Factory Farming And Its Effects On Our Health

Society is filled with images of happy animals living on farms where the cows graze in lush green fields and the chickens have spacious coops. The picture of free-roaming animals living in spacious fields is miles away from reality. A majority of animals are being raised for food, live terrible lives in dark, confined, and overcrowded facilities, called factory farms. Factory farming have led to institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction, as well as animal and human health risks which can be reduced by natural, free-range farming.

Modernized meat and dairy was started with good intentions. In the 1950's, we thought milk was nature's perfect food. We thought that producing dairy and meat on a large scale would enable us to feed not only the hungry in the United States, but also the hungry in other countries. However, our hunger for these products soon became insatiable, with Americans eating over 222 of pounds of meat and eating over 605 pound of dairy per person per year ("Forks Over Knives", 2011). This has left the countries and people that we thought we were going to be providing for with nothing more than they started with, and now they are starting to have even less as we continue to use their land to grow food for the animals we eat and the dairy we drink. Some would argue that animal agriculture has nothing to do with world hunger or the ecological effects that drive it, but there is evidence to suggest that animal agriculture is directly related to world hunger, global warming, water contamination, ocean dead zones, and deforestation. Industrial farming is not only putting the Earth at risk, but it is consequently putting us, the human race, at risk.

“Recognize meat for what it really is: the antibiotic- and pesticide- laden corpse of a tortured animal.” says Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder of (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) PETA and animal activist. Factory farming should be banned or demolished thoroughly due to more harm than good that is being presented worldwide. Animal brutality, which can be found constantly and excessively throughout factory farms, is a deleterious act involving the animals and a diabolic act regarding human morals. The antic actions that proceed have an effect on both humans and the environment, as well as the unethical, inhumane treatment and the atrocious sufferings of animals. Besides factory farms offering a copious amount of cheaper food, factory farming is a detrimental agricultural practice to both humans and the environment. The way we receive our food is inhumane and unhealthy to humans and the environment, thus factory farms should be banned.

The government claims if you force them to reduce how much they pollute, they’re not going to be able to operate. They’re essentially saying that they can only make money by polluting and by breaking the law. Factory farming has also became one of the most filthiest industries in america, producing an ocean of fecal matter early. Fishes were dying in really weird ways. The Algae Creates oxygen during the day through photosynthesis and expels the carbon dioxide at night. When all this happens there is literally no kind of oxygen in the water for them to breathe. Distant noxious, smelling air borne ammonia. A toxic gas released by decomposing animal waste can travel before hitting soul or water up to 300 miles. The Number of pounds of fecal matter that animals raised for food in the U.S. Produce per second is 87,000. The Amount of factory farm animal waste generated in the U.S. each year is 500 million tons. The Earth's Total land mass used for animal grazing is 26%. Manure can also contain traces of salt and heavy metals, which can end up in bodies of water and accumulate in the sediment,

Our nation’s modern industrial farming has become more than only feeding people; it has become a way for the food industry to make more money as human population continues to grow. The food industry has transformed not only how people eat, but also has had negative effect on our climate as a result of factory farming as illustrated by Anna Lappe in “The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork”. Jonathan Safran Foer in his book Eating Animals, illustrates the effects factory farming has had on animals meant for human consumption. Furthermore, Foer asks many questions to the reader on what will it take for us to change our ways before we say enough is enough. The questions individuals need to be asking themselves are: how do we deal with the problem of factory farming, and what can people do to help solve these issues? Namit Arora in the article On Eating Animals, as well as Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, both address some of the issues that animals face once they hit the kill floor. Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, also writes on the topic of animal abuse, and what goes unseen within the food industry as well as Bernard Rollin and Robert Desch in their article Farm Factories, both demonstrate what is wrong today with factory farming. The food industry today has impacted all facets of farming practices: from our Earth’s climate to the abuse animals endure, and the loss of old world agricultural farming

The average American eats over 200 pounds of meat each year (Food, Inc. 2008). Meat consumption has not always been so excessive; however, this recently high demand has resulted in food companies scaling up and vastly transforming their methods of production for the sake of yielding the largest amount of meat at the lowest expense. In fact, as of now over 99% of farm animals in the U.S. are raised in factory farms, which are controlled by only a select few companies (Food, Inc. 2008).With this relatively new monopoly of intensive farming have come adverse side effects, which are outlaid on all U.S. communities as a whole. In order to cease this wayward progression in its tracks, we must advocate as a country for farming to reform in favor of its most logical, humane, and healthy standards. Pasture-raised farming should become the standard in American meat production because pasture-raised farming is in more ethical than the current industrial practices.

The growth of industrialized factory farming has been substantial in the past decade. The number of dairy cows on factory farms increased by 100% and the average-sized dairy factory farm increased by 50% between 1997 and 2012. The number of livestock on factory farms rose by 20% between 2002 and 2012. The number of pigs on factory farms increased by more than 33%, and the average farm size grew by more than 70% from 1997 to 2012. The trends are all showing that this practice is growing – and quickly. This demands that attention be paid to the impact it has on the surrounding areas and world as a whole, and many studies have been completed to explore them. Among these, many facts point to the idea that factory

The food industry today has changed the way people view food. People generally don’t think about where their food comes from or how it’s produced because they’re not the ones doing the dirty work. However, as of recently, the toll factory farming industry has on the environment and human health is being exposed. Although transportation may seem to be the leading cause of global warming, this is not the case. A 2009 Worldwatch report states that the animal agriculture industry causes 51% of all greenhouse gases. As time goes by and numbers are released, the true meaning behind meat today is revealed. The amount of resources that goes into animal agriculture as well as the poisonous gases coming out of it just isn’t worth a cheeseburger

Ever wonder where your food comes from? Does your chicken actually live on a farm with a red barn and gets to roam freely? This may be what people picture of when they think about a farm, and sometimes it is only reinforced when the products labels has a red barn with rolling green hills. Well the reality is that most Americans don’t find the time to think about where their food comes from. The reality is that most animals do not get to roam freely, or are greeted by a friendly farmer. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), intensive farming, and factory farming are all names for how most animals are kept in before being shipped off to the slaughterhouses. These animals are not only dangerous for human consumption but they are also cause harm to the environment. There are several damaging factors that these farming methods hurt the environment such as pollution to the water and air but also have a bigger carbon footprint than most other foods. Currently there is a shortage in drinking water and polluting what we have left will only harm everyone, not just the people that live in the surrounding areas. Such problems can be avoided, the first thing that comes to mind is refrain from eating meat but there are other methods that are just as effective. Another helpful tip could be researching where and how your food is treated and making the smart choice of where to buy your meat and other food products. Overall animal farming in large quantities and in a small

Factory farming sees animals as simple food products, not as living and breathing beings. “Factory farming continues to grow around the world as a low-cost way of producing animal products for human consumption. However, many of the practices associated with intensive animal farming have been criticized by public health professionals and animal welfare advocates.”(Anomaly, 2015) The animals in a factory farm are not treated with care, and are stuffed into tiny cages and pens with multiple other animals. They do not have any room to move or exercise, and live bleak and dreary lives up until the point they are reduced to simple food products. Factory farms show no respect for the

Everyday millions of people around the world sit down to a meal composed predominantly of meat. Many of these people have no idea where the meat came from before it reached the shelves of local grocery stores. Most of the meat found in today’s grocery stores are produced from large scale farms, commonly known as factory farms. These farms have replaced traditional small-scale family farms. Factory farming is an unsustainable practise that puts the health of the environment at risk.

For centuries, farms were family-owned and tended to be smaller in size and profits were made from selling their crops and meat at local markets. Today, most farms are large industries where they use mass production methods to feed billions of people for a low price. To accomplish this, these corporations use thousands of acres, large machinery, pesticides, and fertilizers to maximize their profits (Gale). Consumer may be grateful for the cheap prices, but these industries cause the environment to become unmaintainable because the concentrated area damages the bionetwork. Preservationists, health advocates, and animal rights activists aim to take down these huge establishments by restoring local farms. The main reason these animal agriculture businesses are targeted is because they uneconomically use natural resources, contribute to deforestation, and the considerable amounts of animal waste threaten air and water quality. Animal agriculture is proficient in damaging the environment and atmosphere by accumulating surplus amounts of animal waste and chemicals in a concentrated area.

Every year, over 58 billion farm animals are killed by humans for food production, and this astounding number does not even include sea creatures (Brown, 2011). This is known as factory farming – the system of inhumane raising of livestock for the purpose of supplying food for human consumption in the cheapest way possible. It is argued that factory farming should be illegal and banned worldwide not only because of its cruelty towards animals

Commercial farming today produces over 250 million pounds of the meat that is eaten. While some see that industrial farming has its benefits such as less man power with technology, large scale production, and lower prices, (Fredrick, Advantages of Industrial Agriculture) the industrial food institutions have also had bad effects. These effects concern agriculture, the environment, human health, and animals. Industrial farming can lead to environmental degradation, air and water contamination, loss of biodiversity, loss of marine life, and even poor treatment of animals kept inside these industrial farms (Horrigan, How sustainable Agriculture can Address the Environmental…). Because industrial farming is tied to these bad effects more sustainable approaches can be made to lessen the severity of this occurring issue.

There are alternatives for beef, chicken, pork, fish and it can be expected to continue expanding. Any popular meat dish today most likely has an alternative to it being sold by top brands like Morning Star, Beyond Meat, Boca, Gardein, and many more. The products typically cost around five dollars for a pack of frozen veggie burgers or a bag of frozen “chicken” nuggets. These prices are high relative to most frozen meals with meat but inexpensive compared to buying raw meats. Processed foods are typically very inexpensive and the higher prices of these meat alternatives aid in associating them with healthier food products. As a consumer, I expect to pay more money for foods that are better for myself and the world in general, such as organic produce or ethically grown coffee. These meat alternatives may be right next to the pizza rolls and TV dinners but they are easy to disassociate because they have a higher price tag. In my experience, there are many consumers who even believe that they would be unable to go vegetarian or vegan because of the costs of foods like these.