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Originally Posted by James81  As if not eating meat will suddenly make cows stop drinking water. lol |
Hey James,
Meat is generally produced from domesticated animals. Domesticated animals are intentionally bred for slaughter to meet the demand of the meat buyers. They don't go out breeding in the woods at night -- when and to whom they breed with is controlled by the farmer. Dairy cows are forcibly inseminated to ensure they're pregnant each year, even if they're not really receptive to a bull's advances. In other words, WE control exactly how many cows, pigs, and chickens exist, and 99.9% of it is done in order to fill orders for meat & make money. (I don't say 100% because a tiny few are kept as pets, working stock (eg oxen), or show animals).
If meat intake was suddenly cut in half, there wouldn't be a demand for more cows, so breeding would cut way down. Every less cow in the US domestic herd is many thousands of gallons of water saved each year. You may not think it important now, but as freshwater supplies dwindle in some parts of the country, over the next few decades this is going to be an important issue. Right now several US states are fighting over water rights, and the amount of water available in their big rivers just is not enough to meet demand. In Colorado the ownership of rain water is so serious they had a ban on homeowners using rain barrels to catch roof run-off to water their own yard.
In Colorado, Rain Barrels Are Illegal. Yup. » GroovyGreen.com - Start Today :: Save Tomorrow