I would suggest a sewer system and waste management might be evidence to the contrary. Most things have an economy of scale and waste tends to go down and efficiency goes up in larger scale operations. That’s one reason wealth is concentrated In and generated by cities.
That said, disease spreads easier in larger populations, so it’s a mixed bag.
Hundreds of years ago they were a mixed bag, but with the advent of germ theory (and fire codes) cities rock and like 95% of humans should live in one
But that doesn’t mean CAFOs are a good idea, because their number one economy of scale trick is a) ignore all the environmental regulations to create more profit per unit b) have enough units makes the cost of fines/litigation/lobbying a manageable business expense
And avoiding regulations isn’t the only reason big farms are more efficient nor do small farms always comply with every regulation, escaping by being too small to notice.
Regulations are orthogonal to the question of efficiency. Regulations don’t exist to affect efficiency, they exist to enforce the common good at any scale.
So I’m not defending mega farms. I’m certainly not suggesting anyone should avoid regulation. I’m just saying economy of scale applies to farms and to suggest otherwise undermines any other argument one might make—if one argument in your quiver comes from a place of ignorance, what might that say about the rest?
Regulate farms. Examine the subsidies. Target the abuses. By all means, there is nothing morally good about mega farms. It’s just that I’m yet to see a good argument against them on the basis of efficiency.
The argument against here should be, “any gains in efficiency are overshadowed by unethical treatment of animals, risk of population collapse due to rampant infections, and regulatory capture by farm lobbies.” Or some such.
All IMO, of course. Fight your battles as you will. But I will call out fallacies of friends and foes alike because I don’t think they serve anyone.
I would suggest a sewer system and waste management might be evidence to the contrary. Most things have an economy of scale and waste tends to go down and efficiency goes up in larger scale operations. That’s one reason wealth is concentrated In and generated by cities.
That said, disease spreads easier in larger populations, so it’s a mixed bag.
Hundreds of years ago they were a mixed bag, but with the advent of germ theory (and fire codes) cities rock and like 95% of humans should live in one
But that doesn’t mean CAFOs are a good idea, because their number one economy of scale trick is a) ignore all the environmental regulations to create more profit per unit b) have enough units makes the cost of fines/litigation/lobbying a manageable business expense
Not this one. Way too expensive for zero net benefit, louder, busier and more competitive. You can keep it. Cities are overrated.
And avoiding regulations isn’t the only reason big farms are more efficient nor do small farms always comply with every regulation, escaping by being too small to notice.
Regulations are orthogonal to the question of efficiency. Regulations don’t exist to affect efficiency, they exist to enforce the common good at any scale.
So I’m not defending mega farms. I’m certainly not suggesting anyone should avoid regulation. I’m just saying economy of scale applies to farms and to suggest otherwise undermines any other argument one might make—if one argument in your quiver comes from a place of ignorance, what might that say about the rest?
Regulate farms. Examine the subsidies. Target the abuses. By all means, there is nothing morally good about mega farms. It’s just that I’m yet to see a good argument against them on the basis of efficiency.
The argument against here should be, “any gains in efficiency are overshadowed by unethical treatment of animals, risk of population collapse due to rampant infections, and regulatory capture by farm lobbies.” Or some such.
All IMO, of course. Fight your battles as you will. But I will call out fallacies of friends and foes alike because I don’t think they serve anyone.