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Phi 103 Informal Logic Essay

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Factory Farming and the Welfare of Animals PHI 103 Informal Logic Factory Farming and the Welfare of Animals 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. In the U.S., the concept of factory farms primarily involving animals such as pigs, cattle and chicken began in the 1920’s as a way to increase efficiencies by capturing …show more content…

This is due in part by the previous statement to get higher yields out every animal raised. Cattle, chickens and pigs alike are all subject to certain fattening diets, modern breeding techniques and growth hormone treatments. These forced practices have very adverse, life altering and threatening affects that lead farmers to use antibiotics in order to keep diseases at bay. The Committee on Drug Use in Food Animals states, “doses are used when pathogens are known to be present in the environment or when animals encounter a high stress situation and are more susceptible to pathogens “, (1999, p. 28). It is important to point out that the use of growth hormones and antibiotics dramatically increases body mass, drastically shortens the lifespan of animals such as cattle and is being detected in food for human consumption. Farming practices like the use of growth hormones in cattle has created a new dilemma when considering welfare and health of factory farm animals. Moving even beyond the farm to the actual dinner plate, the effect consuming factory farm raised animals is still under debate but the fact still remains that the animals display compromising health issues. For instance, dairy cattle are given a growth hormone called BST, or bovine somatotropin, is given to dairy cattle during lactation cycles to sustain milk production. The fact that cattle are producing more milk by administering a naturally occurring hormone is not really the

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