Dairy in Brazil
Imagine if each small farmer in Brazil, who normally produces around 30 liters of milk a day, was required to increase production to 700 liters a day. This task would be almost impossible. To increase the production and offer lower prices in the market, farmers would be forced to adopt industrial methods, or quit farming.
These unnatural rates of milk production have become the standard in America, where production has gone from 2,409 liters of milk per cow, per year in 1950 to more than 8,181 liters per cow, per year to date. This dramatic increase is due in part to feed, genetically engineered hormones, and the industrial process by which large companies confine hundreds of thousands of animals in factory-like conditions. Many warn that this type of production is not far away for Brazil.
Data of Embrapa reveals that the milk production in the world is estimated at 518,6 billions liters. In 2004, 70% of this volume was produced by Europe and the United States. However, this production output will change throughout the years. Embrapa predicts developed countries will decrease production and developing countries will increase production. In the last 25 years, milk production in Brazil increased from 10,2 billion liters in 1979 to 22,3 billion in 2003. For 2005, the expectation was for 22,9 billion liters of milk.
NGOs and Institutions
Ider – Sustainable Development and Renovable Energy
This is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), which supports the concept of sustainable development. The primary goal is to promote, through actions, the better quality of life for people in all planet by using removable energies and environmental technologies.
SNA
Created in 1897, this non profit Institute, was founded to develop politically and educationally the Brazilian agriculture.
Associação de Agricultura Orgânica (AAO)
It is a NGO, founded in 1989 by a group of agronomist, producers, journalists and scientists, which to practice the organic agriculture. The goal is to promote the techniques of the organic agriculture and advocacy the right of everyone in get a health food.
About The Meatrix
The Meatrix is a product of the first-ever Free Range Flash Activism Grant. In February 2003, Free Range Graphics, a cutting-edge design company, invited hundreds of non-profit organizations to apply for a grant that included production of a free Flash movie. After carefully reviewing more than 50 applications, the grant was awarded to GRACE’s Sustainable Table program.
Sustainable Table works to educate consumers about the problems with factory farming and to promote sustainable food. The Meatrix was originally produced as a way to promote the Eat Well Guide, Sustainable Table’s online directory of sustainable farms, stores and restaurants in the US and Canada that sell meat, poultry, dairy and eggs from small, sustainable family farmers. But only days after release, it became evident that The Meatrix was also an excellent educational tool about factory farming. The film broke all records for online advocacy and was seen by millions of people in the first few months alone.
In 2005, Sustainable Table realized another movie was needed. The dairy industry has been moving more and more toward an industrialized system of production, to the detriment of people, the animals and the environment, so The Meatrix II: Revolting was created. The movie looks at the horrors of the dairy industry, while the accompanying web site offers consumers sustainable solutions to these problems.
