Smith | 1
Jennifer Smith
October 16, 2018
Professor Packer
English 1010
Are Factory Farms Bad For the Environment?
Quick Summary:
Farmers have figured out how to produce mass quantities of meat to keep up with the demand of an ever growing population and how to keep costs low (Eng). A factory farm is a large-scale farming enterprise that raises livestock in a confined, high-density space. Factory farms are putting over nine million tons of manure and urine waste a year into open lagoons. Many of these lagoons are old or do not have liners in them and there isn’t anything to prevent the waste or chemicals from the decomposition of the waste from leaking into the water table or into streams and lakes. The fact that there are very few fines issued (Joyner), is a clear sign that the federal government doesn’t think that regulating these liquid manure lagoons is important (Stith, Pat, and Warrick).
Farmer:
Factory farms are great in the sense that the population of the world is ever increasing. Economically, factory farms make it possible for even poor people to consume meat products. Factory farms have figured out a way to produce mass quantities of meat and products like eggs, cheese and milk. The small family farmer takes the manure from his animals and spreads it over his field to fertilize his crop. Factory farms however, produce so much waste so fast that their fields are so saturated with waste that they have to build berms to keep the waste from running off the land(Stith, Pat, and Warrick).
Environmentalists:
The environmentalists have discovered so many concerns with how these mega factory farms affect our environment. First, there is the issue with treating these animals with routine nontherapeutic use of antibiotics. This causes bacteria strains to actually become stronger making it more difficult to fight off diseases. Antibiotics work great for treating sick animals, but to routinely give antibiotics on a preventative measure is flirting with disaster (Eng).
The second and very big concern environmentalists have is odors.Scientists are discovering that that hog farms alone emit large amounts of ammonia gas, which returns to the earth in rain. The ammonia, a fertilizer, is believed to contribute to algae growth that is choking many states rivers. In scores of rural neighborhoods down east, the talk is the same: there’s something new in the air, and people are furious about it. Odors are caused by a soup of about 150 gases that result from bacterial decomposition of manure. Odor levels have sometimes been measured at twenty seven times higher than the threshold of perception. Small towns that are forced to breathe these odors suffer from asthma, mental health and depression, anger, less vigor and more confusion (Stith, Pat, Warrick).
Animals:
Most animals that are produced by factory farms live side by side crammed together in dirty conditions, their feet blistering from standing in their own feces, sometimes having to stand next to their deceased neighbor breathing in the toxins from discomposure. Many animals are unable to turn around or even spread their wings. There are also many animals that are forced to live under artificial light, never in their lifetime being exposed to real sunlight and fresh air. Quite often the farmers that raise chickens cut off their beaks, because they can get aggressive living in confined quarters and peck each other to death (O'Brien, Tim).
Work by the Food Microbiology Research Division of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, in 1994, found that: “The manner in which animals are housed will directly affect the micro flora of their exterior, whilst the age at slaughter will have a major effect on the micro flora of the gastro-intestinal tract....Those animals which are intensively reared and slaughtered young will have the greatest potential for carrying pathogens” (O’Brian, Tim). This means that the cleaner the environment is for the animals the less likely they will contract diseases.
Conclusion:
Factory farms seem to cause a lot more damage to the environment, economy and to animals than the consumers realize. Most consumers when buying their meat never give it a second thought as to why their meat is so cheap. Is it time to go back to “good old fashioned farming”? Do we need to have more regulations put on these factory farms as to how they dispose of their waste?
Works cited
"Economics, Economics of Industrial Farming - The Issues - Sustainable Table." Sustainable table. Grace, Aug. 2009. Web. 05 Apr. 2012.
Eng., Monica. "Cheap Meat--For a Price." Chicago Tribune. 24 Sep 2010: 4. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr 2012"Cheap Meat--For a Price." Chicago Tribune. 24 Sep 2010: 4. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr 2012
Farrell, Robert R. "Factory Farms Are They Good for Consumers." The Real Truth 10 June 2007. Web.
Joyner, Chris. "Georgia's Environment: Factory Farms Rarely Cited." Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 09 Oct 2011: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr 2012.
Murphy, Dan. "Commentary: In Praise of Factory Farming." Drovers Cattle Network (2011). Print.
Murphy, Dan. "Commentary: In Praise of Factory Farming." Editorial. Drovers 22 June 2011. Cattle News. Web. 05 Apr. 2012.
O'Brien, Tim. "Factory Farming and Human Health." Ecologist. June 2001: 30+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr 2012.
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Factory Farms." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr 2012.
Stith, Pat, and Warrick. "Boss Hog." Amicus Journal. Spring 1996: 36-40. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr 2012
USDA National Statistics Service, “Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations.” USDA NASS, January 2006.