Cowspiracy Discussion Questions

1. What are your thoughts on the film? Do you believe what it has to say? Why or why not?

2. Is this film an effective piece of propaganda? Why or why not?

I think it is. It make people consider their actions

-Brings awareness, targets people partially on board
-looks at things environmentally more than ethics of animal rights angle
(It was effective b/c weather or not its true it makes you consider your actions and brings awareness to it. His
target audience is probably people who are already on board)

3. What is the connection between animal agriculture and oceanic dead zones?

Runoff of fertilizers that are used to feed the animals and their waste materials goes into the ocean, which in the end
causes dead zones for the natural habitat. Animal waste can be very dangerous.

(Animal agriculture produces a lot of metabolic wastes and fertilizers used to produce crops to feed animals. This carries
off via runoff into oceans. More carbon into oceans

-Runoff of fertilizers, waste, and pesticides that increases carbons in the ocean

4. Why don’t Green peace and other environmental organizations have animal agriculture as a top priority?

-They fear losing their funding from political figures to run their organizations. It’s unlawful to talk bad about certain
foods and crops. Its against the law to talk badly about perishable goods

-Animal agriculture industry might give money to these organizations

-Veggie Libel laws

--- Because they are fearful they will lose their funding. The agriculture industry has a lot of pull in the political world, no
one wants to donate to an organization that tells them they have to change what they eat everyday (more of a
conspiracy, not factual. Do you agree with this?)
 5. Why do they assert that grassfed beef is more unsustainable than beef from CAFOs?

-Grass beef uses a lot of land, takes longer for beed to be fully grown to become slaughter which uses more resources:
land, water, grass

-takes longer for the cows to get big enough to harvest

-take up more space, not enough land
-more water use, more methane
---- Takes up more land and cows take longer to get bigger. If you are trying to get food into production and they are
taking all this time to grow, that’s more water they consume and methane they produce. But there’s is less of a risk for
bacteria getting to people and less fatty meat. But still some environmental consequences of grass fed.

6. What are some of the hidden external costs of animal agriculture? Who pays these costs?
Hidden costs include the massive amounts of water that could be drinking water, to raise livestock and feeding
grains and corn that could be used to feed people in poverty, to livestock instead. Consumers and people in
poverty are two groups of people that pay these hiddemn costs.
-Transport of feed
-Healthcare impact of bacteria and fatty meat
-ecological
-antibacterial resistant
-land for feed and cattle raised.
-Public pays the cost through taxes and healthcare, health costs
---Transport of feed is expensive and produces a lot of pollution. The healthcare costs. The public pays the cost
because a lot of it is in our taxes. Our taxes help pay for the healthcare and the corn, especially if someone gets
sick. Almost an unfair system because the cost is put on everyone despite their personal choices

7. Do you think that people will change after they have seen this movie? Will you?

I believe a person could change after watching this movie after being exposed to the true cost of the meat and dairy
industries. While a religious meat-eater may not become a vegan overnight, they might at least think more about cutting
down on their meat and diary intake. I personally eat very little meat and only eat chicken or fish once or twice a month.
I am seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian when i move out of the dorms and cutting down on my dairy
intake.
-pushes people on the fence to make a choice
-health and environmental perks

---it definitely pushed people who were on the edge of making a huge lifestyle change (ex: vegetarian or vegan). it has
good points about health and the environment so if youre passionate about those things than it will have an impact on
you

8. What is the relationship between global climate change and the raising of livestock?
raising livestock contributes to global climate change. with high demands for increasing livestock to feed the
growing population. Waste products from livestock, transporting and shipping, and deforestation produce
greenhouse gases. A cow does on average release between 70 and 120 kg of methane per year contributing to
the greenhouse gases.

---raising livestock contributes to greenhouse gases because it cuts down trees and the waste produced from
livestock. transportation, shipping, and processing of the animals also contributes