Farmers and fracking firms pitted against each other over water use
A key feature in the reports is the comparison of the volumes of water used in livestock and crop production, versus volumes used in the gas and oil exploration method ‘fracking’ — the hydraulic fracturing of rock by ‘power-hosing’ it with millions of litres of water.
In one report, Prof Robert Oswald of Cornell University in the US advised authorities in the UK to ban fracking. He says the practice poses a significant risk to the wellbeing of livestock.
