Industrial Food Op-Ed- “Putting an end to factory farms”
It is safe to say that a large number, if not most, of Americans enjoy eating meat. American society eats more meat per person than anywhere else in the world. That being said, it is unnerving to think about the often sadistic and inhumane treatment of the factory-farmed cows, pigs and chickens that make the hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken patties we don’t think twice about eating.
According to the ASPCA, over 99% of farm animals in the United States are raised on factory farms. Factory farming has changed the way Americans raise and slaughter livestock for food. It is an industrial process where animals and the products that result from them are mass produced. Industrial farming is a business which means its only goal is to maximize production and reap profit.
Farm operators and the companies they work for go to great lengths to hide the grueling reality of factory-farms from the public. The agriculture lobby even created the so-called “ag-gag law,” coined by New York Times Mark Bittman, which refers to state laws that forbid the act of undercover filming or photography of activity on farms without consent. On the other hand, videotaping at factory farms wouldn’t even be necessary if the industry was being properly regulated. But it definitely isn’t.
Industrial livestock production heavily impacts American public health. Extreme levels of meat and dairy consumption have been proven to contribute to various health problems such as obesity and heart disease. The way that meat is being produced in America is contributing to what the Center for Disease Control has called the next extreme threat to humanity: an antibiotic resistant superbug. Factory farms overuse antibiotics and growth hormones which is heavily contributing to the rise of strains of diseases that were previously easily killed with regular doses of antibiotics. These antibiotics are fed to the animals before they’re even sick because they make them grow faster at an abnormal and unhealthy rate. This means meat being bought at supermarkets is packed full of growth hormones and antibiotics, making you, the consumer, gradually more immune to these antibiotics without being aware of it. To put it plain and simple, something as straightforward as strep throat has the potential to need more than one round of antibiotics to clear it up.
Animal husbandry is the term used for the branch of agriculture concerned with the care and breeding of animals. It is treating the animals with respect so that nature itself is respected. Studies have shown that there is a direct connection between respect for natural animal behavior and protection of the environment. On traditional family farms, the animals are almost like a part of the family. A lot of the time they even have names. On smaller farms, the slaughtering process is carried out as humanely as possible to cause the animals as little stress and discomfort that they can possibly can.
Compare that to the cruel conditions suffered by most of the animals we eat. Intensive farming operations can house tens of thousands of animals in cramped living quarters. They have limited to no exposure to the outside world and many experience physical health problems. These animals are seen as products and are bred, fed, confined and drugged for the sole purpose of serving as somebody’s breakfast, lunch or dinner.
America’s food system is undoubtedly complex. There are those that argue that industrial farming is an unfortunate necessity to meet the country’s food needs. As a result of this supposed “necessity,” the quality of our food has been compromised. Industrial farms reap enormous profits while producing low-quality meat, spreading pollution and even damaging the public’s health.
In a country where house pets are fervently protected, it’s shameful that factory-farmed animals, that do more for our survival, are forgotten and exempt from almost all animal-cruelty laws. Before it becomes the meat we eat, the animal suffers great mistreatment. Americans need to see for themselves exactly what is going on behind the factory-farm doors, and they need to care about it. America can create a more sustainable food system that is better for the environment, public health and the animals and it starts by looking at the meat on the table.
It is safe to say that a large number, if not most, of Americans enjoy eating meat. American society eats more meat per person than anywhere else in the world. That being said, it is unnerving to think about the often sadistic and inhumane treatment of the factory-farmed cows, pigs and chickens that make the hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken patties we don’t think twice about eating.
According to the ASPCA, over 99% of farm animals in the United States are raised on factory farms. Factory farming has changed the way Americans raise and slaughter livestock for food. It is an industrial process where animals and the products that result from them are mass produced. Industrial farming is a business which means its only goal is to maximize production and reap profit.
Farm operators and the companies they work for go to great lengths to hide the grueling reality of factory-farms from the public. The agriculture lobby even created the so-called “ag-gag law,” coined by New York Times Mark Bittman, which refers to state laws that forbid the act of undercover filming or photography of activity on farms without consent. On the other hand, videotaping at factory farms wouldn’t even be necessary if the industry was being properly regulated. But it definitely isn’t.
Industrial livestock production heavily impacts American public health. Extreme levels of meat and dairy consumption have been proven to contribute to various health problems such as obesity and heart disease. The way that meat is being produced in America is contributing to what the Center for Disease Control has called the next extreme threat to humanity: an antibiotic resistant superbug. Factory farms overuse antibiotics and growth hormones which is heavily contributing to the rise of strains of diseases that were previously easily killed with regular doses of antibiotics. These antibiotics are fed to the animals before they’re even sick because they make them grow faster at an abnormal and unhealthy rate. This means meat being bought at supermarkets is packed full of growth hormones and antibiotics, making you, the consumer, gradually more immune to these antibiotics without being aware of it. To put it plain and simple, something as straightforward as strep throat has the potential to need more than one round of antibiotics to clear it up.
Animal husbandry is the term used for the branch of agriculture concerned with the care and breeding of animals. It is treating the animals with respect so that nature itself is respected. Studies have shown that there is a direct connection between respect for natural animal behavior and protection of the environment. On traditional family farms, the animals are almost like a part of the family. A lot of the time they even have names. On smaller farms, the slaughtering process is carried out as humanely as possible to cause the animals as little stress and discomfort that they can possibly can.
Compare that to the cruel conditions suffered by most of the animals we eat. Intensive farming operations can house tens of thousands of animals in cramped living quarters. They have limited to no exposure to the outside world and many experience physical health problems. These animals are seen as products and are bred, fed, confined and drugged for the sole purpose of serving as somebody’s breakfast, lunch or dinner.
America’s food system is undoubtedly complex. There are those that argue that industrial farming is an unfortunate necessity to meet the country’s food needs. As a result of this supposed “necessity,” the quality of our food has been compromised. Industrial farms reap enormous profits while producing low-quality meat, spreading pollution and even damaging the public’s health.
In a country where house pets are fervently protected, it’s shameful that factory-farmed animals, that do more for our survival, are forgotten and exempt from almost all animal-cruelty laws. Before it becomes the meat we eat, the animal suffers great mistreatment. Americans need to see for themselves exactly what is going on behind the factory-farm doors, and they need to care about it. America can create a more sustainable food system that is better for the environment, public health and the animals and it starts by looking at the meat on the table.