Env Science
Cheyne Matheson
Professor Mark Mitch
Environmental Science: Global Concern
Assignment #1: Position Paper
6 February 2015
More Meat, More Issues Meat is no longer the ‘pure animal’ that hunters used to catch, cook and eat. Over time, our animals have been altered in several different ways, in order to benefit the people, businesses and organizations that profit from producing meat in large quantities, at a much quicker pace. Today, farmers in this industry tend to induce the animals we eat with ‘steroid like’ hormones, to intensify the growth of the animals at a much higher rate. This speeds up the process of raising these animals, and helps the farmer’s product hit the market sooner and in a much bulkier state. This means more profit for the people who run these industries. But, should this situation be all about money? The reality is, like many other businesses, income is their main interest and a priority, regardless of the risks. And in this situation the risks they are taking affect the health of the consumers, the citizens of America. Author Kathy Koch wrote, “The U.S. government has declared that genetically engineered foods are as safe as foods developed through hybridization, but critics have doubts about the safety and need for transgenic, or genetically altered animals” (Koch, 1998). For this reason we must stop the contamination of these animals with unnatural chemicals like antibiotics and hormones before they can prove to damage the health of the people who consume them. During the 1940’s, our hungry world saw the introduction of sulfa drugs and antibiotics being forced into animals for several reasons. Sulfa drugs are also known as sulfonamides, and they are used to eliminate the chances of animals contracting diseases by terminating all the bacteria within them, and they also stimulate the animal’s growth hormones, making them bigger (Foer, 2009). This was the start of antibiotic use in animals and the creation of non-natural food consumption.
Professor Mark Mitch
Environmental Science: Global Concern
Assignment #1: Position Paper
6 February 2015
More Meat, More Issues Meat is no longer the ‘pure animal’ that hunters used to catch, cook and eat. Over time, our animals have been altered in several different ways, in order to benefit the people, businesses and organizations that profit from producing meat in large quantities, at a much quicker pace. Today, farmers in this industry tend to induce the animals we eat with ‘steroid like’ hormones, to intensify the growth of the animals at a much higher rate. This speeds up the process of raising these animals, and helps the farmer’s product hit the market sooner and in a much bulkier state. This means more profit for the people who run these industries. But, should this situation be all about money? The reality is, like many other businesses, income is their main interest and a priority, regardless of the risks. And in this situation the risks they are taking affect the health of the consumers, the citizens of America. Author Kathy Koch wrote, “The U.S. government has declared that genetically engineered foods are as safe as foods developed through hybridization, but critics have doubts about the safety and need for transgenic, or genetically altered animals” (Koch, 1998). For this reason we must stop the contamination of these animals with unnatural chemicals like antibiotics and hormones before they can prove to damage the health of the people who consume them. During the 1940’s, our hungry world saw the introduction of sulfa drugs and antibiotics being forced into animals for several reasons. Sulfa drugs are also known as sulfonamides, and they are used to eliminate the chances of animals contracting diseases by terminating all the bacteria within them, and they also stimulate the animal’s growth hormones, making them bigger (Foer, 2009). This was the start of antibiotic use in animals and the creation of non-natural food consumption.
Cited: Foer, Jonathan Safran, 2009. Eating Animals. New York: Back Bay Books- Little Brown and Company. Print. 106. Koch, Kathy. 2012. “Food Safety Battle: Organic Vs. Biotech.” CQ Researcher. University of Utah Health Sciences. 2015. Genetically Modified Foods. Web. Velle, Weiert. 2012. “The use of Hormones in Animal Production”. Agriculture and consumer protection. Web.