Choose better meat: It’s good for you and good for the planet!
On pasture-based farms, animals live outdoors for much of the year and grow up eating mostly grass (from meadows where many plant speces grow), hay, and a few grains. Access to open space prevents animals from becoming aggressive.
In the best cases, the same farms where animals are raised also produce feed (grains and legumes) or, if this is not possible, the feed comes from a neighboring farm.
Calves and piglets are born on the farm and are left with theirs mothers for a longer period.
It’s easier to prevent the spread of disease on a small-scale farm than on a factory farm with hundreds or thousands of animals, and antibiotics are usually not needed in small-scale operations.
Animals on small-scale farms live longer than those on factory farms, they are not mutilated, and they are slaughtered in such a way as to avoid fear and pain as much as possible.
Animals don’t travel long distance to reach the slaughterhouses.
It is easier and more common to raise local breeds on small farms. Local breeds are not only suited to living outdoors, in many cases they actually cannot thrive in confined environments.
On a small-scale farm, the farmer knows each animal and feeds, cleans, and cares for them day to day. The animals recognize and trust the farmer.
The result of these practices is a better life for animals, a more respectful bond with the land (which helps conserve soil fertility and biodiversity), and, in the end, better meat.
Choose better meat: It’s good for you and good for the planet!
To learn about the differences between good and bad practices in animal farming,
