Research Paper On Animals In Slaughterhouses

In addition to his solutions, Pollan’s modern narrative sheds light on the façade of our food industries; asking us to rethink what we know. Despite the mention of certain inhumane acts in All Animals are Equal, Pollan takes us one step further to uncover the reason for which we continue to purchase our corrupt food. We all know animal abuse exists, but the average consumer like myself is more worried about the best price and the fastest way to get a burger rather than how fairly the animals are treated in the process. Whether it be the confined living space of chickens or the mental and physical torture of pigs, we continue to blind ourselves from reality. Is it purely out of selfishness? Or are we too ignorant to come to terms with our wrong doings? Like Pollan explains, it takes seeing the abuse before the shame of our disrespect can be felt (pg.6). After seeing Pollan’s truth, I might now think twice before eating out and the choice to support organic produce can make a dramatic difference for those farmers who promote the ethical lifestyle.

Our nation’s industrial farming has become more than just feeding people; it has become a way for the food industry to make more money as human population continues to grow. 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? Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, also illustrates the animal abuse that 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. Foer gives such examples of employees who work in slaughterhouses giving accounts of what goes on in the kill floors, and stories of employees who have witnessed thousands and thousands of cows going through the slaughter process alive (Animals 231). 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. The food industry has transformed not only how people eat, but also the negative effects our climate endures as a result of factory farming as illustrated by Anna Lappe in “The Climate Crisis at the End

Do animals have the right to a certain quality of life? How would your views change if our cooks got treated the same way cattle and poultry do? How would you feel about them being beaten and brought to their knees just to be detained to know how to cook todays specials? You might think that the food industry has no issues and no faults behind their tasty food, but when you open up the meat curtain, there is a different kind of world out there that is cruel and inhumane. In Robert Kenner’s 2008 film, Food, Inc., He shows the conditions that cows, chickens, and pigs have to live in. The dark and closeted homes in which the animals are closely compacted together and eating, sleeping, and walking in their own manure. As a person who would consider themselves an animal rights activist, most people would agree that the food industry treats their animals like products instead of living things.

After, another belt takes them to where a worker cuts their throat and allows them to bleed out. Some animals are hung up side down by their back legs and move through the processing line where their necks will be cut one by one (Dugan). Sometimes one of these methods will not work and the animal will be disassembled while still conscious.

More than ever before, our planet is one filled with meat eaters. In fact, the average American consumes 270.7 pounds of meat per year. And, as one might have guessed, the question of where this food set before them on the table came from is often unregarded or ignored altogether. As more media forms commercialize extremely unhealthy versions of double cheeseburgers and meat lover’s supremes, the consumer’s demand for meat spikes up and companies in the food industry are faced with the ethical dilemma of benefiting themselves, their companies, increasing profits...and doing right by the animals- who without, they would not even be where they are today. Needless to say that animal rights and the humane treatment of their precious lives have been disregarded. Why do we, as a

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.

According to a website spiked “in defense of factory farming”, the CEO Gary Corbett from Fair Oaks dairy farm in Indianapolis said that the cows lives better than other animals. The cows have their own Scientifics that created

Many of the regulations are very unreasonable and not thoroughly thought about. “The Bureau of Land Management created a contract that made it illegal for buyers to send horses directly to slaughterhouses. They would hold horses, get a title, and then send them to a slaughterhouse.”(Motavalli,”The last roundup: wild horses-and yesterday’s prized pets-get sent to slaughter”) Therefore, that made it a straight market to the slaughterhouse. “The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act prohibits the sale and transport of horses to slaughterhouses in the United States.” (“ASPCA Seeks Public Support for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act”) “The Slaughter Transport Program prohibits horses that are blind, cannot walk or stand, pregnant mares, or foals under 6 months to be hauled. Stallions and aggressive horses must be separated to avoid injuries and problems.” (Crabbe, “The homeless horse: what’s his fate? With a struggling economy, closure of U.S. slaughterhouses, and lack of resources to support equine rescue, the fate of the unwanted horse is one of the most heated topics among U.S. horseman today. Here are answers to some of the most common questions.”) There is a capacity limit for the trucks depending on which type of animal too. When at the slaughterhouse, each animal is required to have an individual stall with a certain amount of space. They need to have plenty of air and

Factory farms having locked doors only reinforces what some of us already suspect. That they are engaging in activities appalling to the public. Their secrecy is seemingly sustaining their business. Consumers’ ignorance of the meat production business only encourages inhumane animal husbandry. Foer says, “the power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on consumers not being able to see (or hear about) what they do.” (pg. 87) This is why we need to educate ourselves on this matter extensively and start actively demanding where our meat is coming from. Advocating for animal welfare is one way we can begin the process of changing or ultimately ending factory farming.

“This is horrible! I can’t even watch this!” Those were my immediate thoughts the first time my eyes were opened to the inhumane animal cruelty on factory farms. Factory farming enables mass production to supply the demands of today’s society but also enables the cruel treatment of animals. We need to end the cruelty and abuse that these animals have to endure at the factory farms because it causes loss to the business, reduces the quality of the product produced, and endangers the health of those who buy the product. We can promote humane treatment of factory farm animals by prevention through education, by enforcing humane laws by being an example of humane animal treatment, and by donating and/or

The video showed “…downed cows shot in the head several times and still struggling and kicking as workers walked away. Workers appeared to be suffocating some downed cows by standing on their mouths and nostrils.” (Nidever) Cows are required to be stunned with a pneumatic gun before slaughter so they are rendered unconscious. However, there were many cows thrashing around while going to slaughter.

Close your eyes and step into the world of an individual. You are born into a world where nights and days are never constant (attention getter). You are fed three to five times a day, but no one is there to nurture you. Not even the numerous others crammed into your living space. You grow frantic, scared, and sickly. Now open your eyes, to reality. What I have just described is one of America’s worst ghettos. You know this individual who is trapped in this environment. He is your breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the meat you eat . Today’s farms not only abuse their animals they also produce harmful diseases and environmental hazards that affect each and every one of us, regardless of whether you consume animal products or not. The U.S. government should ban factory farms and require the meat industry to raise animals in their natural environments (preview of points and statement of purpose).

“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.

Animals have been kept in inhumane conditions for a long time. Recently, however, (relatively recently since we have been eating meat forever) people have been arguing the morality behind eating animals. These arguments are centered around animal’s suffering before being killed and the actual killing of animals for meat. Arguments over nuances vary, but the central arguments are fundamentally the same; animals should be treated humanely and killed painlessly. These are both sensible ideas that should be adopted in every animal farm factor. Unfortunately, these ideals are not followed and as a result animals farmer and the people involved with these animal factories are unjustly villainized. Authors such Jonathan Safran Foer in Eating Animals excellently express the negative aspects of animal farming and the horrid conditions that animals are kept in, but make absolutely no effort to explain why they are kept in these conditions. Without addressing the reasons for these conditions readers are left thinking that the people involved are horrible human beings that take pleasure in tormenting animals. This is far from true. Yes, there may be some twisted sadistic farmer that actually enjoy harming animals, but this surely does not represent all farmers. In reality these farmers are most likely just doing a job that they were told to do in order to obtain a salary that they need for things like rent and food.

Many companies, like McDonalds, lie about what actually goes on at their farms. “Free range” “Cruelty free” “Killed in a humane way” Those are just some the things that consumers are told and believe everyday. Saying thank you to the animal before munching on its flesh and bones doesn’t excuse what happens to them. The abuse and torture animals go through at factory farms isn’t fair and needs to be stopped immediately.