The days of the family farm days are over. For decades, there has been such an exorbitant consumer demand for pork products. The consumer demand is so high that pork is now a multibillion-dollar industry, Swann (2014). Now the family farm has evolved into what critics call “factory farms” due to high consumer demand for affordable meat pork products in the United States (p.43).
This mass production calls for animals to be forced to live in confined spaces and operate a breeding system for mass production. The system of confinement is a 114-day gestation period in a “sow gestation stall,” about two feet wide by seven feet long (p.43).
Although pork producers maintain that their facilities are safe, the Humane Society of the United
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Animal welfare is looking to decrease the issue of mass production of pork there is also Animal rights groups, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), advocate for vegan or meatless diets. Eating animals, they contend, is cruel (p.47).
Those in the business of selling pork have their own argument claiming that they do not mistreat animals, they even go so far as to claim that they, “take great care to feed and shelter their animals properly.” In fact, the pork industry argues gestation stalls are a safer and more nutritional way to raise sows indoors (p.46). This is a perfect example of “managing perception” (Moore, 2014). Plato’s Republic and Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia (1516), agree that communication in civic society can be used to deceive. They assert that there is a moral challenge to deceive and communicate (p.24). Moore (2014), also asserts that there are similarities between The Republic and Machiavelli’s The Prince (1513), who advise rulers how to manage media to hold onto power by using deceit if necessary, rather than by cultivating virtue in individual citizens. The pork industry, similar to Plato’s philosophy in The Republic, is a proponent of the abuse of power and a little necessary dishonesty (p,25).
The fact that the pork industry organizations make a profit and collect a “small” fee for every hog sold in the U.S. and on imported hogs or pork products, generating about $78 million
Factory farming is a practice that is used to keep up and sustain the supply and demand for different types of animal meat. A poultry factory farm that will be discussed is Perdue Farms. Perdue Farms is established and operated in the United States and has a processing facility where they raise and slaughter chickens. Perdue Farms is meeting the needs of the consumers by supplying and mass producing poultry for consumption. One may view this of being a success by having a well-established, profitable business that is fulfilling their responsibilities to the consumers. While that may be true, they are not fulfilling their ethical responsibility to the animals. These animals are in close quarters where they are nested in urine and feces. There can even be instances where they will be sitting on or near deceased chickens until their cage is chosen for slaughter. Since these animals are massively produced the use of hormones and antibiotics are used to sustain life and growth. On top of the poor, dirty living conditions these animals are also giving additives that will eventually make it to the consumer. The process has an impact on those employed by the corporation and those who purchase products from them.
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.
“For most humans, especially for those in modern urban and suburban communities, the most direct form or contact with non-human animals is at meal time: we eat them. This simple fact is the key to what each one of us can do about changing these attitudes. The use and abuse of animals raised for food far exceeds, in sheer numbers of animals affected, any other kind of mistreatment” (Coats). The most effective method to stop this cruelty is to learn about where the meat comes from, by supporting the organic and family farms which will ultimately lead to the reducing the amount of animals that have to suffer (PETA). More than 95 percent of animal abuse in America occurs in the meat packing industry (Harper & Low). Animals suffer an unimaginable amount, they are raised to be killed, then bought and then consumed. In order to help fight back against the abuse, there needs to be a cut back on the amount of meat or poultry that is consumed. Seriously consider the option of becoming a vegetarian; by not eating meat, you completely stop supporting animal
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.
In his article “Boss Hog: The Dark Side of America’s Top Pork Producer,” (Rolling Stone Magazine, December 14, 2006) Jeff Teitz reports that not only are millions upon millions of pigs being abused and slaughtered each year by America’s largest pork producer, but, in turn, the waste produced by those pigs is polluting, destroying, and even killing others. Teitz begins by revealing that Smithfield Foods, the world’s most profitable pork processor, killed 27 million hogs last year, which is roughly equivalent to the entire human populations of America’s thirty-two largest cities. As Teitz delves deeper into statistics, he explains that more fecal matter is produced from half a million pigs at one Smithfield subsidiary than the 1.5 million
In chapter four, it is said that from colonial times to the 1950’s when it was overtaken by beef, pork was the major source of meat for Americans. Pioneers kept hogs as free-range animals that foraged for their food. Corn-fed pigs grew faster and bigger, so it was common practice to round up surplus hogs and corn-feed them in the weeks before they went to market (value is weight-based). In 1818, the first meatpacking plant in Cincinnati was opened and became the dominating entity in pork production until the civil war,
Humans are the equivalent to animals in the meat industry for the purpose of profit. Jurgis tours the slaughterhouse. He describes the detachment in the work environment with the slaughtering and packaging of hogs. The hogs are not treated kindly or even thought of as animals just as sales. “There was a long line of hogs," being simultaneously "swung up and then another, and another squealing] and lifeblood ebbing away together.” (Sinclair 39) There is an orderly way to set up the slaughterhouse to distract the poor immigrants of the American lifestyle. The worker wants to give more to their family and add to their financial status even if it means being away from their home country. Businesses take advantage of workers valuing their work ethic more than the idea of being miserable at work so it is done continuously with no remorse. This social construct was built and implied because no one could protest against a life that helps them survive in the America 's capitalism. People and animals are
Do Americans care where are pigs come from and how they are treated? If so, keep reading and you will hear about how they are being treated badly, Americans might also learn a few things. There are small and limit the soul's movement. Gestation crates should be banned from factory farming, they are, inhumane and cause physiological disorders in sows. They are getting disorders from being stuck in, crates is one reason that will be talked about here are two more Cheaper to use group housing and disease can spread faster. Gestation crates should be banned from factory farming, they are inhumane and, cause physiological disorders in sows.
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.
What is the price of cheap meat? Is the mistreatment of animals, immigrants, manipulation of local politics, and monopolizing industry really something that people want to support just so they can purchase meat cheaper and in larger quantities? Ted Genoways book The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food dives into the meat packing industry, specifically Hormel and the Quality Pork Processors Inc. He investigates how the factory is run, how the employees are exploited and mistreated, the abuse of the hogs that are used for the meat, and the overall disgust that stems from the industry. Big business has always had a reputation for being shady and always looking for new ways to manipulate rules and regulations in order for them to maximize
In the cover story, “Loving Animals to Death” by James McWilliams, it discusses how important it is to know where you get your meats from. For example, Bob Comis of Stony Brook Farm is a different type of a professional pig farmer, in fact, the good kind. He believes it's important that the animals he has should be raised with dignity and not unfairly and crudely. Although Comis' believes what he does for a living is wrong, he does it because it's what we all enjoy eating regardless of how much we truly know about it. What's most important when it comes to food is where it's coming from and how it will be prepared. If a person loves pork, that's fine, as long as the pork comes from a local humane farm. The food movement is basically more constructural rather than nutritional. Eating anything you want is fine as long as it comes from a place that is nonindustrial.
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
Along with vegans, are a growing population of animal rights activist groups. These members, care massively about animal treatment and make sure
Ever since I was a little girl I have been fascinated by the pork production industry. Whether it was riding my bike to do chores with my dad at the nearest hog confinement building, or handing out blue ribbons as little miss pigtails during the fair, being a part of raising hogs has always been an enjoyable learning experience. When I was 12 years old my older sister, Brooke, got crowned pork princess and I had the privilege to witness what an important job it is. Since then I have patiently waited for my chance to become an Iowa Pork Producer Association representative.
Many meats that are eaten today comes from domestic animal including pork, which is derived from the animal pig. Due to the increasing demand, improvement in pig breeding technologies in the last ten years have resulted the commodity of pig production into a high-input, high-output industry (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2016). Pork has become the leading meat consumption all around the world thus accounting for over 36% intake as followed by poultry and beef (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, 2014). Pork’s global production is recorded to a 111 million tons. According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture Service (2016), the top ten pork producing countries are as listed from the largest to the smallest production respectively: (1) China, (2) European Union, (3) United States, (4) Brazil, (5) Russia, (6) Vietnam, (7) Canada, (8) Philippines, (9) Mexico and (10) Japan. A map below has been placed to show the top 10 pork production in the world that illustrates each countries thousand metric-tonnes of pork production in 2016.