Factory Farms: A Grim Reality of Animal Cruelty

Animal Cruelty: Factory Farms

For everyone, from AHS student Ryele Thompson

Did you know that 97% of the 10 billion animals tortured and killed each year are farm animals, that mainly come from factory farms? It is said that factory farming is the biggest form of animal cruelty on Earth. In a factory farm in Ohio, workers killed injured pigs by hanging them on a forklift to slowly be strangled; the practice is defended by the pork industry. Many can argue that these animals in these farms are bred a certain way, and that the animals don’t have feelings, but the farming techniques cause stress on all the animals, health risks for both the animal and humans, and many farmers do not even benefit from the animals they raise.

Many can argue that “Factory farms aren’t that bad. Have you seen the commercials? The

animals seem happy, grazing on open fields, hoping around the barnyard…” but, in all reality, that is not true. According to a study done, 65 percent of all hogs tested had pneumonia-like abrasions on their lungs, and many thing like this make factory farming the worst kind of animal cruelty out there.
On factory farms across the United States, many animals raised for food are being put under a great deal of stress. Crowded pins, and selective breeding. Thousands of animals on the farms are are placed into small, filthy, sheds without windows. Being shoved into wire cages, crates and other small areas with little room to move around, can cause more adrenaline and cortisol hormones to be released into the body, causing many health issues, like those in humans. The animals can suffer from altered heart rate and respiration, suppression of the immune system, issues with the reproductive system, and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Selective breeding causes the animal to produce more milk and other stuff than they would normally produce. For example, a normal cow's life expectancy is 20 years, and naturally, their bodies would produce less than 1,000 litres of milk in a year; but, due to selective breeding and other techniques, they deliver between 6,000 and 12,000 litres.
The health risks for factory farming not only contains health risks for the animals, but for people too.

Studies done by the Food and Water Watch estimates that the manure produced in 2012 was 369 million tons, thirteen times more than the 312 million people in the continental United States alone. Too much manure also cause problems with the water and air around the farm. Toxins and bacteria from the manure get into the from drain off and being sprayed into the air, causing illnesses and even death. Aside from the issues with manure, in Iowa alone, unsanitary conditions at two egg companies made a recall on more than a half a million Salmonella-tainted eggs in 2010. The consumers that are eating the dairy, egg, and meat products would be likely to expose themselves to foodborne bacteria like E coli, Salmonella and other types too. In studies, the toxic exposure from animal waste and brain damage and depression in humans share a link , along with miscarriage and birth defects in women from contaminated water. Animals suffer from diseases as well for example, obesity, mad cow disease and MRSA; other diseases like Salmonella and E coli are also a

problem.
Factory farms on on a rise, and it’s not on accident, and in reality, it was a result of a public policy that was designed to benefit the meat industry. The issue with this is that factory farming is replacing independent farmers across the United States, and in other areas of the world. Four years ago, in 2012, more than half of the farmers had lost their profit made and over the last 20 years, the total number of hog, beef cattle, and dairy producers in the United States has went down due to the increased number of sales being driven upon them. As a result of all of this, most farmers do not even benefit from this production system, because they are not paid a lot for the livestock they raise.
As a result of a policy designed to benefit the meat industries and food processors that dominate the critical steps between farm and consumer, the increase of these factory farms was not done on accident. To help put an end to factory farming you can do many things like stop buying from companies that do not respect the animals, make it clear how you feel about the issues, or vote it out all together, along with many other things. All in all, factory farming is not a good thing, because it causes immense amounts of stress on the animals, increases the health risks for humans, and reduces the profit made by the farmers.