The hidden mining cost of meat and seafood

Miners walking along a corridor more than 1,000 meters underground at the PolkowiceSieroszowice copper and silver mine in southwestern Poland.

The crops we feed farm animals like soy and corn are a big part of the meat industry’s massive environmental footprint. Producing these crops accounts for more than two-thirds of agricultural land use, fertilizer-driven pollution and a large share of related greenhouse gas emissions. But another, often-overlooked part of animal feed hides farther up the supply chain — in the mines that supply minerals to boost farm animal diets.

Originally published on sentientmedia.org, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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