Factory farming is a controversial practice that has become a staple of modern society. While it may seem like there’s nothing we can do to stop factory farming, there are many ways that you can make a difference.
This article will discuss the various aspects of factory farming and how you can take action against them.
Poultry Farms
Poultry farms are where chickens, turkeys, and ducks are bred for egg production. The birds are kept in huge sheds with thousands of other birds. They often have little space to move around, and there may be ten or more chickens per square meter (0.1 m2).
The floors of these sheds can become filthy and wet from chicken waste, which makes it hard for the chickens to walk properly on them. Chickens can spend their whole lives indoors on these farms without seeing daylight or feeling grass beneath their feet!
The chickens are kept in cages stacked on top of each other. Each chicken has a space about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. The cages have a plastic tray underneath them, which catches the chicken’s waste.
Animal Feed
Feed is a significant part of the cost of raising animals, and it’s made mostly from corn and soy. Both crops are genetically modified and grown in monocultures, which means they are heavily sprayed with pesticides that can cause health problems for farmers and farmworkers.
Meat Industry
The meat industry is one of the world’s biggest contributors to global warming, environmental damage, food safety, animal cruelty, and health problems. Meat production contributes more to climate change than all forms of transportation combined. In fact, the livestock industry is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions—more than all forms of transportation combined!
The meat industry also dramatically impacts our planet’s water supply. It takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce just one pound of beef in the US. That’s more than double what it takes to produce one pound of potatoes or grain.
The U.S. meat industry is also responsible for significant environmental harm, including deforestation and pollution of rivers and streams. In fact, livestock production is the single largest human-caused source of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
The meat industry is also a major source of air pollution. According to the World Resources Institute, “Livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all forms of transportation combined.”
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Slaughterhouses and Meat Processing Plants
Slaughterhouses and meat processing plants are dangerous, unpleasant, unhealthy, low-paid, and monotonous. Slaughterhouse workers suffer from stress, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), and musculoskeletal disorders due to working long hours with heavy loads on their hands or in awkward positions for extended periods.
In addition to these physical problems, there is also an increased risk of mental health issues like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can be best explained by the nature of the work, which involves killing animals that are often still alive when they leave the slaughterhouse floor.
Food Safety
Food safety is one of the biggest problems with factory farming.
- Bacteria contamination: The meat on factory farms can be contaminated with bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.
- Chemical contamination: The meat on factory farms can be contaminated with chemicals, like hormones and antibiotics. These chemicals build up in the animals’ bodies and get passed along to humans when we eat them.
- Antibiotic resistance: Because animals are raised in such close quarters, they are more likely to get diseases from each other than wild animals would be in their natural habitats. To prevent this from happening, farmers give their farm animals antibiotics, so they don’t get sick and die before they reach slaughter weight—but these antibiotics also end up in our food supply!
This causes antibiotic resistance (when people become resistant to drugs because they have been overexposed to them). The more antibiotics farmers use at feedlots and slaughterhouses, the more likely bacteria will develop resistance to them—and then there won’t be any drugs that work against those bacteria!
Global Warming and Environmental Damage
Factory farms are a major contributor to global warming. In fact, they are responsible for 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. As the population grows, more and more factory farms will be needed to meet the demand for meat and dairy products. This means that unless we stop the growth of these facilities, we’ll soon have no choice but to adapt to a lower quality of life as well as an environment dominated by factory farms.
The effects of factory farming on our planet go beyond just climate change. Factory farming is also responsible for massive deforestation and soil erosion due to their dependence on monoculture crops (crops that require large amounts of land) like corn and soybeans (used primarily as animal feed). These crops require enormous amounts of water both during their growing period and after harvest when they’re processed into feedstock for animals in confined animal operations (CAFOs).
Also Read –
- Soil Carbon Sequestration: A Sustainable Approach to Agriculture
- Bio-Fertilizers vs. Bio-Pesticides
- Impact of Technology on Agriculture
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- Why Do Plants Store Starch Instead of Glucose?
- How Does Industry Depend on Agriculture?
We can Stop Factory Farming
There is much that we can do to stop factory farming.
- Don’t buy meat from factory farms. If you do, you support their practices and encourage them to continue.
- Instead, find certified organic meat raised humanely on small, family-owned farms. Look for labels like “Certified Organic” or “USDA Organic” on your meat packaging.
- Buy local. Support your local farmers and purchase locally grown foods whenever possible. You will also be reducing your carbon footprint while doing so. Your community will thank you for it.
- Support legislation that bans factory farming by writing letters to congressmen and women and signing petitions online to ban the practice altogether. It all helps!
Conclusion
We are not saying that you have to give up eating meat. In fact, we believe people should be able to choose what they eat. But we also believe factory farming is bad for animals and humans, and it’s time for us all to take action against it.
The key is knowing where your food comes from, so you can make an informed decision about what kind of meat (or non-meat) products make sense for you. There are many ways in which individuals can help end this cruel practice by changing their diets or simply assisting others to do the same; after all, no one likes being exploited!
