ENG103 Final Essay

ENG 103                                                                         Shahbaz E Khan

Prof.Chris Alexander

Over the past decade population of earth has been increasing. As the population

increases the consumption rate of everything increases with it. One of the most important

consumption is food and meat and poultry is the major part of it. And this is the reason

why farming system has been changed over the past decade. Farming is no longer done

by one family raising cattle’s in their rural collection of fields and barns. Farming is now

done by large industrial facilities run by large corporations and they are responsible to

handle a large of animals to be killed for food in the USA. These facilities are called

factory farms.

 In the U.S factory farming started in the 1920`s after the discovery of vitamin A

and D. These vitamins are added to feed animals so they won’t be needing sunlight and

exercise for their growth. The method proven out to be so useful that animals are raised

indoors now whole year long. The only problem faced during this large scale of meat

production was spreading of disease amongst the animals raised indoors. But which was

resolved in 1940`s when antibiotics was invented. “In 1910 41 percent of the meat

consumed by Americans was beef. By the year 2000, beef accounted for only one-third of

the total meat consumed by Americans, which includes poultry and other sources of red

meat.”(How Much Meat We Eat). The demand of meat and poultry in the market gave

the factory farming a solid platform to get industrialized. And meat and poultry started to

be produced on a large scale as products only ignoring pain and suffering by the animals.

“Animal feeding operations (AFOs) are farms or feedlots where animals are kept

and raised in confined areas for at least 45 days over a 12 month period. AFOs cluster

animals, feed, manure and urine, wastewater, dead animals, and production operations on

a small land area. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing in

pastures, fields, or on rangeland. There are approximately 450,000 AFOs in the United

States. Common types of AFOs include dairies, cattle feedlots, and poultry farms.”

(What's the Problem?) Factory farms are engaged in raising cows, sheep, goats, pigs,

poultry and also fish. The raising of animals involves for meat, eggs and milk. In these

farms animals are given antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals for quick growth and

higher productivity in less time. They are kept in small cages with metal bars,

overcrowded cages or restrictive pens or stalls, air filled with ammonia and artificial

lightning whole period of production.

There are pros and cons of everything. The benefit of the factory farming system

to society is economic satisfaction of the demand for meat at acceptable prices and it

provides a continuous inexpensive meat supply. Factory farming is good to the

environment because animals like cattle produce manure which is useful to plant growth.

If plants, trees and flowers grow well due to manure from animals we can surplus oxygen

to sustain our breathing. Factory farming is good to the environment in the sense that

animals assist in the formation of food chains and food webs.

Factory farming has negative effects on the environment and it causes pollution.Factory farming generates toxic pollution that can contaminate lakes, streams and riverswhich can contaminate water supplies. The air around factory farms is contaminated with dust particles which are linked to asthma and bronchitis. The trucks which carry animals from factory farms to shops need mention. Some of these trucks have high levels of

carbon emission hence they pollute the environment also causing global warming issues.

Factory farming also raises animal abuse issues. The industry only focuses on

profit and therefore efficiency and productivity has caused inhumane treatment and

sloppy slaughtering of farm animals. Industrial methods have changed the way in which

farmers and animals use to interact. Farmers had a lot of personal interaction with their

animals during feeding and handling and it causes more care towards each individual

animals. In traditional farming system sick or injured animals were more likely to be

noticed and cared but due to factory farming this has been totally changed. Due to factory

farming there are no pastures or grazing lands for the animals. This is ethically wrong for

animal inhabitant. In the factory farms animals are not considered as animals at all, they

are just food products. Inhumane treatments like beak searing, tail docking, ear cutting

and castration are done with the animals.

Factory farming process is needed to be summarized, as the growth of factory

farming increases so does its effects of inhumane treatment towards animals and neglect

towards earth pollution. The assembly line which was made to fulfill human needs is now

proving more harmful causing health issues. Factory farming isn’t a very useful method

indeed. An industrial system that consists of chemical use over animal and then to feed

them to human being is never a very good idea to start with. Traditional farming method

is less effective on nature and healthier. Some communities like Amish still practice old

farming system and are proven to raise cattle’s and poultries healthier. And which is good

for health also with out chemicals, doing less effect to nature also.  

Works Cited

Category, By. "History of Vitamins." Inventors. Web. 19 Dec. 2010. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_vitamins.htm>.

"Frontline: Modern Meat: Is Your Meat Safe?: How Much Meat We Eat | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 19 Dec. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/howmuch.html>.

"Farm Animals - Factory Farming." Web. <http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2170/Farm-Animals-FACTORY-FARMING.html>.

"Facts: Factory Farming." In Defense of Animals. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. <http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfarmfacts.html>.

Definition, By. "What's the Problem? | Animal Waste | Region 9 | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. <http://www.epa.gov/region9/animalwaste/problem.html>.

Mukichi, Masimba. "The Effect of Factory Farming on the Environment." The Effect of Factory Farming on the Environment. Web. <http://www.helium.com/items/1186236-the-effect-of-factory-farming-on-the-environment>.