The Dangers of Factory Farming

All around the world we use factory farming as our main source of packaging and transporting food. But do you know what happens in the factories and farming facilities? This large industrial operation houses animals raised for food. They treat them with hormones and antibiotics to prevent disease and maximize their growth for food output. Then transported to the factories where they are killed if animals and put on a conveyor belt to be processed by workers.

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

Every year, over 58 billion farm animals are killed by humans for food production, and this astounding number does not even include sea creatures. 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 but also because the low quality meat can produce harmful diseases and major health concerns to consumers.

Most of the animals under this condition will develop illnesses, abnormalities, go insane, or die before they make it to the slaughterhouse (Alfie, 2010). In the U.S., over 10 billion animals are raised and killed each year for food about 9 billion chickens, 250 million turkeys, 100 million pigs, 35 million cows. The vast majority of these are not raised on small family farms but, rather, in the major agricultural facilities called?factory farms, also known as Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The idea of factory farming originated in the 1920s with the discovery of vitamins A and D. When mixed with feed; farm animals were capable of growing without sunlight or exercise, which enabled them to be raised more efficiently in barns throughout the year (Fieser, 2015). Factory farming is a form of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system that is privately controlled by owners for profit and self-interest (Fieser, 2015). Many philosophers have proposed the principle of equal consideration of interests, in some form or other, as a primary moral value; but, we shall see in more element shortly, not many of them have documented that this principle applies to members of other species as well as to our own. (Singer, 1989). In today society the consumer is much more interested in knowing how the chickens are raised, what they?ve been eating

Throughout the years of society our views on factory farming have drastically changed. Many people used to think that our biggest problem with factory farming was how we would mutilate and torture innocent animals. Animals would be put in a situation where they would be force fed, and sometimes beaten by humans, the unthinkable has already happened and now we have to think about the long term effects of Factory Farming. However, as significant as the ethical argument is, people are also ignoring the fact of it being so bad for your body. Cancer, H1N1, and  Avian Flu are the main health problems due to Factory Farming. On top of that we have 3 million people getting diagnosed with obesity from all the antibiotics there putting in from the the meat. The amount of people it is affecting is outstanding, not only for the meat but the factory farming also affecting our water. The thing that we thought that was the safest for our bodies in the one thing we have to worry about most, for our generation to the next this is a issue we can’t ignore.

Food manufacturers in America claim that Factory Farming is a much cheaper way of processing meat and other food items where they are able to increase their margins as well as provide the consumers with cheaper food. However, current research on the effects of factory farming suggests that the method is one of the best examples of animal cruelty (Park). “The conditions that the animals

In the United States, it almost seems like you can’t go far without running into a place that sells some sort of low cost meat. In fact, in the United States you can’t be further than 107 miles away from the Golden Arches of McDonalds (Worley, 2009). With all this meat so available and so affordable, it raises the question how it is possible to produce so much at such a low cost. The way this food is produced at such large quantities for such low cost is a due in part of factory farming. Factory farming has the ability to deliver food to millions and millions of people each year at an astronomical rate, however the way it goes about accomplishing this comes at the expense of the economy, the environment, the ethics of humanity, and the health of the consumer.

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

Between mislabeling, absent labeling, and bending the truth, the farming industry has become a business. Quality no longer matters. Turn over rate and production seem to be the only goal of so called “farmers”. Factory farming is defined as a system of rearing livestock using intensive methods, by which poultry, pigs, and/or cattle are confined indoors under strictly controlled conditions. Factory farms are very common. These intensively crude facilities abuse and kill innocent animals every day. Factory farming should be banned because of the fact factory farms pose serious health risk to consumers, detrimental effects on the environment, and deadly harm to innocent animals.

Factory farming in my opinion is bad. Why is Factory farming bad? For one factory farming are bad for the economy, people, and the planet. What is factory farming you may ask Factory farming is where large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at a low cost to affect all of us. Factory farms rule U.S. food production, employing abusive practices that increase businesses of the agricultural gains at the expense of the environment, our communities, animal welfare, and even our health (farmsanctuary.org).

For years, capitalized agriculture has replaced our small, family owned farms with intentions to develop a way to produce cheap, fast meat. This newly efficient way of farming has caused an increase in consumption and a decrease in regards for the health of the animals they are raising. Cows, pigs, and birds each suffer at the hands of factory farm workers.

On many farms in the United States, it is common to utilize hormones and other additives on cattle in factory farms. Farms often feed animals hormones to quicken the slaughtering process. Although the factory farms sell a surplus amount of cattle to stores, cattle are being treated unfairly and inhumanely. Cattle in farm factories are subject to the injection of hormones, harsh environments and poor physical treatment. Due to the utilization of hormones, abuse of cows and monopolization of cattle factories livestock farms, cows are deprived of basic needs and suffer physical trauma.

Six years ago my family decided to give up meat for lent. While telling this to my co-worker, she asked if I ever read the book Eating Animals. She told me that the book is all about the seedy side of factory farming. Out of curiosity I rented the audio book from the library, needless to say, from that day forward I chose to become a vegetarian. Although I am the only one in my family that has remained a full time vegetarian, by cooking without meat at home we’ve taken away our support of factory farming. My goal is to educate others about the harmful effects of factory farming. The factory farming industry, though regulated by the government continues to alter the meat we eat, the animals they slaughter are treated inhumanly, and their food

Many serious issues were brought up in the documentary Food, Inc. Two of which include factory farming and the use of genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs, in products. These topics also have a deep connection to globalization. Factory farming became more globalized because it made food more accessible to the masses through quicker and cheaper production. The use of GMOs became more relevant when they realized that they could get more bang for their buck by enhancing the amount of meat on each animal.

“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.