Why Is Factory Farming Good For The World

Factory farming is becoming a huge part of today’s world. In total out of both family owned and operated farms and factory farms, 99.9% of meat chickens, 97% of laying chickens, 99% of turkeys, 95% of pigs, and 78% of cattle are born and raised in factory farms. A common definition of factory farming is, “A farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximise production at minimal cost.” Most food is produced in large factories called factory farms. Not only is fresh produce grown in the factories, but also animals like cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys. It is critical that people know the effects factory farming has on not only themselves, but also the animals used in factory farming.
To begin, many people in the factory farming business would argue that factory farming is a positive advancement for the world.
However, though it may be faster, the conditions that many, if not all, are horrid. Animals are crammed into tight quarters and are unable to move nearly as much as they should. Diseases can be easily spread throughout the animals and even to humans and a very surprising statistic, 80% of pigs living on factory farms have pneumonia at the time of slaughter. Can consuming an animal with pneumonia really be that healthy for people? People may think that they really know what is in their food, but most do not know what really goes on behind the scenes to their food.
Furthermore, with major and even cities constantly growing there is higher demand for food products.
Farming is not limited to the country anymore. Having factory farms in the cities means that supplying places with food product is easier and faster, but it also means that the animals living conditions continue to deteriorate. More and more animals are needed for people to survive which means that they are forced to live in an even smaller area. Many chickens are forced to live in a space that is no larger than a basic Ipad. Now people may think that they are a small enough animal, so they don’t need much space. In truth they need between 4 and 10 square feet of space each. They are getting maybe 1 square foot in the factory farms. With being in a smaller space animals would be expected to need more veterinary aid than most other animals located on family farms. Veterinary aid becomes limited and may never occur to many factory farmed animals. Along with not receiving the correct medical care and confined spaces 99% of all the animals in factory farms are never given the chance to express their natural
behaviors.
In addition, along with fewer geographic limitations there is faster production of all foods made. There are new chemicals made more and more frequently that force animals to grow three times faster than nature ever intended. Numerous amounts of animals are being genetically modified to grow bigger, grow faster, and produce more. Dairy cows such as the common Holstein are killed after only three lactation cycles, because their bodies are so worn out from producing as much milk as they have in a short amount of time. The average cow is supposed to have a lifespan of twenty to twenty-five years, so with factory farming their life is cut drastically short.
As a result, factory farming may be a positive advancement to society, help with the supply and demand chain, and have fewer geographic limitations, but it also takes its toll on every living being. Imagine being in the same situation as many of the animals. Could people really handle what they put animals though? Factory farming may help with many issues, but at what cost? Factory farms have many horrible effects, but not as many as family farming. Factory farming or family farming? People need to decide which is better for everyone.