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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Documentary Director: Don McCorkell |
Anyone who watches the trailers for “A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth about Factory Farms” wills quickly learn about the deadly
toxicity and pollution issues that are facing the world from large corporate breeding farms. Some of these issues are the creating of
private water sources, genetically modified foods used to patent and privative food, and toxic chemicals and hormones in the food
supply. A fairly startling fact is that nearly 23 million pounds, almost seventy percent, of all of the important human antibiotics are used
for veterinary practices and as growth enhancements for animals. This of course should be at the top of public policy concerns, so why
isn’t it?
“A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth about Factory Farms” advocates for bringing in corporations that are operating behind the
scenes in order to seize control of the nation’s food and water supply, without any concern for toxins and pollution. This is a much more
dangerous threat than many of the political battles in Washington that the media spends so much time covering, instead of following
the fact that the nation’s basic needs of food and water are being stolen and poisoned as the nation’s eyes are aimed elsewhere.
Many believe that the food system in the U.S. is the safest in the world, though Don McCorkell, a former Oklahoma Congressman and
director of this troubling documentary about the environmental and health problems being caused by modern poultry and meat
production farms shows viewers a different picture. Most of the factory farms causing the problems are owned by a small number of
large corporations and they are operating for a single goal, a profit.
This documentary exposes a huge health and environmental scandal in the nation’s modern industrial system of meat and poultry
production. Scientists have even called the practices of these companies as mini Chernobyls. In U.S. and around the world, the meat
and poultry industry is dominated by a large number of toxins and by dumping large amounts of sewage into the environment. The film
shows the vast impact these companies make on the environment and public health and focuses on the individual lives that have been
damaged and destroyed because of these farms.
When it comes to the hazardous nature of food, the European Union nearly stands alone in the case of establishing strong health and
environmental standards for the meat and poultry industry. In the U.S and elsewhere around the world, the meat and poultry industry is
dominated by dangerous uses of a variety of different toxins and poisons that are hazardous to humans, including arsenic, antibiotics
and different types of growth hormones. By dumping massive amounts of sewage in the fragile waterways and environments of the
world, everyone is at risk of being affected.
The factory farms are breeding ground for diseases and pollution. Some have speculated that a corporate factory hog farm in Mexico
and it is the trail of untreated waste is the source of the latest outbreak of swine flu around the world. Among those making the case
against meat and poultry production farms are Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society's Factory Farming Campaign; Drew
Edmonson, Oklahoma's Attorney General; Dr. Robert Lawrence of the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future; Michele Merkel of the
Environmental Integrity Project; and Paris Glendening, Former Governor of Maryland. With such a great number of important people
taking a stand against factory farms, it is hard to ignore the point they are trying to make.
Though it is easy to ignore films of the environmental type since they are taking over the documentary genre, it is hard to ignore this
film. Anyone who cares about the environment and the well-being of their family will want to see “A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth
about Factory Farms” and try to better understand where their food is really coming from, and in turn make better choices about what
they eat. It will make many people wonder, are the world’s leaders worried about the right issues? It is an interesting point when one
observer notes that if it were terrorists that were to do this to the U.S., the nation would be up in arms and ready to fight, however, when it
is a Fortune 500 company that is doing this to the U.S., it can be classified as business as usual, instead of a harmful attack on the
people of the U.S.
Overall the film offers a look at the meat and poultry industry that is never seen from the perspective of the everyday person that is
consuming the products that are produced and often filled with a variety of harmful toxins. The film quality is good and is what one
would expect from a documentary film of this type. Though it is a little hard to watch at times, it is a very interesting look at what is
important to different groups, including the farms, the government and the people that are taking in the food. Anyone that eats food will
want to check out this film to see the truth behind how these factory farms make a profit, and how these practices, such as injecting
animals with growth hormones to allow for more meat to sell per individual animal, can affect the end consumer. As stated before,
watching this film will probably make many people think twice about where they are getting their food from. “A River of Waste: The
Hazardous Truth about Factory Farms” is a great addition to any documentary film collection and is sure to startle anyone willing to take
the time and watch.
toxicity and pollution issues that are facing the world from large corporate breeding farms. Some of these issues are the creating of
private water sources, genetically modified foods used to patent and privative food, and toxic chemicals and hormones in the food
supply. A fairly startling fact is that nearly 23 million pounds, almost seventy percent, of all of the important human antibiotics are used
for veterinary practices and as growth enhancements for animals. This of course should be at the top of public policy concerns, so why
isn’t it?
“A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth about Factory Farms” advocates for bringing in corporations that are operating behind the
scenes in order to seize control of the nation’s food and water supply, without any concern for toxins and pollution. This is a much more
dangerous threat than many of the political battles in Washington that the media spends so much time covering, instead of following
the fact that the nation’s basic needs of food and water are being stolen and poisoned as the nation’s eyes are aimed elsewhere.
Many believe that the food system in the U.S. is the safest in the world, though Don McCorkell, a former Oklahoma Congressman and
director of this troubling documentary about the environmental and health problems being caused by modern poultry and meat
production farms shows viewers a different picture. Most of the factory farms causing the problems are owned by a small number of
large corporations and they are operating for a single goal, a profit.
This documentary exposes a huge health and environmental scandal in the nation’s modern industrial system of meat and poultry
production. Scientists have even called the practices of these companies as mini Chernobyls. In U.S. and around the world, the meat
and poultry industry is dominated by a large number of toxins and by dumping large amounts of sewage into the environment. The film
shows the vast impact these companies make on the environment and public health and focuses on the individual lives that have been
damaged and destroyed because of these farms.
When it comes to the hazardous nature of food, the European Union nearly stands alone in the case of establishing strong health and
environmental standards for the meat and poultry industry. In the U.S and elsewhere around the world, the meat and poultry industry is
dominated by dangerous uses of a variety of different toxins and poisons that are hazardous to humans, including arsenic, antibiotics
and different types of growth hormones. By dumping massive amounts of sewage in the fragile waterways and environments of the
world, everyone is at risk of being affected.
The factory farms are breeding ground for diseases and pollution. Some have speculated that a corporate factory hog farm in Mexico
and it is the trail of untreated waste is the source of the latest outbreak of swine flu around the world. Among those making the case
against meat and poultry production farms are Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Humane Society's Factory Farming Campaign; Drew
Edmonson, Oklahoma's Attorney General; Dr. Robert Lawrence of the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future; Michele Merkel of the
Environmental Integrity Project; and Paris Glendening, Former Governor of Maryland. With such a great number of important people
taking a stand against factory farms, it is hard to ignore the point they are trying to make.
Though it is easy to ignore films of the environmental type since they are taking over the documentary genre, it is hard to ignore this
film. Anyone who cares about the environment and the well-being of their family will want to see “A River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth
about Factory Farms” and try to better understand where their food is really coming from, and in turn make better choices about what
they eat. It will make many people wonder, are the world’s leaders worried about the right issues? It is an interesting point when one
observer notes that if it were terrorists that were to do this to the U.S., the nation would be up in arms and ready to fight, however, when it
is a Fortune 500 company that is doing this to the U.S., it can be classified as business as usual, instead of a harmful attack on the
people of the U.S.
Overall the film offers a look at the meat and poultry industry that is never seen from the perspective of the everyday person that is
consuming the products that are produced and often filled with a variety of harmful toxins. The film quality is good and is what one
would expect from a documentary film of this type. Though it is a little hard to watch at times, it is a very interesting look at what is
important to different groups, including the farms, the government and the people that are taking in the food. Anyone that eats food will
want to check out this film to see the truth behind how these factory farms make a profit, and how these practices, such as injecting
animals with growth hormones to allow for more meat to sell per individual animal, can affect the end consumer. As stated before,
watching this film will probably make many people think twice about where they are getting their food from. “A River of Waste: The
Hazardous Truth about Factory Farms” is a great addition to any documentary film collection and is sure to startle anyone willing to take
the time and watch.
