>2.7. B12 supplementation of livestock Livestock is not routinely supplemented with vitamin B12. Cows that consume cobalt (found in grass, which is free of B12) produce it with gut bacteria[1] in the rumen. Gastrointestinal animals (including humans) initially can't absorb it, but instead excrete it and can then eat their own shit[2]. B12 is in the soil because of excretions - ground bacteria exist but have never been shown to be the main source. Plants are devoid of B12 because competing bacteria consume it, not because of soil depletion. The "90% of B12 supplements go to livestock"-figure...
1) is bullshit that vegans keep on parroting. It originates from an article[3] that calls humans herbivores, with no source.
2) ignores the fact that you can get B12 from seafood and venison. A can of sardines provides 3x the RDA.
3) is illogical because animals on unnatural diets can simply be given cobalt instead of the synthetic supplement that vegans rely on. Cows also destroy[4] most of B12 in their gut before it can be absorbed.
>FOOTNOTES[1]
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5788147/[2]
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Contributions-of-microbes-in-vertebrate-tract-to-of-Stevens-Hume/cfe3e3d803fb10792bef8dfa9f7329045a786e45[3]
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/carnivores-need-vitamin-b12-supplements/2013/10/30[4]
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19700714 