The Unethical Practice of Factory Farming

The term “factory farming” is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost.” This definition, produced by renowned American lexicographer Noah Webster’s dictionary, puts emphasis on the notion that production of meat is optimized for little economic output through this process, which is true to no extent. Raising livestock in factories undoubtedly costs much less than raising livestock on farms, and produces much more volume, but is an incredibly unethical practice that causes severe irreversible harm to the environment. Animal welfare is also compromised in this process, as livestock populations are made subject to a short life of misery. Spending one month in Montana working on livestock farms practicing regenerative agriculture taught me an incredible deal about the importance of understanding where one’s meat comes from, and the effects that commercial livestock farming has on the environment and the general population of omnivore humans and animals. By conducting extensive research about the ethics of livestock farming, and working with livestock first handedly, I can wholeheartedly conclude that small family livestock farming is absolutely more sustainable than commercial livestock farming. While factory farming is an efficient practice that accommodates large populations, it is undeniably an incredibly unethical practice that is detrimental to the environment and the welfare of animals that should be banned.
As reported by the USDA, a federal government agency, 99% of all meat consumed in the United States is produced by factory farms. It is true that this method of raising and slaughtering livestock produces mass amounts of meat which are able to accommodate large amounts of meat-consuming Americans, but the effects of this practice cause detrimental effects to the environment. Factory farms contribute to air pollution by releasing compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and methane which are all greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming. The influx of livestock raised in these facilities produce incredible numbers of feces, which all produce methane to the atmosphere. Factory farming supports the release of these gases by over breeding animals to support the demand for meat by buyers. This practice also contributes to deforestation by mass amounts of forests being cleared to support new factory farms being established to keep up with the demand for meat by the global population. Deforestation removes trees from the atmosphere which absorb carbon dioxide, and destroys ecosystems by providing native species with no place to reside. While it is true that overbreeding of livestock allows for mass production of meat, which will satisfy the demands of consumers, the environmental impacts of factory farming are detrimental to the earth and society as a whole, putting the future state of earth’s environment in jeopardy. Banning the practice of factory farming would allow for an increase in consumers purchasing meat from small, local farms. My education by regenerative agriculture farmers allowed for my extensive knowledge of the detrimental effects that factory farming has on the environment as a whole. Regenerative agriculture is a conservation approach to farming systems, which focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health of soil. Often practiced on small, family farms, the environmental effects of this practice of farming. Small farms often practice regenerative agriculture, leading to a much less detrimental impact on the environment. While they are not able to produce meat for consumers as quickly and for a low cost, they do have a lower impact on the environment, being much more sustainable by not over breeding livestock for large populations. The banning of factory farming would allow for consumers to purchase from small farms even more, causing the production of meat to be much more local to where it is being sold. When meat is produced at a factory farm, it is often sold all over the world, sometimes thousands of miles away from where it is produced. This transmission of food over large distances causes unnecessary energy to be used by transportation such as planes and boats which negatively impacts the environment by using fossil fuels and unrenewable resources. Consumers of meat purchasing from small, local farms rather than large factory farms producing meat far away closes the gap between the farmer and the buyer, causing a much more sustainable transaction. Banning factory farms would allow for an incredible influx in sustainable practices, and would incredibly support small agricultural farmers.
The welfare of the animals being raised and slaughtered on factory farms is in an enormous contrast to the welfare of the animals being raised and slaughtered on small farms. While livestock such as cattle, chickens, pigs, and sheep are overbred and forced to live their life indoors before being slaughtered, animals being raised on small farms are able to experience life outdoors before being slaughtered. Both animals experience the same end, but one group does not live under fear their entire lives, and is able to eat nutrition that supports the animal, and not just their weight gain. The bodies of unstressed animals convert muscle glycogen into lactic acid after death, which helps keep meat tender and flavorful. Adrenaline released by stress pre-slaughter uses up glycogen, which causes there to not be enough lactic acid produced after death, making the meat taste worse and last for a shorter amount of time. Animals who are raised on small farms and bred to an extent that keeps the animal healthy are more likely to produce better quality meat. For ethical purposes too, the inhumane treatment of animals in factory farms is absolutely heart wrenching. Animals raised in factory farms are subject to terrible conditions such as standing in their own feces for their entire lives, hearing the constant sounds of their own kind being killed, and having to constantly produce young. Banning factory farms would eliminate the mass overbreeding of animals in these facilities, and cause animals who are raised for slaughter to experience life ethically, outside like real animals. Participating in a chicken slaughter myself allowed me to understand the connection between meat on my dinner table and the life the animal lives so I can eat it. Seeing a small farm and a factory farm firsthand and meeting with farmers who run both allowed me to understand the contrast between these facilities. Factory farms are responsible for the mass over production of meat, and subject many animals to short lives full of fear. From an ethical standpoint, factory farms should be banned to prevent the mistreatment and overbreeding of livestock. Although large populations of consumers who purchase meat are able to be fulfilled with factory farms, the majority of people who eat meat do not acknowledge the reality of where their meat is produced from. Factory farms being shut down would allow for the mass support of local farmers, which contributes to less animals being abused before slaughter.
Factory farming may accommodate large populations of meat consumers, but it is undeniably an unethical practice that should be banned due to its detrimental effect on the environment and its contribution to the abuse and overbreeding of livestock. Small farms that practice regenerative agriculture would benefit incredibly from the influx of customers they would receive by the shut down of factory farms. The geographical gap between the place of meat consumption and its production would be shortened entirely if grocery stores were forced to sell meat produced by local farms in its area. Factory farms place an incredible strain on the environment by producing mass amounts of greenhouse gases by over breeding livestock. By the shutdown of the commercial livestock industry which produces meat for cheap prices with no regard to the environment or animal welfare, an incredible increase in sustainability of the meat industry would be seen due to the support of small farms. No regard for animal welfare is given in the commercial farming industry, leaving livestock to live short, fear-filled lives, which is in a large contrast to the lives that livestock live on small farms. The shutdown of factory farms is absolutely necessary to environmental sustainability and protecting animal welfare across the globe.

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