The Pros And Cons Of Factory Farming

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) or Factory Farms are indoor facilities where livestock such as chickens are raised in high-density in order to maximize production at a minimal cost (Ilea, R.C. 2009, pg.154). These operations have become the prevalent practice in the past 50 years as the North American meat production market has evolved from individual production to mass production (Richards, R.J, Richards, E.L. 2012, pg.33). This evolution does not only pose as a concern for the well being of these animals, it also acts as a threat to the environment and human health. For these reasons factory farming of chickens should be banned in North America because, first it is inhumane for the chickens (Richards, R.J, Richards, E.L. 2012),

The first issue would be the amount of green house gases factory farms release into the atmosphere. Live stock production produces green house gases such as nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane which all have detrimental effects on our environment (Ilea, R.C. 2009, pg.143). The production of livestock such as the broiler chicken is responsible for 18% of the total global green house gas emissions in our atmosphere (Pearce, J.I. 2011, pg.447). Out of these greenhouse gases methane poses the largest threat, this is because it has 23 times the global warming potential than any other greenhouse gas. This is an alarming matter because the production of livestock is responsible for 35-40% of the total methane emissions in the atmosphere therefore it contributes to the harmful effects of climate change (Ilea, R.C. 2009, pg.143). Although the production of greenhouse gases caused by factory farming is a serious problem, this industry also contributes to the serious issue of water pollution. The vast number of chickens produced in CAFO’s can contribute to water pollution because of the large amount of waste that is produced (Ilea, R.C. 2009, pg.147). This waste is stored in large storage units or lagoons that can overflow and leak into near by water sources (Hoover, N.J. 2013, pg.10). This becomes a problem because the nutrients found in the manures of poultry and other farm

The harmful effects that this industry poses on the animals, the environment and human health outweigh the overall benefits of this system. Therefore it is our responsibility as consumers to not only protect the targeted livestock such as the broiler chicken but also protect ourselves from these harmful effects. This can be accomplished by 2 simple changes. First switching to a more plant based diet and second buying your meat from local farms (Pluhar, E.B. 2010, pg.457). These changes will take business away from the factory farms and give more support to local farms, which will in return save the lives of animals and humans and will protect out