Should Meat Consumption Be The Standard For Farming?

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

As humanity becomes more civilized, many of us perceive that eating livestock is morally incorrect, but aren’t we are designed to be an omnivore? Our teeth and digestive system serve the purpose of breaking down animal and plant foods and to bring these important nutrients to every part of the body. Despite the fact that, in 2011, U.S. meat and poultry production reached more than 92.3 billion pounds, the ethic of killing and eating animals as well as the concern of the environmental burden caused by the production of meats is debatable. However, animal based diet is necessary for the human body to function properly and we can choose the meat produced from environmentally sustainable farms to avoid the moral ambiguity.

All across america, cows are confined to crowded, almost prison-like cells, with little to no regard to their health. They are forced to eat food that includes such ingredients like manure, cement, or even cow brains. This is one side of farming, but there is another. This farming has cows and other animals living how they would in nature, across rolling hills and bright green grasses. This is the essence of Local Sustainable farming. As defined in Michael Pollan’s award-winning commentary about the food we eat, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the Local Sustainable Food Chain, one of four possible food chains, is characterized by not using pesticides, treating animals humanely, and sustainably creating healthier organic food. Out of Michael Pollan’s food chains, the Local Sustainable Food Chain is the best for America as it is much less harmful to the environment and lets animals live in their natural states.

Over the last 10 years or so Americans have been at odds with themselves and other Americans regarding the treatment of food source animals. The term “factory farm” is being coined for method in which animals are being processed in the food system. I will be discussing what a factory farm is, who or what benefits from them, and finally at what cost? Factory Farms have become an institution in support of the American way life, regardless of what we think; they have advantages and disadvantages.

Today, the food industry has not just altered the American diet, but it has also had a negative effect within the labor sector as well as the animals meant for consumption and the lack of government oversight. Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation, and Jonathan Foer in Eating Animals, illustrate the mistreatment of labor workers as well as the animal abuse that goes unseen within the food industry. 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 (231). Eating meat does not have to be so inhumane for example, Foer quotes Frank Reese, who does not permit inhumane practices on his ranch that are cruel, and Reese believes that there are other ways of having a sustainable humane animal agriculture instead of the methods of the large corporate meat industry (238). Namit Arora in the article “On Eating Animals”, as well as Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, address some of the issues that animals face once they hit the kill floor. The food industry has transformed not only what people eat, but how the government has neglected the issues of the wellbeing of labor workers and the animals that are processed for consumption.

"This is no fairy story and no joke; the meat will be shoveled into carts and the man who did the shoveling will not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw one." (Sinclair “The Jungle”). When it comes to having safe and approved food, our esteemed nation does not have the greatest reputation. Ever since the use of slaughter houses and meat packing plants began, people have been getting severely ill and even dying

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

Meat is one of the most basic building blocks of human life. We have relied on meat in one way or another virtually since the dawn of time. Humans as a whole have become almost dependent on the constant and readily available supply of meat, in some way or another. Yet, what our over consumption of animal meat has done to the meat market is unacceptable, to say the least. Industrialized meat has left such a stain on the environment, human health, and the overall well-being of the animals we consume. In the article, “Tenderloin’s a Steal, But At What Moral Price?” by John Kessler, the question of whether or not to buy the industrially raised tenderloin or spend a few extra bucks on the sustainably raised tenderloin comes up. To lessen the

There are many terms associated with modern agriculture, factory farms, concentrated animal feeding operations, intensive crop farming, and sustainable agriculture. The history of farming in the United States has evolved from families raising their own food with a few larger farms to today's massive crop farms and concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs. The majority of Americans today purchase all their food from a market, but what is the true cost of this convenience? Recent environmental and animal rights studies suggest factory farms should be held to the same strict regulations as other industries because they pose a serious threat to public health, animals often live in horrific conditions and suffer from abuse, and they contribute to significant amounts of pollution.

No matter how “humane” the slaughtering or farming of animals is, it is always immoral. A growing trend in the animal farming business is to label meat “grass-fed.” These companies claim that they use humane methods of slaughter that make it easier on

The next time you go into the grocery store, head straight for the meat department. Take a step back and take a long look at all of the packaged meat. You think to yourself, it’s the same meat you see every time you shop. Now go pick up a package, what do you see? You see pictures of farmers, the picket fence, the farmhouse, and cows grazing on green grass. The meat industry has dropped a curtain between our food, and us. They don’t want us to know where our food is coming from, because if we did, we might not want to eat it anymore. I’m here to help bring to light the horrors of the meat and dairy industry, and why you should care about your food.

There is a large problem of animal cruelty linked to the food industry in the United States. Countless slaughterhouses, chicken farms, and other meat producers have been found guilty of harming animals and killing them inhumanely. This is something that clearly needs to change.

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.

As the global population has reached over ten billion, there has been a growth in industrialization, a revolution in technology, and the evolvement of new concepts to create mass production. With this development comes positive and negative ideas on how to process the demand for different substances and how to be efficient economically and sufficiently. With factory farmed animals suffering unfair treatment, large quantities of animals are being abused and slaughtered. This can cause people to develop negative ideas about the industry. However, still, today, ninety-nine percent of the meat Americans consume come from large-scale factory farms with mass production and abusive practices. This is due to efficiency and allowing this industry to make more profit. With the meat industry continuing to grow and the process becoming more industrialized, many people have considered the moral value of factory farming and if it considered right or wrong. Many philosophers have discussed this moral issue and have applied their ideas to different ethical theories. With the utilitarian ethical theory, different moral principles are examined to define factory farming as being right or wrong, as well as if the different consequences outweigh the mistreatment and abuse.