Research Paper On Factory Farming

The Savagery Of Factory Farming Factory Farming is not only feeding us, but destroying us and our only world! Worldwide, about 70 billion farm animals are now reared for food each year. This mass production of food uses many antibiotics to speed up the birth process, but those antibiotics are still in the meat we eat. The waste and space from the factory farms destroys the environment and is also a danger to human health. The factory farming of animals has a negative impact on human health, the environment, and animal welfare. Factory farming is one of the most deadliest ways to our health. It has brought many new diseases that do great harm to human’s health in many ways. In the article, “Factory Farming: An Overview,” Sally Driscoll,
and David C. Morley explain the main diseases that come from your factory farmed meat.“Public health concerns involve the advent of new diseases, including avian influenza, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)—better known as "mad cow disease"—all of which spread easily among animals confined in close quarters. Many of these diseases are antibiotic resistant, which health officials blame on the overuse of antibiotics by livestock and poultry farmers…” (1) The antibiotics the factory farms put in the animals in order to reproduce more animals for our food, is ending up in your foods which can produce those types of diseases and health concerns.
According to the article, “Factory Farming: An Overview,” it is addressing that the
manure of the animals at the factory farms can get into our water systems. “Hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides from processed animal feed are excreted in animal manure. The manure is then stored in lagoons that often leak or spill out into water systems, where they pose additional health risks to humans, fish, and wildlife.” (1) Although mass production of food may bring an affordable cost to many families (3), it is better to not eat it at all in order to save your large medical bill in the future from eating factory-farmed products. Factory farming is not only killing us, but the world we live in today. The space needed to keep industrial farms expanding is ending up taking down our forests and the natural habitats that ruin other animal's lives. According to the article, “Counterpoint: Industrial Agriculture Causes More Problems than it Solves,” explains what the animals on factory farms are causing to the environment. “...animal waste products are often dumped into huge open cesspools that pose a prospective threat to the underground water supply, as well as making it impossible to live nearby due to the smell.” (3) Industrial agriculture also has a contribute to our global warming and pollution because of the amount of materials and manure is produced/used on the farms. The article, “Factory Farming: An Overview,” states the different chemicals that is being released into our atmosphere from the animals. “As manure decomposes, it releases methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and air pollution. Research has shown that residents who live near hog farms suffer a greater incidence of respiratory problems than the general population.” (1) People might argue that we need food to survive, as stated from “Counterpoint: Farm Subsidies Are Needed For American Farmers.” “But food is different. Everyone needs it to stay alive. In that sense, agriculture is a strategic industry, critical to the survival of our country.” (2) Although this may be true, we have plenty of other resources instead of just animal products such as grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. People are afraid to try something new because they value their customs and traditions, or they plainly just do not know what to eat. If everyone stopped the production of animal products, then no one would need to worry what we eat because no animal products would be around. People always have some sort of compassion for animals in their hearts, whether it is a pet or the terrible death of an exotic animal, but yet they still consume other animals.
Saying you love animals, but you still consume meat falls under the category of hypocrisy. Personally, I can relate to this because I ate meat before and still loved animals, but with the support of my family and numerous documentaries, I was able to change my hypocritical ways. It is plainly wrong, but no one thinks of really what they are consuming at their dinner table. Animal Welfare is a big issue among our society today because animal activists are fighting for it. The living conditions of animals in industrial farms are horrible for every single animal in there. The article, “Animal Rights: An Overview,” explains how chickens are kept in the factory farms. “Common factory farming methods include confining animals in small, windowless cubicles…” (4) Factory Farming is relatable to slaves in early America, where they were treated with no respect and constantly tortured and beaten. In the article “Animal Rights: An Overview,” expert Richard Ryder made a term dealing with the discrimination of animals. “Richard Ryder coined the term "speciesism" in 1970 to express this sentiment, echoing similar terms such as racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism.” (4) Imagine being in the place of an animal in the conditions of a factory farm, where you begin your life and end your life. The article
“Counterpoint: Industrial Agriculture Causes More Problems than it Solves” puts you right in that situation that changes your heart. “On industrial farms, chickens meant to be eaten never go outdoors; they live their entire lives in groups of up to 20,000 birds in sheds where their droppings result in a level of ammonia that stings the eyes and is unhealthful to breathe.” (3) The health of humans, the environment, and animal welfare are at risk when we look to factory farming as our choice of a food supplier. Factory farming practices is an inhumane way of mass production of animals, which causes diseases to humans and the destruction to the environment of our only world. If factory farming is still going the way it is, we will have no more resources left all because you put your appetite before others. My purpose is to contribute and lead others to the support of the extermination of factory farms through organizations such as PETA, ASPCA, and Humane Society.