Factory Farming

Many people do not think about everything that goes into the production of the steak, chicken breast, egg, or milk they are consuming. They simply just buy it at the store. In reality, the world of mass production in the meat and dairy industries involves much more than the average consumer knows about.

Factory farming is the mass production of meat and dairy products. In these factory farms animals are crammed into dark sheds, cages or crates. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) states "the minimum space is one-half square foot per bird."This means chickens are forced to spend their lives in very confined spaces that limit their movement. These animals don’t get to go outside and see the daylight, and they don't get to do what is instinctive and natural to them. For example, mothers never get to raise their young. They are taken away from their mothers early on, and mothers are left feeling frustrated, unable to feel the fulfillment of mothering their young. Cows don't get the satisfaction of nursing because a machine milks them in order to feed humans. Furthermore, they are unaware that they are about to be impregnated to go through the whole process again. When it comes time for slaughter, violent methods are used like shooting, electrocution, strangulation, and throat-cutting. The treatment of animals being used in factory farms is inhumane, yet all of these are seen as normative behaviors in farming.

Industrialized animal agriculture is also harmful to the environment. It affects environmental problems like deforestation, water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity. According to the Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Ethics, “Animal agriculture is responsible for 55% of soil and sediment erosion and is responsible for the pollution of 186,000 miles of waterway in the U.S.” If mass production of animal products continues, it will continue to hurt the environment.

In the US alone, almost 10 billion animals are killed for food, and this number is projected to increase in the upcoming years based on consumption needs. Everyone can help reduce this number and reduce these environmental problems that come from the mass production of animal products because consumers have the power to vote with their dollars. If we stop consuming animal products, there will be less demand for meat and dairy products, and factory farms will not have a need to produce as much.

Bibliography

Cudworth, Erika. “Ecofeminism and the animal”, Accessed 6 May 2019.

LLC - Ames. “The Science Source for Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Issues” CAST, www.cast-science.org/.

Rossi, J., & Garner, S. A. (2014). Industrial farm animal production: A comprehensive moral critique. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 27(3), 479-522. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.lib.calpoly.edu/10.1007/s10806-014-9497-8

Twine, Richard. “Ecofeminism and Veganism: Revisiting the Question of Universalism”,

Accessed 6 May 2019.