THESIS: “Today the most serious environmental harm associated with the cattle industry takes place on the feedlot.” (70).…
Thesis: As stated by the “Food & Water Watch” Animals in Factory Farms are loaded with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are mistreated and forced to live in unnatural, in humane, and unhealthy conditions, and the many communities that have to deal with air and water pollution caused by nearby Factory Farms.…
Over the last few decades farming animals for food has grown and evolved into a highly efficient, streamlined industry known as factory farming. Factory farms are owned and operated by big corporations, and despite the fact they make up only a small percentage of farms in the United States, they are responsible for most of the meat and eggs we consume here (Sierra Club, 2005). In factory farming, baby piglets are castrated without anesthesia and thrown into a pen, where they huddle in a corner writhing in pain. Egg laying chickens are crammed four or five to a cage (45x50cm) for their entire lives. They cannot spread their wings or stretch out in any way, and they never see daylight. To prevent them from pecking at one another, their beaks are brutally burnt or sliced to a stub. To produce veal, newborn calves are confined in small crates and restrained to allow a minimum of movement until they are slaughtered at just five months old. Factory farmed animals are treated like non-living commodities, suffering horrendous cruelties to produce the maximum profit at the least amount of cost. In recent years public awareness about factory farming conditions has grown, and so have concerns over animal cruelty and public health. The general public should not tolerate animal cruelty in the factory farming industry because it is extremely inhumane to animals and it represents a growing health hazard for human beings; instead, consumers should put pressure on the industry to change the way animals are treated and to ensure farms do not pose a threat to public health.…
Additionally, the authors’ provide a more detailed outline of industrialized farming and the many forces and dangers involved in putting food on the tables of consumers, from food cultivation to distribution. Cultivation involves planting, fertilizing, and growing, which involves seeds, land, soil, fertilizer, and farm workers, but also includes GMOs, chemicals, air, water, and soil impurities, and workplace hazards. Harvesting and processing require further farm labor and factory work, which includes additional workplace hazards and…
Animal welfare states that animals should have well-being both on physical and mental, also, there is the term of “Five Freedoms” that should be considered.…
Throughout history, human beings have grouped themselves together in communities. The concept of communities offered two major benefits; first, defense against enemies that might threaten the community. And second, the ability to sustain a constant food source to subsist on year-round. The need for a constant food supply became a major factor in early farming practices (Pollan, 2006) through animal husbandry. The waste from the livestock was used as fertilizer for the other crops that were raised on the farm. These crops were utilized to feed the farmers, sell at market, as well as feed the livestock through the next winter. In this manner, there is a continuous lifecycle on the homestead. The overall mindset is different, first, I will feed my family, second try to make a profit, and third, I will try to keep livestock for the next year in order to grow my farm. When the production of beef became more about profit the respect and love for the land fell catastrophically to the wayside. Modern feedlot operations are creating environmental problems that will affect our country in the future, as well as health issues for consumers, which would to corrected by implementing strong regulations in the handling of feedlot waste and a mandated correction in the diet of the cattle.…
I will write my essay on Factory Farming. I chose this topic because I believe that the…
According to the ASPCA, "a factory farm is a large, industrial operation that raises large numbers of animals for…
No one likes to suffer. None of us like to feel pain, but factory farmed animals such as cows, pigs, and chickens experience great pain in their short-lived lives. The website factoryfarming.com, states, “a standard beef slaughter house kills 250 cattle every hour.” The method used is “stunning” this is done by using a catapult gun and giving the cows a mechanical blow to the head. It is to render them unconscious, but this procedure is terribly imprecise: “as a result, conscious animals are often hung upside down, kicking and struggling, while a slaughterhouse worker makes another attempt to render them unconscious. Eventually the animals will be ‘stuck’ in the throat with a knife, and blood will gush from their bodies whether or not they are conscious” (factoryfarming.com). An animal has an intrinsic value, and to dismiss that, is morally wrong. How do we kill others that value their life? People may say it’s the cow’s…
CAFO’s are undoubtedly less earth friendly than methods of traditional farming in more ways than one; the transport they require is a hefty waste of fossil fuels and the waste that these plants produce can cause massive environmental issues are just the tip of the iceberg. Another issue that can plague large CAFO’s is the threat of bacteria. Living conditions and animal health in this type of environment is not monitored very closely, which can lead to weakened animal immune systems, and eventually to risks for consumers of these meat products. Aside from health drawbacks, people also seem to be weary of the societal impacts of large scale agriculture. Studies have shown that increasing specialized farming in large communities has consistently led to a decrease in population, employment and income. In favour of the industrial method, some argue it is cheaper and more efficient to feed America’s appetite this way. What we don’t see are the hidden costs to the heavily manufactured, seemingly cheaper options: subsidies that our tax dollars account…
In her article “Down on the Factory Farm: It’s a Life Sentence for Animals,” Debra Probert argues that readers should consider becoming vegetarians in response to the abuse of animals on factory farms. In her article, published in Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition, Probert describes conditions that a variety of animals endure on factory farms. Her goal is to convince readers of the abuse that animals endure on factory farms and to argue for a decrease or cessation of meat eating by the public. In this article Probert presents information to prove that factory farms are indeed as atrocious as she claims. Although Probert has a very good argument and emotional appeal when visualizing the conditions these animals are subjected to, she does not give any references to ensure that what the readers are reading is indeed accurate, and she lacks the experience and credentials to support the claims. Probert give details to show readers the truth about factory farming.…
Of course there are ¨good¨ effects of having this way but it doesn't even compare to the disgusting effects that come out of the way these animals are being treated. The risks affect human health as well as environmental health. Surprisingly, The way animals are being treated is affecting humans in the long run. Factory farms aren’t always maintained as well as they can be and it can be a easy way for Salmonella, E. coli and other pathogens to be passed to humans. A pathogens are microorganisms that cause diseases. Many examples are bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These are found mostly in sewage and runoff water from farms. The bacteria is passed through meat, dairy, eggs, and person-to-person contact. To “destroy” unsanitary conditions in farms, animals are forced to eat large doses of antibiotics but bacteria is constantly evolving and becoming used to conditions that the farms a trying to prevent. If the antibiotics are used too much, used in the wrong way, or depending too much on them, it makes the risk for horrible, drug-resistant bacteria to be created and spread with people and animals. Because of the bacteria present from chicken waste, Pregnant women who live close to a farm can be effected in many bad ways. The manure from a factory farm makes its way into the groundwater of towns and could cause multiple miscarriages. According to PETA, a report by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture states that “ingesting water with nitrate levels above 10 milligrams per liter can cause “blue baby” syndrome (methemoglobinemia), which is a condition that prevents blood from carrying oxygen and which can lead to ‘increased rates of stomach cancer, birth defects, miscarriage, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, reduced body growth and slower reflexes, and increased thyroid size.’” The report states that the nitrate in a “manure lagoon” on a usual factory farm can…
Singer’s article criticizes factory farms for industrializing their farming practices and sacrificing good animal husbandry practices for increases in production. Singer indicates the ridiculous amount of animals affected by factory farm mistreatment by stating “[t]he use and abuse of animals raised for food far exceeds, in sheer numbers of animals affected, any other kind of mistreatment” (“Down on” 19). Singer evaluates the reasoning behind factory farmer’s unethical practices, and concludes that “farming is competitive and the methods adopted are those that cut costs and increase production” (“Down on” 20). By cutting costs and increasing production rates factory farming industry workers accumulate more wealth, and consumers are able consume more meat then physically necessary. One can evaluate this luxury the “Principle of Disproportionality” which states that “[a]ctions that meet nonbasic or luxury needs of humans are prohibited when they aggress against the basic needs of animals” (Sterba…
Bibliography: Western Carolina University, Journal of Social Issues, Harold A. Herzog and Lauren L. Golden Vol. 65, No. 3, 2009, pp. 485—498,…
Undercover investigations of factory farms brings a light to what is being kept behind closed doors for a company’s profit and gain at the expense of severely abused animals and harmful environmental factors. As reported by an article from The Washington Post, harmful antibiotics are used in everyday life of the factory farmers to make their jobs easier and the food cheaper on the market. These antibiotics cause damage not only to the environment and the animals, but to the consumer’s health as well. With the exposure of animal cruelty in factory farming, as well as threats to human health and the environment, why does the federal government allow this practice to continue?…