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Grass Fed

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Introduction

Animal products packaged with a grass-fed label are often thought to represent a better life for animals, a smaller footprint for our planet, and a healthier alternative for human consumption. But as shown below, any claims for animal welfare are meaningless for the generic label and unencompassing for the other label we examine. The claims for sustainability and better health are highly questionable for both labels even if the ruminants were mostly grass-fed.

The reason the claims are meaningless for any generic labeling is that in 2016 the USDA stopped regulating the label,[1] allowing producers to use the label no matter how much or little grass was used in feeding. And given that "most all beef cattle spend at least a portion of their lives on grass,"[2], the notion that the grass-fed claim confers something special is questionable.

The private ''American Grass Fed''[3] seal also makes dubious claims. This standard requires inspections every 15 months, but the standards do not require the inspections be unannounced—a key provision for meaningful audits. Records of inspections are not public, so we do not know if there are violations, how they are handled, or if penalities have been levied. More specific claims for this label are discussed below.

Animal Welfare Claims

Generic Label

Some may suppose that grass-fed certification infers a better life for ruminants because they are eating their natural diet and doing so in roomy pastures. This is true only to the extent they are fed grass and the extent to which they are spending time in roomy pastures, neither of which are conferred by this unregulated label. Also, being feed grass does not necessarily mean their feeding is done in pastures.

In addition, the label says nothing about other injustices the animals may experiece. It had few implications for animal welfare even before the USDA dropped enforcement in 2016, as it didn't prohibit routine cruelties such as dehorning and castration with anesthesia, harsh living conditions, rough handling, lack of veterinary care, and, of course, slaughter. The designation had only to do with feeding. Now that the label is not regulated it remains meaningless for animal welfare.

American Grass Fed

The standards[4] for this private certification include sometimes vaguely worded stipulations on animal welfare that would provide a marginally better life for animals if the standards were strictly interpreted and enforced.

As one example of this vagueness, the standard says that "all livestock production methods and management must promote animal health, safety and welfare..."[4] That's very encompassing, and would seem to eliminate the routine practice of painful mutilations such as dehorning and castration without anesthestia. But without explicit prohibitions, and in light of the pressures of production and profit. it seems unlikely that producers would incure the costs involved.

And of course, the animals are sent to slaughter at an early age and deprived of their lives.

Sustainability Claims

For purposes of discussing the sustainability claims for grass-fed cattle, we adopt the assumption that the cattle under discussion actually were actually both grass-fed and pastured for the substantial majority of their lives. We do this even though we have shown above that this supposition is dubious at best.

Even Beef Magazine, "the beef cattle industry’s authoritative source,"[5] says that "the grain-fed model actually has the smallest footprint."[2] For related information on the sustainability of grass-fed livestock see our article on Grazing.

Human Health Claims

Animal Welfare Claims

Counter Claims

Nutritional and greenhouse gas impacts of removing animals from US agriculture, 2017. This study written by one poultry science professor and one dairy science professor purports to show that a world without animal agriculture could not sustain itself and human health would suffer. The claims are countered by two environmental scientists in one letter, and two public health and one natural resources scientist in another letter. Truth or Drought[6] wrote a point-by-point breakdown of fallacies in the study.

Temp: Research

Generic Grass-Fed Labelling. Even before the USDA dropped their regulation of the grass-fed label in 2016,[7] the designation had only to do with feeding and did not prohibit routine cruelties such as dehorning, castration, harsh living conditions, rough handling, and lack of veterinary care. No on-site inspection was required,[8] and animals could still slaughtered at an early age.[9]

Now, without even a definition of grass-fed provided by the USDA, producers are free to use the label no matter how much grass an animal has been fed. The designation is virtually meaningless.

Beef Magazine, the "the beef cattle industry’s authoritative source,"[5] says that "most all beef cattle spend at least a portion of their lives on grass,"[2]. This calls into question the notion that the grass-fed claim confers something special and unique.

In addition to animal welfare claims, two other claims are often made about grass-fed livestock—that they are raised more sustainably and that they are healthier to eat.

Regarding sustainability, in the same article Beef Magazine says that " the grain-fed model actually has the smallest footprint."[2] For more information on the sustainability of grass-fed livestock see this article from One Green Planet our own article on Grazing.


  1. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. “Grass Fed Marketing Claim Standard.” Accessed November 15, 2019. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/beef/grassfed.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Beef Magazine. “What’s More Sustainable: Grain-Fed or Grass-Fed Beef?,” December 8, 2016. https://www.beefmagazine.com/agenda/what-s-more-sustainable-grain-fed-or-grass-fed-beef.
  3. American Grassfed Association. “American Grass Fed Home Page.” Accessed November 19, 2019. https://www.americangrassfed.org/.
  4. 4.0 4.1 American Grassfed Association. “AGA Grassfed Ruminant Standards.” Accessed November 19, 2019. https://www.americangrassfed.org/aga-grassfed-ruminant-standards/.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Farm Progress Agricultural Marketing. “BEEF.” Accessed November 16, 2019. https://marketing.farmprogress.com/brands/livestock/beef/.
  6. https://www.truthordrought.com/food-supply-myths
  7. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. “Grass Fed Marketing Claim Standard.” Accessed November 15, 2019. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/beef/grassfed.
  8. “Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims for Label Submissions.” USDA FSIS, n.d. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bf170761-33e3-4a2d-8f86-940c2698e2c5/Label-Approval-Guide.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
  9. Whisnant, DVM, Patricia. “FAQ Grass Fed Beef.” American Grass Fed Beef (blog). Accessed October 25, 2018. https://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/faq-grass-fed-beef.asp