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Factory Farm

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Factory Farm
In America, factory farming looks like the best solution for food distribution due to the high demands for meats, dairy, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. However, if one was to dig deeper it would reveal that many people do not really know what is going on behind the scenes and the cheaper cost hardly justifies the industry’s actions. Factory farming is unethical and the food produced is definitely not the healthiest for our society. Our society is showered with happy animals living on a farm where the cows graze in lush green fields and the chickens have the run of the barnyard. This free-roaming image of an animal living out their days in sunny fields is far from reality. A majority of the animals that are raised for food live miserable lives in confined, dark, overcrowded facilities, commonly called "factory farms." In my research on factory farming, many websites described in detail the abuse these poor innocent animals endure on a daily basis. The farms use various labels for the different types of processing such as broiler chickens, layer chickens, pigs, veal calves, and dairy cows. These names and labels are placed on the animals that are put through misery to satisfy the high demands for food products. For example, one instance of maltreatment, the broiler chicken, is raised for its thighs and breasts. The birds are bred to grow at a rapid rate and end up really heavy. Then their bones cannot support their weight, making it difficult to stand and eventually they cannot walk and are killed. Additionally, the birds are stripped of their beaks and toes to prevent fighting between them. The cruelty does not stop there. Layer chickens are the ones who produce the eggs. They are held in battery cages that are very small with slanted wire floors, which cause severe discomfort and foot deformation. Many birds become depleted of minerals because of the excessive egg production and die from fatigue, or the fact that they can no longer produce eggs. At


Cited: Links "The Issues: Health." Sustainable table. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2011. . Environment." Disturbing facts on factory farming & food safety. Organic Consumers Association, n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2011. . Farm Sanctuary, . "Factory Farming." Factory farming. N.p., 2008. Web. 6 Dec 2011. . Jacobus, Lee A. A World of Ideas Essential Readings for College Writers. Eighth. New York: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2010. 767-789. Print. MacDonald, James M., and William D. McBride . "The Transformation of U.S. Livestock Agriculture: Scale, Efficiency, and Risks." . N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2011. .
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