Greener Eggs and Ham

The report argues that transitioning from conventional confinement systems to pasture-based production for pigs, chickens, and eggs reduces environmental pollution and improves animal welfare. While it notes that non-ruminants cannot derive as many nutritional benefits from grass as cattle do, it highlights that pasture systems lower production costs for farmers and reduce public health risks associated with antibiotics and arsenic. The document identifies challenges such as seasonality and the need for hardier breeds, while calling for clearer labeling standards and increased technical assistance for producers.

• Conventional concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) create significant environmental hazards, primarily through the production of enormous quantities of manure that can contaminate groundwater with nitrates, pathogens, heavy metals, and antibiotics, and cause eutrophication in waterways.
• Pasture-based production systems mitigate environmental damage by dispersing manure over larger areas, reducing the need for grain production (which lowers soil erosion and pesticide runoff), and potentially improving soil quality.
• Pasture production can be more economically feasible for farmers than conventional systems due to lower fixed costs, reduced capital needs, and the ability to command premium prices from consumers.
• Unlike ruminants, swine and poultry are monogastric and cannot survive on forage alone, meaning pasture-raised pork, chicken, and eggs do not show the same substantial increases in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids as grass-fed beef or milk.
• The use of arsenic-based compounds in conventional broiler chicken feed can lead to the accumulation of inorganic arsenic—a human carcinogen—in the birds' meat and in the soil where manure is applied.
• Conventional production relies heavily on antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention in crowded conditions, which contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread to humans.
• Pasture-raised animals experience better welfare and health, with pigs showing fewer respiratory and leg problems and chickens exhibiting natural behaviors like flocking.
• Alternative producers face significant challenges, including the need for hardier breeds (as conventional breeds are bred for confinement), the difficulty of winter production in temperate regions, and limited access to USDA-inspected slaughterhouses for small quantities of meat.

APA

CLANCY, K. (2006). Greener Eggs and Ham. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/greener-eggs-and-ham.pdf

Chicago

CLANCY, KATE. Greener Eggs and Ham. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2006. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/greener-eggs-and-ham.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CLANCY |first1=KATE |title=Greener Eggs and Ham |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=December 2006 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/greener-eggs-and-ham.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clancy2006greener, author = {CLANCY, KATE}, title = {{Greener Eggs and Ham}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2006}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/greener-eggs-and-ham.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }