Factory Farm Animal Abuse

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What comes to mind as the largest source of animal cruelty? Puppy mills? Animal hoarders? Dog fighting? Wrong. Factory farms are the number one contributor of animal abuse worldwide (PETA). Unlike the previously listed examples, factory farming is perfectly legal. Factory farming is an industrial way of raising a large number of animals on a small amount of land (Callicott). This mass production is accomplished by focusing on efficiency and profit rather than the health and well being of the animals, workers, consumers, and environment. Because of their ability to produce the quickest, cheapest way possible, 99% of farm animals raised in the United States are from a factory farm (ASPCA). Factory farms have “factory” in the name for a reason. …show more content…

For example, pigs, cows, and chickens all form relationships, remember faces, and have a social hierarchy. They make friends, hold grudges, and understand cause-and-effect relationships. Contrary to popular belief, pigs are very clean and smart animals. When in natural conditions, pigs have specific locations for their bathroom needs, far away from eating and sleeping areas. Pigs are also considered to be more intelligent than dogs and three-year-old children (Humane Society). Cows and pigs have both been shown to enjoy intellectual challenges, and even become excited after successful completion (Humane Society). Both cows and pigs have been observed mourning the losses of their young, calling and searching for them for days. Chickens pass down cultural knowledge to their young and are protective of their families (PETA). “We keep probing the animal world for signs of intelligence—as we define it—and we're always surprised when we discover it. This suggests that something is fundamentally wrong with our assumptions. There is every reason to value other life-forms as much for their difference from us as for their similarity, and to act accordingly. That may be the only intelligence test worthy of the name” (Humane Society). Though every bit as intelligent as pet animals, farm animals are not seen as worthy of a higher quality of …show more content…

Because these chickens are bred for egg production, the males are useless. They are thrown into bags to suffocate,or put into high speed grinders while still alive. The ground up baby chicks can be used to make either fertilizer or pet food (Vegucated). Because there is high demand for white meat, chickens bred for consumption are genetically modified to rapidly grow large breasts (Food, Inc.). Because of this unnaturally fast and unproportional growth, their bones and internal organs cannot keep up. They are unable to support their own weight, rendering them near immobile (PETA). They are prisoners of their own

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