Statement Of The Problem 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 …show more content…
Antibiotic resistant infections kill 90,000 Americans every year. Lack of sufficient sanitation and waste management on factory farms can lead to food supply contamination by bacteria like E.coli and salmonella. Annually, 76 million Americans suffer from foodborne illness, and thousands die. Zoonotic diseases are exchangeable from animals to humans, with the potential to turn into pandemics. The outbreak and spread of the H1N1 virus was said by various experts to be caused by the overcrowding of factory farm pigs and the retention of their waste in massive manure lagoons. Many have examined factory farming’s effects on small farmers too; Nathaneal Johnson’s "The Making of the Modern Pig" states that the past few years have eliminated over half a million hog farmers; “As large farms replaced small ones, the population of Thornton became too small to warrant its own high school. Now his high school serves as a middle school for both Thornton and three other towns “ (Johnson 2006). There are now four main companies producing the majority of pigs (Swenson 2000). Again, there are only four companies producing the majority of cow products; Eric Schlosser of “Fast Food Nation” states, “In the late 1970s, the top four beef companies controlled about 20 percent of the market; now they control more than 80
Factory Farming is an increasing industry in the United States. These large farms, which evidently appear to be more like slaughterhouses than the typical farms a person can imagine are located throughout the United States. These factory farms contain animals ranging from chickens, sheep, goats, cows, turkeys, and pigs, they also contain dairy products. The conditions for the animals and the employees of these factory farms are inhumane and vile. Life behind the walls of the factory farm is both unsanitary for the animals and the employees. Employees are forced to endure long hours and poor treatment. Animals in these conditions withstand living in cages and are forced to live in uninhabitable ways.
The effects of factory farming is not worth the damage that is done to the health of the environment, animals, and people. The idea of a factory farm is to produce meat at a faster pace, but the way these companies accomplish this task makes life a living hell for the animals. For example, “They’re often given so little space that they can’t even turn around or lie down comfortably. Egg-laying hens are kept in small cages, chickens and pigs are kept in jam-packed sheds, and cows are kept on crowded, filthy feedlots”(Factory). The animals on these farms have to experience constant fear and agony, especially since most factory farmed animals will be genetically manipulated to grow larger or to produce more milk or eggs than they naturally would, and suffer severe pain throughout their entire life(Factory). Animals, especially cows, are being abused not only physically, but mentally as well.. For example, “just within hours of birth, calves are taken away from
Most people thinks of a farms as a place where people shove as many different kind of livestock in a small area to make the most for the space they’ve. This isn’t true in most cases of farming, and for the few factories that process to run this way makes the other farms that produces a large amount of livestock looks as if they are using the same technicians. Factory farming and open range farming are two completely different ways of growing and rising livestock. I have raised livestock for 7 years now as well learned everything I know about livestock from a family who have been farming for 6 generations. Factory farms have larger numbers in smaller space when open range is more space per animal two different ways of raising animals yet, neither of these technically wrong way of producing.
Factory farms increase production and help feed the world. Due to an increase in population factory farms holds the world’s food supply in check. Factory farms produce more animals in a quicker matter than any other place. Factory farms help contain waste and help stop some
Factory farming is the process of “employing abusive practices that maximize agribusiness profits at the expense of the environment, our communities, animal welfare, and even our health” (Factory Farming). These methods are used across the United States and have major impacts on not only those consuming the food but the environment as well. Some hold the position that this method is inhumane and should not be allowed. However, others argue that this process creates economically cheap food and allows food to be produced at a faster rate. Therefore, the factory farming industry can improve its conditions in all aspects if it is reformed to successfully satisfy the rights that the livestock deserve and
Even though higher yields are met for demand and human consumption, factory farming is cruel to animals due to the fact animals are often subject to harsh living conditions, more susceptible to diseases and injuries and are treated inhumanely during the slaughtering process. Unfortunately, with an increase in human population worldwide, the strain on farmers to meet the demand increases as well. This in turn causes more animals to be subject to this cruelty.
These potential costs come in the form of environmental hazards and damages, such as contaminated water and air pollution (Walsh, 2013)2. EPA estimated in 2004 that 20% of man-made air pollutants from methane were a result from livestock, primarily cows (Air quality)3. Poor sanitation of animal waste has also been linked to food contamination and outbreaks of salmonella, E. coli and various other food-borne illnesses. In April 2009 through August 2010, a strain of Swine Flu, H1N1, was believed by scientists to have originated in industrialized farms overcrowded with pigs (Farm sanctuary, 2016)4. This pandemic was believed to have killed as many as 18,000 people according to the CDC. The overuse of antibiotics and growth hormones used to protect livestock from the rampant spread of disease, due to cramped quarters, and to help beef up production, are also beginning to show strong correlations to an increase in several cancers, antibiotic resistant “super bugs”, early onset of puberty in children, depression, brain damage, respiratory issues, birth defects, miscarriage and obesity (Other health risks of the meat industry)5. The costs to sanitize water and treat illness is tremendous and only
Twenty decades ago, livestock farmers used to breed their animals in the traditional way where their farm animals were let loose over a large area of farm and allowed to reproduce naturally. Over recent years, a new system of rearing livestock has come into existence which is more popularly known as Factory Farming. Factory Farming makes use of extremely intensive procedures through the use of which poultry, cattle and other livestock are kept indoors under rigid controlled settings. Since this technique has gained much popularity into how food is being produced in America, it is also one of the most debated and controversial concepts. While it is true that using this modern method to produce meat and dairy one can expect greater productivity at a swifter rate, the question still remains- at what cost?
The factories are in no way better than the farms that produce just as efficiently as them, argues Joel Salatin, a Polyface Farm owner. Salatin's usage of ethos shows how much of a slight difference there is between industrial food producers and farmers such as himself with his position of working as an owner of a farm. Using Salatin's experience and lifestyle on the farms, we can take into account that he's credible. Factories have very unnatural products that are present in their food to cope with the immense need for meat. The farms, however, are natural producers and are capable of feeding the mouths that need feeding as well. Farmers' methods to go about providing food takes less time than that of a factory. Compared to a factory, farms
In final analysis, a fair amount of people have opposed the negative effects of factory farming within the last few decades by limiting their expenditure on meat and other factory farmed goods, and campaigning against the destructive actions of CAFOs. Although the number of those who are aware of the issues and actively fighting factory farms continues to rise, their efforts
In Laura Sayre's article, she contends that factory farming seriously threatens human health. Sayre cites multiple health and agricultural organizations to back her claims. She begin by explaining that diseases are not only spread by the food but by land, air, water, and factory workers. She then points out the over use of antibiotics by factory farms and how many disease strains are now resistant to these antibiotics. Sayre continues, by explaining the history of pathogens that have been pasted to humans by various animals thought out time. According to Sayre, the increase of infectious diseases is mainly due to the expansion of factory farming. Then Sayre goes on to describe, with the help of research completed by Johns Hopkins, why livestock
Factory farming is the method of raising large amounts of poultry, cattle and pigs in stringent, indoor conditions and is responsible for majority of the meat Americans consume. According to the USDA, they stated that “In 2000, total meat consumption (red meat, poultry, and fish) reached 195 pounds (boneless, trimmed- weight equivalent) per person” (USDA.gov). However, at a time, America didn’t function on a factory farm controlled system. In the 1950s, the way the United States looked when it came to farming was a lot different than it is today. Back then, independent family farms used to be a common sight within the country. However, at the turn of the century in the early 2000s America made a change as industrial
The meat and poultry industry is the largest segment of U.S. agriculture. This contributes to the high number of production of meat in the industry. Americans eat meat, eggs and drink milk frequently, but that doesn’t make it good for us. Factory farming is the main issue as to why the way food is processed isn’t good for humans to consume. Animals in factory farming are trained to grow faster than the average animal so that the portions of the food they produce are larger. These animals are sprayed and fed with harmful pesticides and antibiotics. These harmful substances are then passed on from the animal bodies for humans to consume. The way animals are processed is a major problem in the fast food industry. In fact, it is my contention
While industrial farming has its many benefits, there are many negative outcomes to this particularly "new" way of farming. Industrial farming is introducing an innovative way of food production through the latest technologies, and as all of this is happening the world we live in is dying, we are dying and these animals are dying. So then how is industrial farming defined? According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, industrial farming is defined as a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost. This is a big problem, this way of farming is seen all over the world, and some countries are facing the severity of industrial farming worse than others.
The modern system of factory farmed grain-fed Beef production in the United States has evolved into untenable practices directly risking the American environment and public health. According to Christine Donovan, a writer for the American Journal of Law and Medicine, “Approximately 128,000 Americans are hospitalized and 3,000 die every year from foodborne illness.” (Donovan 459). The Food and Drug Administration is the primary federal agency responsible for regulating food considers these statistics to be “largely preventable”. Living in a capitalist country modern Americans have large opinions on industries that produce