The Meat of the Matter: Environmental Dissemination of Beef Cattle Agrochemicals

Global demand for beef is projected to increase into the foreseeable future (Smith et al. 2018). Thus, affordable, efficient, humane, and low–environmental impact production systems must evolve keep pace. Unfortunately, efforts satisfy growing appetites nutritious inexpensive necessitate significant reallocation of natural resources ultimately produce more wastes than can reasonably be accommodated in traditional fertilizer/crop cycles. Generation release greenhouse gases, odors, excessive nutrient loading, depletion available feedstock water are but a few environmental consequences increasingly industrialized animal protein production. However, focus this Point Reference limited dissemination potential impacts veterinary pharmaceuticals pesticides used during end stages modern sequence. The proportion cattle finished on industrial feeding operations or feedyards worldwide continues grow “Finishing” refers period several months which fed energy-dense diets add muscle fat prior slaughter common practice throughout United States, Canada, Australia, with increasing prevalence Mexico, China, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina. Emergence commercial feedyard made possible by improved genetics also use 1) improve feed conversion efficiency, 2) curb diseases, pests, undesirable behaviors physiological processes. Commercial could not operate profitably without synthetic anabolic steroids, beta-adrenergic agonists, pesticides, antimicrobials. agriculture sector single greatest consumer In animals account 80% all antimicrobial use, 70% nontherapeutic. Not surprisingly, antimicrobials detectable manures soils manure has been applied (Kay 2004). Less well characterized, yet potentially far-reaching land application aerial transport. McEachran (2015) discovered that airborne particulate matter (PM) emissions from contained resistance gene sequences. addition antimicrobials, fugitive identified as transport media steroids (androgens, estrogens, progestins; Blackwell 2015). These drugs among most potent endocrine disruptors today because they specifically designed interact receptors vivo. A wide array quantified at concentrations much higher those growth promoters. Feedyard agrochemicals have detected surface waters, wildflowers, wild pollinators collected vicinity feedyards. Peterson (2020) extrapolated permethrin total released US Considered context honeybee toxicity values, emitted each day States theoretically contains enough kill over billion honeybees. To gain perspective magnitude waste agrochemical releases feedyards, consider adult steer heifer produces roughly 31.8 kg daily. There approximately 9 million head any given time, translates 286 200 000 generated day. Ecological may directly exposed via deposition wastes, though indirect exposure pathways such plant uptake, runoff, groundwater contamination pose additional risk humans, wildlife, aquatic systems. waste-management strategies, when appropriately, mitigate introduction environment; implementation costly. Because many especially located arid semiarid regions, emission realize. colleagues estimated 234 840 PM10 21 PM2.5 arose 8.24 housed Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado March 2014. mass suspended particulates greater consists particles >10 ?m size. Larger deposited within relatively short distances originating sources, smaller, lighter travel unknown. Given annual transatlantic movement Saharan Desert settle it would appear there feedyard-derived piggybacking reach distant ecological number laws regulations addressing dust emissions, arisen response complaints people living no address content emissions. Environmental assessment guidance Food Drug Administration's New Animal Application process does recognize particulate-driven environment. Globally, vary considerably, countries exclude imports permit promoters Import exclusions primarily related concerns about human consumption pharmaceuticals, impacts. As result, open-air collectively represent one largest unconstrained unrecognized sources pesticide, antimicrobial, endocrine-disrupting chemical earth. indirect, variable, difficult-to-trace pathway presents challenges us who accustomed studying regulating contaminants environment locally distributed. Nonetheless, subsequent ecotoxicological chemicals general, specifically, merit further consideration. need readily available, steadily increasing; should met expense health. Potential ameliorative approaches include reduced reliance adversely local ecosystems, development alternative green chemistries, integrated pest-management effective waste-treatment -management broader understanding dissemination. paucity information topic date influence powerful lobbying groups associated industry, insightful, progressive consideration management issue pace beef. I acknowledge immense contributions my graduate students collaborators, past present. am grateful. views expressed herein solely author. They do necessarily reflect P. Smith laboratory (past present), Texas Tech University. Data, metadata, calculation tools corresponding author ([email protected]).