Factory farming is when a large quantity of livestock is raised in large indoor facilities for their by-products and offspring. There are a total of 19,961 factory farming facilities in the U.S. alone. (“Number of concentrated”). Factory farming allows farmers to manage their livestock more efficiently and it enables them to keep up with the high demand for meat and other livestock by-products. Factory farming allows livestock farmers to use their farms more efficiently by taking up less space, using less maintenance, and taking less time to manage the livestock. However, it causes animal suffrage, it also causes environmental pollution, and is a risk to human and animal health.
While allowing farmers to use their land more efficiently factory farming causes animal suffrage. Factory farming causes animal suffrage because they cram all the livestock into confined areas with little to no room to move. Farmers use livestock barns because they take up less space than letting the animals roam in fields. Sinilong states “The reality also is that most animals are penned up all day and night, with the amount of sunshine scientifically controlled. There is also automation to provide the animals with food, water, and an occasional change of air, so the farmer may not even need to “visit” his animals more than once a day.” (Sinilong). All laying hens are packed into cages with no room to flap their wings and often become paralyzed. Animals have to stand in their feces all day and often become ill because of it. The article “Factory Farms Produce Meat In Unethical Ways” states that “the animals are not seen as individual, sentient beings with unique physical and psychological needs but as eggs, milk, meat, leather, etc.” (“Factory Farms”). The article “Factory Farms Produce Meat In Unethical Ways” also states that “Since the animals are seen as mere commodities, they are bred, fed, confined, and drugged to lay more eggs, birth more offspring, and die with more meat on their bones.” (“Factory Farms”). Animals in factory farms aren’t well taken care of and they suffer until they are slaughtered or they die off on their own.
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Because factory farming allows farmers to do less maintenance, it leads to the environment becoming more polluted. Factory farms pollute the environment through the air and water. Urine, feces, and other waste from the livestock are stored in lagoons. A lagoon is a pond that collects wastewater from factory farms. However when the lagoons flood the contaminated rainwater runs into nearby land, rivers, and lakes that people swim in and animals drink from, causing a health risk for both humans and animals. Stueuer states in his article that “Up to 1 billion tons of manure is generated by livestock operations every year, much of it from CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). In some cases, the waste is stored in large lagoons or open piles that can leak or spill into adjacent land and water.” (Stueuer). The article “Factory Farming” says that “Factory farms emit large quantities of greenhouse gases while consuming a great deal of fossil fuels and creating major air and water contamination hazards.” (“Factory Farming”). Also stated in Hauter’s article factory farms are a danger to the climate. Livestock production contributes 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. (Hauter)
Allowing farmers to save time on managing their livestock creates problems with food safety and risks to human health. Livestock in factory farms stand in their feces all day, due to the farmer's lack of maintenance, causing disease and illness. The article “Factory Farming” states that the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that up to 20% of antibiotic-resistant infections in the US are traced to germs found on farm animals (“Factory Farming”) The article “Factory Farming” also states that people who consume foods contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria can develop serious and even fatal illnesses.
Animals have become resistant to some drugs, creating serious health risks for humans who are exposed to them. (“Factory Farming”) The uncleanliness of factory farming causes bacteria to be in the food we consume. The article “Factory Farming” states that “Eggs harvested from hens kept in battery cages show much higher rates of salmonella bacterial contamination. It also says that “other dangerous pathogens like E. colli can also thrive in overcrowded factory farming conditions.” (“Factory Farming”). Not only does factory farming cause danger for the animals involved, but it can also be dangerous for the employees who work at factory farms. Employees of factory farms breathe in dust, dirt, and feces from the livestock, which can cause lung infections.
Although, factory farming allows livestock farmers to use their farms more efficiently by taking up less space, using less maintenance, and it takes less time to manage the livestock. It causes animal suffrage, environmental pollution, and a risk to human and animal health. While factory farming allows farmers to manage their livestock more easily and enables them to keep up with the high demand for meat and other livestock by-products, it causes tons of problems for society.
Works Cited
- Arnold, Stephen D., and Edward A. Meister. 'Dairy Feedlot Contributions to Groundwater Contamination - A Preliminary Study in New Mexico.' Journal of Environmental Health, vol. 62, no. 2, 1999, p. 16. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A55884900/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=af135478. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.
- 'Factory Farming.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999252/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=448c281c. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019.
- 'Factory Farms Produce Meat in Unethical Ways.' Factory Farming, edited by Debra A. Miller, Greenhaven Press, 2013. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010701243/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=d48cc97e. Accessed 20 Oct. 2019. Originally published as 'Factory Farming:
- The Truth Behind the Barn Doors,' www.lcanimal.org, 2012. Hauter, Wenonah. 'Factory Farming Is an Environmental Hazard.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GZBVFM521888465/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=d483b632. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Originally published as 'What Fossil
- Fuels and Factory Farms Have in Common,' Yes! Magazine, 30 May 2018. Sinilong, Iris. 'Most People Are Unaware of How Much Suffering Factory Farming Causes Animals.' Factory Farming, edited by Debra A. Miller, Greepps/doc/EJ3010701244/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=f03c275e. Accessed 20 Oct. 2019. Originally published as 'Behind the Veil of Factory
- Farming: What the Media Doesn't Tell Us,' Urban Times, 13 July 2012.nhaven Press, 2013. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,https://link.gale.com/a
- 'Number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in the United States, 2017.' Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, ttps://link.gale.com/apps/doc/KGWHXU828175625/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=ad31352f. Accessed 21 Oct. 2019.
- Steuer, Karen. 'Factory Farms Are Contaminating US Drinking Water.' Factory Farming, edited by Debra A. Miller, Greenhaven Press, 2013. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010701246/OVIC?u=tricotec_main&sid=OVIC&xid=272c629c. Accessed 22 Oct. 2019. Originally published as 'Where Have All the Farms Gone?' EcoWatch, 10 June 2012.
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