egypt, is not in the treatment per se, “but in how these new methods actually cost more for the average Egyptian on a daily basis.” He cites a number of reports from Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics from the past four years. What he has discerned is staggering. According to the numbers, the costs of meat – whether chicken or lamb, eggs, dairy and other animal products such as yoghurt has risen a staggering 50 percent for eggs and dairy and almost doubled for meat products. “This is largely due to the rise of the factory farm in the country,” he says. “It is because Egyptians want more meat that the price is rising, because even one decade ago meat-eating on a daily basis was not prominent in the country, but today, many segments of society want their meat and they want it quickly and easily. The result is the factory farm.” According to Barghouin, in late 2010, the factory farm runs on the principle that they can keep meat cheap and this ideology functions extremely well in the Western world, where the cost of meat has remained largely a constant. But in the developing world, it means price hikes. “The cost of establishing and running a factory farm on a similar level in the developing world, from Egypt to Algeria, is massive. I have spoken to a number of individuals who say one piece of land to rear chickens costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollar range or higher,” he reveals. In order to keep the chicken on the plate, then, companies like Wadi Foods have been forced into factory farming. The result is higher prices to cover costs. “It's a cycle that most Egyptians don't understand and that is why you have anger and frustration.” A poll published in 2010 by the Information and Decision Support Center of the Egyptian Cabinet revealed that the consumption of red meat is increasingly in dramatic fashion. The study showed that only 11 percent of Egypt's 80 million strong eat less than two kilograms of meat per month on average throughout the year. The study gave stark statistics on meat consumption in the country, reporting that 32 percent of the population consume between two and four kilos of meat on average per month, 30 percent eat four to 6kg; 8 percent consume 6 to 8 kilos; 6 percent consume between 8 and 10 kilos while 7 percent of Egypt eats more than 10 kilograms of meat per month. This desire to eat meat has led to the growth in the factory farm, but in doing so, it has left hunger on the rise. In order to feed all the animals being prepared for slaughter across the country, acre after acre of arable land is being used for the production of feed that goes to sheep, chicken and the few dairy cows in the country. “People here believe that meat is the only source for many nutrients and that vegetarian diets will make one malnourished and sick,” begins Salua Tarak, a Cairo-based dietitian for upper class Egyptians and foreigners. “We know this is not the truth, but convincing people otherwise is hard.” The Egyptian ministry of agriculture told Bikyamasr.com that nearly one-fifth of all farmland is currently being used for food to be delivered to animals. The United Nations, at the same time, has warned that hunger in the country is on the rise, with expectant food shortages to hit the country with what could be devastating affects in the coming few years. Gian Pietro Bordignon, the World Food Program (WFP) country director, says that Egypt must come to terms with a growing population and the need to be able to feed its population. Although he argues meat eating is vital to the health of the country, he does admit that “the government must see whether developing these agricultural land is vital to animal production or could go better toward self-sufficiency.” Barghouin says that it is hard to combine sustainable efforts to combat hunger with the rising industrial food industry. He points to the need to look hard at eating practices and the belief in meat as a necessity if Egypt is to overcome its burgeoning population issues and hunger. “If we look at how animals were reared, locally and in small farms or in backyards, this was more sustainable because it kept production minimal, costs lower and it was a catalyst toward environmentally protection, but now we see that factory farms are doing all the things they do elsewhere and maybe even worse. It is not surprising to see hunger on the rise,” he adds. Yussif Badr, a former agriculture ministry official in charge of regulations in the northern Nile Delta region, says that regulating companies on private land has proven difficult. He argues that in order to deal with the massive rise in industrial food production, the ministry would need to double or triple the manpower that is already in place. This won't happen, he admits. “We have a very small team and what we are forced to do is inform the companies when we are coming,” he begins. “This means that cleaning up the area is being done before we arrive, so we rarely see any negligence or bad practices taking place.” On top of this, he says that there is no real enforced legal standard for food production in the country. In his 12 years at the ministry, Badr admits he has seen animal carcuses thrown “one on top of another right next to irrigation that are being used for drinking water. I have also seen remains from chickens and waste thrown directly into the river system in the Delta.” He admits that it is an uphill battle, where literally millions of dollars are spent annually by his department to attempt to clean up the water systems for local villages, but he doesn't have the power. According to Badr, and others within the food industry, waste from factories and farms is continually tossed aside and left to rot close to where people live. This causes what environmental conservation consultant Richard Edwards, an American researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture, says leaves both the land and the people in danger. Walking through a now abandoned farm, he points to what he terms “scorched earth.” It is a result of waste from animal production being thrown into ditches and left to decompose. Although it does, eventually decompose – for the most part – “the chemicals and drugs used to make the animals grow faster and larger has detrimental affects on the soil and surrounding crops.” Edwards is not opposed to factory farming, but warns there must be a renewed sense of environmental protection if it is going to be sustainable. He argues that in countries like Egypt, where government oversight is limited, “the companies must begin to see that their actions will not be helpful in the long run. If the land, water and other ecosystems cannot handle the levels of pollution, the land will die and along with it the ability to sustain animal rearing in these conditions.” In his research in Egypt, Edwards says that nearly 10 percent of land used for animal production has made future farming “nearly impossible.” What is needed, experts argue, is a change of mindset across the country, one that provides for the population, is sustainable and works with the environment, not against. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/w8Wfc Tags: Degredation, Factory Farming, featured, Hunger Section: Egypt, Environment, Features, Food, Going Green, Latest News
