Confined animal-feeding operations

The use of pharmaceuticals has also become an integral part of livestock production. In industrialized countries, livestock production similar to other sectors of agribusiness, involves the maintenance of large flocks or herds in very close quarters, otherwise referred to as confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs Fig. 1.1). 

Figure 1.1 Examples of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Such operations typically rely on subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics and other forms of pharmaceutical compounds to ensure healthy and fast growing herds or flocks.

Meyer, M.T., J.E. Bumgarner, J.L. Varns, et al. 2000. Use of radioimmunoassay as a screen for antibiotics in confined animal feeding operations and confirmation by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Sci. Total Environ. 248 181-187. 

Intensively managed agro-ecosystems and, even more so, confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are the technical means by which most human needs and dietary preferences are met. About 75% of the Nr created around the world by humans is added to agro-ecosystems to sustain food production. About 70% of that is from the Haber-Bosch process and —30% from C-BNF (Figure 2). Smil (2001) estimates that —40% of all the people alive today owe their life to the production and wide use of fertilizers produced by the Haber-Bosch process. 

Galen P. Austin is a senior research associate at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University. He earned his doctoral degree in animal science with an emphasis on beef cattle production from Texas Tech University in December 2003. As an animal scientist, Dr. Austin s research interests are varied regarding livestock production and the environment. He has utilized GPS/GIS technology to monitor beef cattle movement and behavior and is interested in livestock disease epidemiology, in particular, zoonotic diseases. Additionally, Dr. Austin is concerned with and has research interests in the protection from and detection of agricultural terrorism directed at both on-farm/ranch livestock and confined animal feeding operations. 

J. P. Webster, S. C. Kover, R. J. Bryson, T. Harter, D. S. Mansell, D. L. Sediak and E. P. Kolodziel, Occurrenee of trenbolone acetate metabolites in simulated confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) runoff. Environ. Sci. TechnoL, 2012, 46, 3803-3810. 

Most poultry production, and a growing percentage of swiae production, takes place ia iatensive, confinement operations. Much of the poultry production is carried out under a system of vertical iategration ia which a producer hatches the chicks, grows them ia the producer s faciUties or ia contract facihties, provides the feed, processes the animals, and markets the product. This system of vertically iategrated production is not as common ia the swiae iadustry. 

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