Yu explains that most pigs and poultry mainly feed on corn and soybeans. The phosphorus in their food is generally chemically bound to other elements and cannot be absorbed in the intestines, so it is mostly passed out with the animals 'stools. A lack of phosphorus affects an animal's skeletal development, and runoff phosphorus can pollute ground in and around the farm while causing eutrophication of nearby lakes and ponds.
余淑美解釋，一般豬、雞等家畜家禽多以玉米、大豆為主食，穀粒中的磷往往被「植酸」緊緊抓住，無法被腸胃吸收而排放出來至自然界，不僅動物易因缺磷而影響骨骼生長，更會導致農場附近的地下水污染、湖泊優氧化。