Factory Farming: is it the better option?
99% of agricultural animals in the US are thought to reside in industrial farms. Animals that are bred as goods are frequently kept in stifling conditions. Large amounts of priceless resources, including grain-based feed, water, electricity, and medicine, are heavily reliant on factory farming. This inhumane way of farming is disgusting and should not be allowed.
Factory farming is a hard topic to learn about. Seeing the way our livestock are raised and treated is unacceptable. Back in 2018, when I first started learning about factory farming, I pretty much immediately decided to become vegetarian. While one person, such as myself, choosing to not eat meat isn’t changing our planet drastically, it is one of the few things I could do to help. By consuming more plant-based meals, consumers consume less meat, dairy, and eggs, which significantly lessens the pain of animals on industrial farms all over the globe.
We often hear about how horrible factory farming is on the animals, and while it is truly horrible, we don’t often hear about the many negative impacts it has on the environment. One of the main causes of climate change, industrial livestock agriculture accounts for about 15.4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. That means that the beef and dairy industries produce almost as much heat-trapping gas as all of the world’s railroads, automobiles, and airplanes put together. No matter how you look at it, feeding and raising billions of animals only to slaughter them is a wasteful and resource-intensive method of supporting the world’s expanding population.
Another obvious effect of keeping many animals in close quarters is water contamination. In nature, animals would be spread out over large areas, allowing their excrement to fertilize the land without doing any damage. When freshwater—either groundwater or surface water, such as streams and rivers—confronts sewage, water runoff from industrial farms happens. Sewage is carried away by the water and ultimately ends up in the ocean and near beaches.
One of the reasons why factory farming is so controversial, despite the ongoing list of negative impacts, it creates cheap food. For many reasons, feeding cattle that have been grown industrially is inexpensive. One is that a lot of animals used in industries are given food scraps. (think kitchen scraps from big food processing companies). Crop handouts are yet another, enabling industrial cattle producers to feed their animals for an unfairly cheap price. While the cost to consumers is cheaper, is it really worth putting animals through years of pain?
Although it may seem like a lost cause, there are ways to help slow down the increase of industrial farms. Going vegetarian or vegan is one of the best ways to reduce the demand for animal products. I know this diet change isn’t possible for everyone, but there are other options. Signing petitions is a great way to get involved. We can unite and demonstrate to lawmakers, agencies of government, and corporations that a large number of people oppose it by taking action and joining pertinent petitions. You can support regional initiatives that aim to make immediate changes in your area by contributing to everything from local trade associations and political protests to animal rights and care organizations. You can encourage others to stop buying factory-farmed goods by patronizing local farmers’ markets and stores that share your values.
