The controversial issue of battery farming is an ongoing debate that continues to question the authenticity of society’s principles and ethics. Blinded by our avarice, we have failed to perceive the gravity of our actions, and the constant abuse it has made our poultry endure. Mankind’s insatiable demand for quicker egg production has forced our chickens into perpetual incarceration and endless labour through the inhumane practice of what we call the battery farming industry. The horrors of battery farming that millions of hens fall prey to each year need to be abolished, for both the redemption of our morals and the rights of our chickens.
The practice of these farms must cease due to the harrowing living conditions and cruelty that hens
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are continually exposed to. Confined to artificially-lit environments in order to maximise egg laying production, chickens are given “space less than that of an A4 sized piece of paper, having anywhere between 3 and 20 cage mates” (voiceless.org). The lack of space results in the deterioration of air quality within the farms, as faeces accumulate on the floors. Air becomes polluted with dust, ammonia and fungal spores, triggering painful skin conditions, respiratory problems, swelling, haemorrhage, and blindness. Statistics show that 1 in 6 battery hens will live with untreated broken bones their entire lives (RSPCA). To avoid unsolicited behaviours such as excessive pecking or cannibalism, the abominable method of ‘debeaking’ comes into existence. This routinely conducted process involves the amputation of the beak through the application of a heated blade, with no pain relief given to the chickens. As their beaks are fitted with high concentration of touch receptors and sensory nerves, this causes severe, chronic pain and eating disorders that the hens endure for many years to come. In addition to the glaringly apparent animal cruelty, there is an issue of quality and health of the products that are manufactured in the battery farm industry.
Antibiotics are injected into hens to create “immunity” to their unsanitary living conditions and prevent them from falling susceptible to disease. These antibiotics may work in the short term, but they encourage the evolution of bacteria and the rise of drug-resistant pathogens. If people come into contact with their meat and other consumable products, these bacteria can be transmitted, causing a wide range of illnesses that can’t be easily treated with antibiotics. Consequently, battery farms produce low-quality food, in comparison to free-range farms. Many of these hens are bred through artificial processes and raised in an environment that stresses them out, both of which can also lead to food products that have poor quality. There may be more food products available with the development of battery farming, but they are not entirely as healthy as the foods that were eaten in the past. Battery chickens have changed over time - in a study conducted by scientists, they have proved that today's chickens are bigger simply because they were bred to be bigger. But although the weight of the average chicken might be more than double what it was 60 years ago, the fat content of the animal proteins have also doubled. The fat content of chickens can rise up to over 220% higher today than it
was in the 1950s. With all of this in mind, when placed alongside free-range products, it is evident that battery-farmed commodities are inferior. The majority of society dismisses chickens as an inferior species - unintelligent animals that lack the complex psychological characteristics of "higher" animals such as monkeys and apes. This view is often reinforced in the media and popular culture (take for example, the chicken Hei-Hei from Disney’s most recent princess movie, ‘Moana’, released in 2016). Due to the misconception of chickens being emotionally and socially inept, people are less concerned about the cruelty towards chickens, compared to abuse of dogs or cats. This is a misconstrued belief that needs to be abolished. Studies have shown that chickens are highly social animals with complex cognitive abilities. These supposedly common birdbrains have the intelligence of a three-year-old child and are capable of displaying empathy. Yet, the harmful practices involved with battery farming disregard the research which demonstrates that, like humans, chickens have preferences, particularly in terms of the environment in which they are kept in. They experience physical sensations and emotional responses such as pain, fear, anxiety, pleasure and enjoyment. Battery farms deliberately deny these defenseless animals the chance to exhibit vital natural behaviours, which is deleterious to their psychological state. The cramped spaces that the chickens are allocated to inhibit their inclinations to act on natural instincts such as wing flapping, grooming, preening, stretching, foraging and dust bathing – comfort behaviours essential to the positive growth of chickens. Aggressive tendencies and cannibalism are abnormal behaviours formed through the constant mental torment that they undergo in battery farms, which is solid proof of the industry’s cruelty. The various animal rights and environmental aspects that the industry disregards and violates is one of the many surefire reason of why any further activity from battery farms must be illegalised. To deny the significance of an animal’s mental and physical state is to deny the premise of animal welfare at all. Without this consideration, chickens (and all animals, in fact) would basically have the same rights as plants.
Every year worldwide, over seventy billion animals are killed for food in factories without the inclusion aquatic animals (“Factory Farms Overview¨). The animal rights movement began in Europe during the nineteenth century to protect horses, dogs and cats (Recarte 1). However, now modern animal rights groups have switched their focus to factory farms, test animals and the removal of ag-gag laws. The fight to create less painful and stressful environments in factories and the altogether removal of animal testing and ag-gag laws has been taken on by animal rights groups like ASPCA (“Factory Farms”). The biggest issue currently facing animals is factory farming.
Chicken is a major section of the economy of agriculture in United States. That is why the genetically modified chickens are consumed by millions of people including children. Chickens that are genetically modified are raised in filthy cages throughout their lives and pass through many mistreatments. Their main food consists of hormones, corn, and genetically modified organisms (Lundeen). All these foods are aimed at making them grow at a faster rate and increase their weight. The heavy weight makes them become crippled and even starts to suffer from a variety of diseases like ammonia, organ failures, getting a weak immune system, bronchitis, and re...
Pollan believes that American factory farms are places with technological sophistication, where animals are machines incapable of feeling pain (368). In other words, factory farms use plentiful of technology where they do not pay attention to animals feelings. For example, beef cattle who live outdoors are standing in their own waste, and factory farmers do not considered that wrong and unsanitary. Hurst alleges that “turkeys do walk around in their own waste, although they don’t seemed to mind”(5). This shows that factory farmers think that animals really don’t have feelings and really don’t care. Pollan also disagrees with industrial farming because he states that, “American industrial farms itself is redefined- as a protein production- and with it suffering” (369). He affirms this because industrial farming cages their animals. Interestingly, both authors believe that animals still die and suffer no matter what circumstances an animal is living. Pollan believes animals should be treated with respect and not be caged. On the other hand, Hurst asserts that “farmers do not cage their hogs because sadism, but because being crushed by your mother really is an awful way to go, as is being eaten by your mother”(6). So Hurst say that he cages animals to protect them. Also both authors believe that there needs to be ways to enrich the soil, so the farms can have bigger harvest, healthy plants, and keep cost down. However, Pollan believes that farmer should use compost. He states that “the finish compost will go to feed the grass;the grass, the cattle; the cattle , the chickens; and eventually all of the animals will feed us” (370). So he thinks compost is good for the farms. Hurst on the other hand, think manure and commercial fertilizer is good for the farms. Hurst spread poultry litter on pasture and this made cattle production possible in areas
Factory farming began in the 1920s soon after the discovery of vitamins A and D. Shirley Leung said, when these vitamins are added to feed, animals no longer require exercise and sunlight for growth (B2). This allowed large numbers of animals to be raised indoors year-round. The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was fought against in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using machines and assembly-line techniques. Unfortunately, this trend of mass production has resulted in incredible pain and suffering for the animals. Animals today raised on factory farms have had their genes manipulated and pumped full of antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals to encourage high productivity. In the fast food industry, animals are not considered animals at all; “they are food producing machines” (BBC). They are confined to small cages with metal bars, ammonia-filled air and artificial lighting or no lighting at all. They are subjected to horrible mutilations: beak searing, tail docking, ear cutting and castration. The worst thing is that ...
The Huffington Post article “McDonald’s Plans To Switch To Cage-Free Eggs” addresses McDonald’s plans to complete the transition to cage-free eggs in the U.S. and Canada by 2025.1 The article not only raises concern about cage-free eggs, but also discusses whether hens should be bred in the cage-free system or in the conventional battery cage system. In this essay, I will
of miles in space, looking like a dot. He said to a crowd “Look again at that dot. That 's here.
“By concentrating large numbers of animals together, factory farms are terrific incubators for disease. The stress of factory farm conditions weakens animals' immune systems; ammonia from accumulated waste burns lungs and makes them more susceptible to infection; the lack of sunlight and fresh air--as well as the genetic uniformity of industrial farm animal populations--facilitates the spread of pathogens." (Sayre) To summarize this section, it states that factory farms are creating diseases and because of this, the stress of the factory farms condition weakens the animal's immune systems. The animals that are caged up in these factory farms lack sunlight and fresh air. This is also the cause of pathogens spreading. Animals in these factory farms are crowded into small places with barely any room to even turn around. They are kept in there and fed hormones to grow their bodies until they become an unnatural size. This happens so that the animals can produce more meat. This is dangerous for them because the farmers are taking away the animals freedom. Factory farms conditions weaken the animals immune systems and this is putting the animals at risk for an infection. With the lack of sunlight and fresh air, the animals aren’t getting enough nutrition into them to fit off disease. The final piece of text evidence supports that caging animals is not good for them. Hui states, “In the wake of such criticisms, many companies have turned to experts like Dr. Grandin to help them understand animal welfare better: what motivates animals; what behaviours come naturally to them; and what causes them fear, stress or pain." (Hui) As explained in this quote, there are many criticisms to people caging animals and treating them inhumane. However, several companies left are still willing to help others understand animal welfare. In addition, he analyzes what behaviours come naturally to them along with what causes
Purchasing a car is one of the hugest or biggest accomplishments that a person can achieve on their own. However, what happens when that purchase turns out to also be the worst decision that was ever made? The purchase was a success and a goal was achieved, but the moment the key is turned and the engine is started the contribution to environmental harm begins. As the car is driven, the gasoline fumes that are released from the car contribute to the other many factors and pollutants that damage the environment. Not only is the purchase now a contributor to the depletion of clean air, but it could also play a part in the depletion of someone’s health. For example, asthma or bronchitis could develop in an adult or child as a direct result of breathing in noxious automotive fumes. Depending on where one lives, there could be strict regulations on air pollution. One must be accountable for any and all contributions made to the demise of what was once a healthy Earth. One must be accountable for his or her own carbon footprint. Some individuals have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprints and cause less harm to the environment by purchasing electric cars.
Meat cultivation uses more land, water and resources to house, transport, and slaughter animals and their grain and food than it would cost to fund in vitro meat studies. In April 2008 the In Vitro Consortium first met at the Norwegian Food Research Institute. The consortium is “an international alliance of environmentally concerned scientists striving to facilitate the establishment of a large scale process industry for the production of muscle tissue for human consumption through concerted R&D efforts and attraction of funding fuels to these efforts. ”Meat in both its production and its consumption has a number of destructive effects on not only the environment and humans but also live stock. Some of these effects are antibiotic resistant bacteria due to the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, meat-borne pathogens (e. coli), and diseases associated with diets rich in animal fats (diabetes).
Poultry is by far the number one meat consumed in America; it is versatile, relatively inexpensive compared to other meats, and most importantly it can be found in every grocery store through out the United States. All of those factors are made possible because of factory farming. Factory farming is the reason why consumers are able to purchase low-priced poultry in their local supermarket and also the reason why chickens and other animals are being seen as profit rather than living, breathing beings. So what is exactly is factory farming? According to Ben Macintyre, a writer and columnist of The Times, a British newspaper and a former chicken farm worker, he summed up the goal of any factory farm “... to produce the maximum quantity of edible meat, as fast and as cheaply as possible, regardless of quality, cruelty or hygiene” ( Macintyre, 2009). Factory farmers do not care about the safety of the consumers nor the safety of the chicken, all the industrial farmers have in mind are how fast they can turn a baby chick into a slaughter size chicken and how to make their chicken big and plumped. Factory farming is not only a health hazard to the well-being of the animals, but the environment, and human beings ;thus free range and sustainable farming need to be put into practice.
Money hungry, billion dollar industries do not have time to foster chickens and nurture them in the right type of environment, they only consider quick turn around, money making deals. These gigantic companies do not want their consumers to know about the behind-the-scenes practices that occur on their “farms”, and to prevent the consumer from
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.) that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone. I believe the only way the United States and the world will see a large-scale transition to renewable energy sources is through education. Right now, it seems as though only a few pockets of people throughout the world are aware of the positive benefits of renewable energy sources. Not only is it better and cleaner for our environment, but the industry of renewable energy could also
In 2007, the world consumed 5.3 billion tons of coal, 31.1 billion tons of oil, 2.92 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and 65,000 tons of uranium. All of these energy needs could have been met with only 6,600 tons of thorium, an abundant, slightly radioactive element found in the Earth’s crust.
Our country is currently suffering energy-wise, we have been powering with inefficient sources for years now and the harm that it is doing to the country has started to become apparent. Renewable energy is the only way to stop, or at the very least set back the inevitable downfall of our ecosystem. I think that the next big breakthrough for renewable energy is implementing off-grid communities that use renewable sources as their main sources of power, so that we can potentially escape the energy rut that we got ourselves stuck in.
Factory farms have portrayed cruelty to animals in a way that is horrific; unfortunately the public often does not see what really goes on inside these “farms.” In order to understand the conditions present in these factory farms, it must first be examined what the animals in these factory farms are eating. Some of the ingredients commonly used in feeding the animals inside factory farms include the following: animal byproducts, plastic, drugs and chemicals, excessive grains, and meat from members of the same species. (Adams, 2007) These animals are tortured and used for purely slaughter in order to be fed on. Typically large numbers of animals are kept in closed and tight confinements, having only little room to move around, if even that. These confinements can lead to suffocation and death and is not rare. Evidence fr...