News » "The Problem With Factory Farming" by M. Grubbs, Odyssey

When I decided to stopeating meat around a year and a half ago, I thought it would be anextremely difficult transition. Truthfully, I only had this mindsetbecause in America, we are used to eating meat and other animal productswith almost every meal. The average United States resident will consumearound 270.7 pounds of meat per year. Americans eat more meat than any other country, almost 12 times more than the average Bangladesh resident.

While the popularity of farm raised, organic meat consumption hasgrown in the past years, the ability to afford and consume theseexpensive food items is difficult for the average person. For thesereasons, most people purchase processed, mass produced meats. Aside fromall of the chemicals and health hazards that come along with factoryfarmed food, there have been so many controversial stories surroundingthe treatment of animals, employees, and the environment, especiallywhen it comes to brands like Hormel or Tyson. Here are some reasons youshould think twice before you buy that bag of frozen chicken fingers.

 1. Treatment of employees.

More often than not, factory farms are built in low-income areas where residents don't have many other options for work. Approximately 72 percentof slaughterhouse employees were born outside of the U.S., and around48 percent do not have legal authorization to work in the United States.These employees are also "at-will workers," meaning they can be firedat any time. Because of this, very few workplace accidents are reportedout of fear of losing their job.

In addition to this, injury and health-related issues occurvery often for factory farming employees. Due to chemicals in the air,like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, 70 percent of farm workerswill suffer from respiratory issues. An employee who has been workingin this industry for at least five years has around a 50 percent chanceof experiencing work-related injuries, like disease from animalcarcasses or accidents involving equipment and machinery. Due to thepoor pay, around $23,000 a year,most employees are barely living above the poverty line. Because ofthis, they cannot afford proper healthcare, and their injuries anddiseases go untreated.

2. Treatment of the environment.

Human beings aren't the only living things impacted negatively by the world of factory farming. More than 37 percent of Methane emissions come from factory farms. Due to the use of energy, transportation, pesticides and fertilizers, factory farms emit 90 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Along with this, the industrial livestock industry uses around 70 percent of the world's fresh water supply.In order to eliminate animal waste, these factory farms use giantcesspools that have been known the leak out into other waterways andsupplies. Between the years of 1992 and 1997, it was found that at least 12 workers died from asphyxiation by manure gases and drowning while trapped in waste lagoons.

The abuse of animals is one of the most obvious and most horrible realities surrounding factory farms. Newborn pigswill recognize their names and the sound of their mother's voice. Ithas been found that pigs are smarter than both dogs and three year-oldchildren. Yet, recently, a video went viral that showed a Hormelemployee castrating and punting baby pigs around the factory. Along withsituations like this, the everyday practices that go into processingmeat are scary and cruel. The majority of chickens raised on factoryfarms will have their beaks clipped, burned, or ripped offin order to keep them from pecking one another in their all too closeliving quarters. In this industry, male chicks serve no purpose due totheir inability to lay eggs. For this reason, many of these newbornchicks are ground up (while still alive) the day they are born.

Manypeople think that if a product says free range, it means the animalsare living in better conditions. This is not the case. There are nogovernment regulated rules about what can be labeled "free range," somany of these factories will have a window in the giant slaughterhouseand call it free range. Most of these animals are still kept in suchclose quarters they can barely turn around or spread their wings.

Thereare countless issues surrounding the treatment of all living thingsinvolved in factory farms. Both the environment and the productsproduced have negative implications for consumers, employees, andanimals. This video,titled "Factory Farming in 60 Seconds Flat" gives a brief andhorrifying glimpse into what goes on behind those walls. If you can'twatch the whole thing, I suggest you reconsider eating factory farm meat-- both for your sake and the sake of all of the living beings impactedby this horrible industry.

Molly Grubbs, Odyssey

Source: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/problem-factory-farming