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Ethical issues with factory farming
Ethical issues with factory farming
Negative Impacts of Animal Agriculture
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Is eating meat a detrimental threat to the environment? This debate over meat’s involvement in the global warming crisis was what inspired Nicolette Hahn Niman to write, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma.” Niman hoped writing, “The Carnivore’s Dilemma,” would cause her audience to understand that eating meat, raised on traditional farms, was a superior alternative to vegetarianism. Niman supported her claim by explaining how industrialized farms and vegetarians produce more of the three greenhouse gases that caused global warming, than that produced by traditional farms. Niman’s article fell short of being effective due to flaws in her supporting evidence and conclusion.
Michael Pollan’s alternative to Factory farming has given a huge insight into a better ethics on food. In “The Animals: Practicing Complexity” Michael Pollan writes about a polyface farm and how it works. The goal of a polyface farm is to emotionally, economically, and environmentally enhance agriculture. Everything on a polyface farm has the potential to be helpful to something else on the farm. Pollan states “The chicken feed not only feeds the broilers but, transformed into chicken crap, feeds the grass that feeds the cows that, as I was about to see, feeds the pigs and the laying hens” (Pollan 345).
In the article ‘The Climate Crisis at the End of our Fork’ Anna Lappe, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, has drawn on research to determine that a “full eighteen percent of the worlds global warming effect is associated with ‘land use changes’” (Lappe 753) such as livestock emissions and the destruction of rainforests. According to Lappe, these changes in land are used for livestock and pastures for cattle. This poor management of land significantly impacts climate change which produces food for consumers. Therefore, Lappe suggests that people look more closely at what they eat and where it comes from.
“Industrial agriculture characteristically proceeds by single solutions to single problems: If you want the most money from your land this year, grow the crops for which the market price is highest.” - Wendell Berry Many people question whether or not the morality of treating animals in a humane way outweighs the morality of cheaper food for a nation where 1 in 6 people are facing hunger, and/or starving in any way. Back in the day, a while after World War II, industrial agriculture was applauded as a technological success that permitted an ever growing population to practically feed themselves. Now, many farmers and scientists see it as a blind alley, rather made for factory work.
Grazing and growing feed for livestock now occupy 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet. If these current events continue, meat production is predicted to double between the turn of the 21st century and 2050. Yet already, the Earth is being overpowered by livestock that consume massive quantities of energy and resources, whose wastes contaminate waterways and farmlands, and when eaten excessively, degrade our health. Pollan makes a considerable point when discussing concentrated animal feedlot operations, “The economic logic of gathering so many animals together to feed them cheap corn in CAFOs is hard to argue with; it has made meat, which used to be a special occasion in most American homes” (pg. 67, An Omnivore's Dilemma).
Pollan, however, believes that animal welfare should be espoused by allowing animals to live free-range and follow their natural instincts. Pollan and Hurst are also concerned with protecting the environment, but disagree on what the best avenue of protection is. Pollan believes that the environment would be better protected if animals were put back on farms and raised organically (370). Hurst believes that industrial farming practitioners are sufficient in their efforts to protect the environment because they are conscious of the effects industrial farming has on the environment, and they take steps to reduce the harm it could have on the environment, such as monitoring nitrogen levels. The authors, despite their differing views on the best way to accomplish their beliefs, successfully convey their
The U.S. agricultural industry can now produce unlimited quantities of meat and grains at remarkably cheap prices. But it does so at a high cost to the environment, animals and humans”
Pollan claimed, “After a few weeks rest, the pasture will regrow and feed the cows again”. (171) This demonstrates that farmers don’t feed food that animals aren’t recognizable to at local sustainable companies. Ultimately every food chain has a unique process to raise their animals. But locally sustainable food chains have the best way to approach their food system because they do it in a procedure that will not harm the animals.
Michael Pollan exposes this by suggesting three main ideas to the future President of the United States. The first idea that Michael Pollan has, is to make farming as natural as it can be again. Currently, CAFO’s are being used to produce our food, which is very unhealthy. CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, which basically means animals
There is an important question many people today wonder; I found that there are several people who see how showing livestock affects kids in school and in life. I chose this topic because so many people think that showing livestock is just a waste of time and money, but they have no idea what it entails. Other people don’t realize that showing livestock isn’t about the money or just having a pet. I am writing this paper because everybody should know that showing isn’t about having a pet, it’s about gaining responsibilities and learning new things that can help you later in life. Showing livestock helps children go farther in life because it teaches them more responsibility, they work harder, and they never give up on their dreams.
Although the issues of race, wage equality, and abortion are topics that have been addressed during this presidential election one of the most important issues in America is flying under the radar. Animal Production is the systematic production of animals for milk, eggs, and meat produced to the highest level which is used to lower the cost and mass distributed to the public for consumption. Advocates of mass animal production such as the blog greengarageblog.org, have argued that animal production is inexpensive due to the food being produced and processed at a faster rate, can offer jobs as it is one of the biggest industries in the United States, can allow for greater variety and availability as the food is so cheap and the biotechnological
1. I enjoyed that the author was able to take a very bland topic and add some interest to it. Buchholz not only introduces economist and their theories, but also introduces the economist as a person to make them more relatable. He was able to explain complicated theories in generic terms to make them more understandable. 2.
Furthermore, 51% of total greenhouse gas emissions is derived from animal agriculture. Moreover, red meat is a very inefficient means to produce food because of the amount of
This documentary unfairly stated that cattle is the sole factor of our world’s environmental issues because they emit greenhouse gases and over-consume water. However, in reality they are not the only ones who are using water, creating greenhouse gas, and affecting the land and ocean. Our planet is facing a lack of water, and according to the documentary, the cows are one of the major causes of this. If the problem is water waste, then look at how we, the people, are using it. Almost everybody uses water to shower, wash dishes, and flush toilets everyday.
There are markets available that have accessories for cows, chickens etc. Animals have a right to kind treatment and equal rights. There are other ways to give animals respect, factory farming is not the only solution to produce a large amount of meat. If people cared about animal welfare they would visit small farms and local butchers or raise meat themselves. In the olden days, people raised animals and had cheese, milk, and meat.
