blog 13

      

Factory farming is an unethical form of farming because of treatment of animals. What is factory farming? In order for a farm to be defined as a factory farm they must have a large amount of animals raised on limited land. These animals must also require a large amount of food. Factory farms also use "labor saving" technologies to save money on workers. So things like pesticides and heavy machinery are bought into the picture. The government now refers to factory farms as "Animal Feeding Operations" (AFO). According to the "Environmental Protection Agency" (EPA), a farm is defined as an AFO when "animals are kept and raised in confined situations" kept up to 45 days or more in a 12 month period. A certain number of animals define AFO as "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations" (CAFO) under certain EPA criteria. CAFO make-up about 12 percent of total AFO. Over the last 40 years about one-third of farm-able land has been lost to AFO's. Not only is factory farming bad for animals, but it is also bad for the environment, and humans.
            Humans are being fed unhealthy meat causing Illnesses. These Illnesses can come from a factor of different things like growth hormones, feeds, antibiotics, or poor hygiene and sanitation. Unnatural feeds can actually increase the saturated fat content of meat causing heart disease and obesity. In order for cows to have as much milk as the "farmers" desire, the dairy cows are given a growth hormone to increase production. When milk production declines, they are taken to the slaughterhouse to be used as beef. The top 6 most popular hormones used in the dairy industry by the U.S has been linked to an increase in the risk of breast, prostate and colon cancer in beef eaters. Feedlots full of manure can contaminate the hides of cows causing thousands pounds of meat inside the slaughterhouse.