Jason Dang Professor LeVasseur FYSE 134 4 December 2017 Intensive animal-based agriculture commonly known as “factory farming” refers to the production approach towards domestic farm animals. This approach aims at maximizing the production output, and at the same time, minimizing the production cost. In this case, intensive farming is defined as “animal husbandry,” which is the keeping of livestock like cattle, fish, and poultry at higher stocking levels than the normal forms of agriculture. This implies that in intensive animal-based agriculture, animal farm animals are more than in normal agriculture. The main products of this type of agriculture are meat, milk, and eggs. Given the importance of intensive animal-based …show more content…
According to the reading “Meatonomics: How the Rigged Economics of Meat and Dairy Make You Consume Too Much? and How to Eat Better, Live Longer, and Spend Smarter by David Robinson Simon,” there is only a small number of consumers who are aware of the economic effects surrounding the production of meat, fish, eggs and dairy (Simon). In the U.S., meat industry is one of the big businesses operating in the country. This is because many Americans eat meat with approximate consumption rate of 200 pounds per person annually (Simon). According to the author of the book, the national meat habit is greatly costing America. It is estimated that 414 billion dollars every year are spent on external health, environment and animal welfare costs. The economic effect of intensive animal-based agriculture is felt through increased taxation. If the cost of animal-based agriculture was to be integrated in taxation then the welfare cost would …show more content…
Animal-based agriculture has led to increased poverty because of excessive use of land for keeping animals. About 1 billion people living in poverty practice animal domestication to sustain their lives. Fast growth of industrialization of livestock has led to decline of employment opportunities for a large number of people. However, in many parts of the developing world, the emergence of the large-scale industrial production methods has paralyzed many small-scale producers who are under strict regulation by the health authorities that pressure them to meet the set standards for food safety as per the requirements of the international market. Animal products provide one third of protein consumed by humans, but the nutritional impact is not the same across the globe. A report from a research that was carried out in Africa by Mooney states that “too much animal based protein is not good for human diets, while too little is a problem for those on a protein starved diet, as happens in many developing countries” (Nibert). Heart diseases and other chronic diseases have been attributed to overconsumption of animal source foods, which are meat, milk, and eggs. Human health is also affected by harmful pathogens transmitted by domesticated animals, which are also closely related to the decline in animal production. According to the book, millions of people in America, Africa, and other parts of the world