Manure run-off from factory farms (is this not toxic waste?)
In this course we address "issues in the workplace." And in the case of factory farming, we certainly have a number of issues, first, toward animals, such as overcrowding, de-beaking, inhumane culling,* and then those health-related problems that may affect us in consuming these animal products ("intensive" growth production, with hormones and then antibiotics and pesticides to fight diseases).
So, what is factory farming? Read here, about ethical consequences of factory farming:
Factory farms hold large numbers of animals, typically cows, pigs, turkeys, or chickens, often indoors, typically at high densities. The aim of the operation is to produce as much meat, eggs, or milk at the lowest possible cost. Food is supplied in place, and a wide variety of artificial methods are employed to maintain animal health and improve production, such as the use of antimicrobial agents, vitamin supplements, and growth hormones. Physical restraints are used to control movement or actions regarded as undesirable. Breeding programs are used to produce animals more suited to the confined conditions and able to provide a consistent food product.
FACTThe large concentration of animals, animal waste, and the potential for dead animals in a small space poses ethical issues. It is recognized that some techniques used to sustain intensive agriculture are cruel to animals. As awareness of the problems of intensive techniques has grown, there have been some efforts by governments and industry to remove inappropriate techniques (...) In the UK, the Farm Animal Welfare Council was set up by the government to act as an independent advisor on animal welfare in 1979. It expresses its policy as five freedoms: from hunger & thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury or disease; to express normal behavior; from fear and distress.
1- Food animals on factory farming facilities produce an enormous amount of waste. A dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces as much waste as a city of 411,000 people (60). 2- Food facts are that there are NO regulations for the treatment of animal waste from factory farming, which contains methane and nitrous oxide gases - both many times more toxic and warming than CO2. Liquid animal waste often spills over from holding lagoons into local soil and waterways. 3- Fish farming is called "aquafarming", and this squanders natural resources too - it can take 5 pounds of wild-caught fish to produce just 1 pound of farmed fish. Aquafarming operations pollute the environment with tons of fish feces, antibiotic-laden fish feed, and diseased fish carcasses.
There are differences around the world as to which practices are accepted and there continue to be changes in regulations with animal welfare being a strong driver for increased regulation. For example, the EU is bringing in further regulation to set maximum stocking densities for meat chickens by 2010, where the UK Animal Welfare Minister commented, "The welfare of meat chickens is a major concern to people throughout the European Union. This agreement sends a strong message to the rest of the world that we care about animal welfare.”
For example, in the UK, de-beaking of chickens is deprecated, but it is recognized that it is a method of last resort, seen as better than allowing vicious fighting and ultimately cannibalism. Between 60 and 70 percent of six million breeding sows in the U.S. are confined during pregnancy, and for most of their adult lives, in 2 by 7 ft gestation crates. According to pork producers and many veterinarians, sows will fight if housed in pens. The largest pork producer in the U.S. said in January 2007 that it will phase out gestation crates by 2017. They are being phased out in the European Union, with a ban effective in 2013 after the fourth week of pregnancy. With the evolution of factory farming, there has been a growing awareness of the issues amongst the wider public, not least due to the efforts of animal rights and welfare campaigners.
For more information about ethical problems of factory farming, read here.
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Overcrowding: Egg laying hens in cage free operations are typically crowded by the thousands in large barns, with approximately one square foot of space allotted each bird. “Cage free” laying hens are not required to have access to the outdoors, and for “free range” and “free roaming” hens, access to the outdoors can be severely restricted and poorly designed. Under these labels, there are no limits on flock size and their outdoor area may be little more than a barren dirt lot that is difficult for them to access.
De-beaking: Virtually all hens slated for egg production have the ends of their beaks removed without anesthesia, causing both acute and chronic pain.
Inhumane culling: Commercial hatcheries supply hens to both factory farms and smaller egg farms, and the male chicks are unwanted and treated as a waste product. Common methods of killing and disposal include suffocation and being ground up alive. When egg laying hens’ productivity declines and they are no longer profitable to the egg industry, they are sent to slaughter or otherwise killed.
I'll close this post this Friday at 11pm.
I think it is degradable what we, humans, now a day’s do to these poor animals. Yes, we may raise them for food productivity, but that does not change the fact that we should at least try to make their short existing as pleasant as possible. Imagine you being a chicken or cow, would you want to get de-beaked without anesthetic, or be caged in without as much as a glimpse of sunlight. The fact that the male chickens are being disposed off as waste material just because they can’t lay eggs, isn’t that being sexist. All the rights millions of people fight for within our society are merely being swatted away when it comes to these animals and simply for money. There are so many dozen commercials on TV where we see helpless dogs and cats being mistreated and our hearts go out for them daily as we give donations and adopt out of the many shelters; what no one comes to think of is that just a hundred years ago (and maybe even less) chickens, cows and pigs, were just as much our pets. We cry when we see a cat being neglected or a dog thrown out on the street, but everyone turns their head when it comes livestock. I think it is one of the cruelest sides of our human nature and everyone should devote a place in their heart to these animals just as well. Just imagine being in their place!!!
ReplyDeleteBy Rosana Quintana
The view of cows and chickens as happy farm animals grazing on vast green fields on packaging is so prevalent in the meat industry, it is repulsive. Corporations like McDonald's have driven their meat producers to develop a corrupt and inhumane system of abuse that most Americans seem to be totally unaware of as they blindly choose the cheapest or mos efficient meat products. Like antebellum plantations, companies go to great lengths to conceal from the public what actually occurs. As a long-practicing vegetarian I am disgusted that people often ask whether I don't eat meat because I don't want to eat dead little animals, as if it is merely an issue of the death of a creature. Instead, it is an issue of the miserable life of that creature. The meat industry does far worse than just kill animals- and yet we are constantly fed the lies that "happy cows come from California" and that Tyson chicken produces a quality product with "integrity". Not to mention, the most detrimental chemical gas to our reefs and atmosphere is methane- most of which comes from the greed and abuse of meat producers. Apart from this, much of the run-off causes the spread of e-coli into our other foods. I suggest watching food inc. or going to Youtube for undercover footage of the appalling things that go on behind the pretty green fields on the labels of your eggs and meat. It is truly astounding how easy it is to conceal where our food comes from and how it is treated. All living things deserve a life that is their own- not one exploited by a careless money-hungry machine.
ReplyDeleteWhen anyone thinks about any farm animal, you picture them grazing in a land with plenty of green grass and the sun shining over there heads. When in reality, they are confined, abused and mistreated for the money they make. They are seen as nothing better than an object; livestock. Sadly, we humans take a stand for gay rights, animal abuse, higher gas at the pumps but what about the animals at the farming factory? How about standing up for them, making there lives a little better while they have it. No one deserves to suffer to the day of there death. Along with there suffering may come sickness or viruses to the people who consume them; we might also ingest water that was contaminated with animal feces. So there are many things that are not ethical with farming factory. Next time you put meat or poultry in your supermarket cart, think about the animal that was sacrificed.
ReplyDeleteLet’s start my comment by saying that factory farming is honestly no surprise. Like I may have mention before I blame it all in over population due to that fact that we are one too many, and to be honest resources are running out. Basically the industry has barely any choice to meet the consumers need. Yeah the treatment of the animal is considered to be cruel and the waste and toxins being released by all this farming are extremely harming. I understand that to some of us this idea of toxins in our food scares us; but let’s be real, is not like we are not eating genetically enhanced produce already. Ever thought about the size of the turkey legs that you eat in Disney? Well no turkey is that big (it is genetically enhanced). Everything needs to be done in bigger portion bigger pigs, bigger chicken, and bigger salmon. In addition the worse of it all is that some of us may not even be aware of these genetically enhanced foods. To add to the tragedy we are becoming mutants due to all this genetic enhanced food we are eating because it’s slowly changes pieces of our DNA; just like a virus. Of course we must add all the toxins from factory farming. What about the milk we drink? Don’t you think that after all the time that the cows are being milked all day some “blood”, and “pus” from infected cows go to the milk that will then be distributed? There is more to factory farming than just not being morally correct to the animals, but honestly look at all the damage that we are doing to ourselves. Then again if you start considering animal rights; well then we will all starve. There is just too many of us to going back to traditional farming. Luckily there is still some “organic products” that may save our health and of the animals.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting because they are murdering animals for absolutely no reason. The article mentions that “Virtually all hens slated for egg production have the ends of their beaks removed without anesthesia, causing both acute and chronic pain.” I believe this action is unmoral because you can’t just treat animals this way because they could also feel pains. If you were going to remove their beak, you could have at least gave them anesthesia, something that will diminished the pain.Another intriguing point in the article was “Commercial hatcheries supply hens to both factory farms and smaller egg farms, and the male chicks are unwanted and treated as a waste product. Common methods of killing and disposal include suffocation and being ground up alive. When egg laying hens’ productivity declines and they are no longer profitable to the egg industry, they are sent to slaughter or otherwise killed.” Why would a someone killed an animal by suffocation, you could at least donated it to someone else, if you don’t want the bird.
ReplyDeleteBy Reginald Belizaire
Factory farming is an attitude that views animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited for profit. In animal agriculture, this attitude has led to institutionalized animal cruelty. Massive environmental destruction and resource depletion which is absurd. As well as animal and human health risks. People involved in this horrifying system only wants to maximize the amount of meat produced while minimizing costs. All they think about is themselves and not the pain they are producing this poor animals. Whether they are knowledgeable or not the manure run off is extremely poisonous for Earth, generating more greenhouse gas emission than all transportation vehicles combine. All this issues is causing human health to deteriorate causing chronic diseases. They should find a better method for agriculture than can be beneficial for everybody not only themselves.
ReplyDelete--Lydia Sanchez
This article is a telling the truth many factories work that way. Its really sad how people don't care about living creature and just want to make profit. One think that I noticed is that people in the city never experienced watching animals getting killed for food and later eating it. I've been in a farm and experienced how you kill a chicken and the way they process it. And trust me see that for the first makes you want to be vegetarian. And to be honest the whole time that I was there I didn't eat any meat, which was a month. I was just shocked because I'm a big meat lover. But like I said earlier if you were the one to watch how they kill the animal and process it you do the same exact thing.
ReplyDeleteThis is an issue that everyone should know of. There has been many investigations to prove that there is abuse in these factories. The public should know this, if not, they need to be informed. Now, of course the business is going to take any possible chance at keeping costs low to maximize profits. This brings up a tough battle when it comes to the demand of meat. They almost have no choice when trying to keep up. Maybe by me saying that it only shows that I am as well an uneducated consumer, or maybe I should just take up a vegetarian or vegan diet. Either way, the procedure taken to keep up is highly immoral. There must be another, more humane, way to keep a business successful.
ReplyDeleteSimply from the way their operations are done is clearly immoral and just abusive in practically every manner. Keeping animals cram packed into cages and beaten regularly till butchered is already wrong. Then the work environments are filthy and dangerous.
Personally I have seen evidence in the abuse of chicken in my own food. Prepping my own dinner I have noticed, surprisingly occasionally, that a leg of a whole chicken is broken before opening the packaging. I would love to share a show that is shown onto a channel in Britain called BBC Three. The show is called “Kill it, Cook it, Eat it”. This show explains in detail what profession and practical meat production should be done. From raising, butchering, and cooking.
Andrae Williams
Consumer demand food, so farmers provide it, to meet consumer’s demands we need to resort to these techniques. But how in hell do people have the hearts to slaughter animals alive, how is this even legal. If you want your meat to taste better than add ingredients. I blame ourselves because we are the one who support this by buying cheap meat. You can mistreat animals just because they are a waste at the factory farm because like human they can feel pain, they just don’t express like we do. I know there is high demand on meat but cruelty to animal is still wrong. The only difference between torturing an animal in the street than in factory farm is that the factory farm sales its products, but it I s still cruelty. The animals we consume should be treated with more decency during the time they are being slaughtered.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that livestock/farm farming is essential is our daily lives. It is part of proving food and other necessities to the market place. There are numerous amount of slaughter houses that are mainly used for business operation. Consumers demand lots of food and farmers produce it to meet consumer's demand. Animal farming is no where cruel if it is being done for beneficial purposes. Some of the businesses take proper take in raising animals, where others have no regard to how the animals are been treated. There are few problems that scares me most in raising those animals. Most of the animals are injected with chemical solutions. It is only a way to speed up productivity, so that money can be made faster within the market. I personally believe that all animals should grow naturally. It is amazing to see how much animals are raise everyday, and the amount of food that is being produced. Another concerning problem in raising animals is human health. Overcrowding may lead to major diseases, so it is the farmers responsibility to ensure that all animals are properly cared with special attention.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to say but over the years our society has made animal life very cruel and miserable. A majority of the animals that are raised for food live in a condition of overcrowded facilities with brutality procedures. Factory farms fail to understand how the greatest problems beside animal cruelty are the spread of diseases.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Kant, one should not treat people or anything as mean to end. In order don’t use anyone for the purpose of tour own interest. Kant would not consider factory farming moral being that mass production has resulted in incredible pain and suffering for the animals. They are not seen as animals but are viewed simply as food producing. They are confined to small cages with no lighting at all and are subjected to horrible mutilations.
Rebecca Joseph
After watching the film Food Inc., I was able to comprehend the reality of the problem of slaughter houses, factory farming, inhumane culling and all manipulations carried out by the very few companies that today, control the meat and poultry industries in America. Those companies have become so powerful that they lead small farmers to bankruptcy through the low cost of their products. Low cost and, as shown in the article, no respect or concern for the animal or , as for chicken farming, for a minimum standard of “hygiene”. The power of certain corporations is such that they have become “ above the law” with their army of lawyers, working their way around existing laws. The film also shows that, for example, in the meat industry, the corporations guilty of selling meat contaminated with salmonella, which resulted in the death of a child; have been blocking a law that makes corporations accountable for the products they have sold contaminated by certain bacteria. These corporations have even ex board members of the companies as active FDA members with the power to help or veto certain product authorizations. I would like to add that a farmer that had been coerced into factory farming spoke openly in the film Food Inc. asking consumers to be more demanding and more aware of what they are giving their children to eat, only a change in the consumer demand will make a change in what this industry has become.
ReplyDeleteWe all know the horrors that the animals endure and what the industry is trying to make us “swallow”…. We are the only ones that can change it especially in a country like the US where journalists have the courage to make an extraordinary film like Food Inc.
What can I say...this world is messed up. A quick dollar is all what most people believe in. I understand meat is a big source in our diet. However, the way the animal is tortured to provide is inhumane. It is very sad how these animals are raised just so that the farmer can make a quick buck. Then society wonder why there so many new diseases that arises, people are getting sick and some are dying. Pumping animals up with steroids and then slaughting them is not right! It is hurting and harming us. The FDA knows exactly wht is going on; however, many companies have become so clever in the way they are marketing that the FDA turns the other cheek and allow it to continue. This world is cruel to one another as well as to animals. We really need to start speaking up, because things are only going to get worst before we realize we need to do something.
ReplyDeleteDiadra Mosley
There is no way that factory farming is ethical in any level what so ever. Animals should be treated with respect and even though we eat them its human nature and the circle of life, but it doesnt mean we need to be cruel and treat them this way just so we can create huge amount so people can make more money. This is all about making money.. fast. Factory farming allows for massive amount of meat to be done fast, and it means in a disgusting way which is so unhealthy for us human being to be consuming in the first place. Organic farming is the way we are really suppost to be making out foods. animals being raised in an open environment with earth and mother nature. the most natural way posible is the way people should be making out food not in a factory with chemicals that could make us sick.
ReplyDeleteEllen Ortiz