Factory Farms

The worldwide trend is to replace small family farms with “factory farms”. Do you know what is it really? You don’t want to know! Many people believe that animals raised for food must be treated well because sick or dead animals would be of no use to agribusiness. This is not true. The competition to produce inexpensive meat, eggs, and dairy products has led animal agribusiness to treat animals as objects and commodities. According to Professor Bernard E. Rollin: “Individual animals may ‘produce,’ for example, gain weight, in part because they are immobile, yet suffer because of the inability to move.” In the case of battery-cage egg production, Rollin explains that “though each hen is less productive when crowded, the operation as a whole makes more money with a high stocking density: chickens are cheap, cages are expensive.” Factory farming is for profit. In animal agriculture, this attitude has led to institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction and resource depletion, and animal and human health risks. The most visible symbol of factory farming is the animal feeding operation (AFO) or concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO). By federal definition, an AFO is a facility that "congregates animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small area of land." The major difference between the operations is based on how many animals are involved in the confinement areas with no pasture or grazing land. Highest efficiency is all above. The productivity and profits are maximized. The animals are kept in the smallest space possible and fed the cheapest food that will quickly and effectively fatten them up. As I know governments support corn and soya (soyabean meal) in general. That’s the reason why prices of these feeds are low. Although corn and soya are not healthy for neat, cattle, pig and for chicken. Before the growth of these feeds, especially corn and soya were not present in the earth in high numbers. These are not the natural feeds of animals like the grass. Thus animals remain backwards although breeding facilities ensure a constant supply of replacements. “Modern technology is employed whenever it is economically feasible.” Females are artificially inseminated rather than mated. Pregnancies are spaced close together to increase production. Mothers and offspring are separated quickly to keep the process moving. Antibiotics, hormones, and growth-enhancing drugs are administered to ensure rapid growth and to prevent deadly diseases. Slaughterhouses are run like assembly lines with an emphasis on speed and meat quantity.” How could we eat healthy meat? If you have a nice garden with enough free place… But unfortunately far too many have no idea where their food comes from, and many have no desire to find out. But to tell the truth each shopping is a vote for or against factory farms. Bio is the right choice! Every bite we take has had some impact on the natural environment, somewhere in the world. As the planet grows more crowded, and more farmers turn to industrialized methods to feed millions of new mouths, that impact will only worsen. But we are liable for it! Remember one shopping is one vote!

Read more:

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/

Farm Animals - Factory Farming - Farms, Corporations, Agricultural, Farmers, Cattle, and Facilities http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2170/Farm-Animals-FACTORY-FARMING.html#ixzz1MuayrF3g

http://www.greenmuze.com/reviews/news/2338-excerpt-from-animal-factory-by-david-kirby.html

http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/animals.html

http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2170/Farm-Animals-FACTORY-FARMING.html