Argumentative Essay On Factory Farm

Our society is bombarded with images of happy animals living on farms where the cows graze in lush green fields and the chickens have spacious coops. This illustration of free-roaming animals living their days in sunny fields is miles away from the reality. A majority of animals raised for food, live miserable lives in intensive confinement in dark, overcrowded facilities, commonly called factory farms. Factory farming has led to institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction, as well as animal and human health risks which can be reduced by natural, free-range farming.
According to an article in The Real Truth, factory farms “produce much more food at cheaper prices than smaller farms” (Farrel). Some would argue it is
Pigs can digest grass, corn, grains, soy and other plants. Chickens and turkeys can eat plants as well as bugs and worms found on the pasture.” (Feed). When these animals are given industrial feed, they become less healthy as does the meat and other products from the animal. Animals raised on free-range farms are not subjected to the high levels of stress found on factory farms. They are well-treated and are able to live much more naturally. This makes their meat tender, more flavorful and less likely to carry bacteria. Because factory farms are profit-driven, the cheapest feed available is used to fatten up the animals. The operators pay little to no attention as to what goes into the feed as long as it does its job, despite what is best for animal health and the health of the humans who eat their
The most serious environmental problems of our time are directly related to factory farming. Global warming, overexploited natural resources, water, air and land pollution are some of these problems. According to a 2006 United Nations report “the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined” (GoVeg.com). If people cut back on the amount of meat eaten, less greenhouse gasses would be created and pollution would be reduced drastically. Stored for long periods of time in giant tanks or lagoons, animal waste decomposes and pollutes the air with hundreds of different gases. The waste storage containers are often near animal confinement facilities. The animals and people who work with them are continually exposed to harmful gases. Gasses such as “hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are extremely hazardous and are produced by decomposing manure” (Feed). With no place to put the animal waste, letting it collect in large containers causes great damage. If more animals were raised on free-range farms, there would be less manure and the farmers would be able to use it to fertilize the land instead of letting it sit in a pile to pollute the air, water and land around it. Animal waste can spill and leak into the surrounding groundwater and streams causing serious problems;