When did using factory farms become a widely used farming method, and what issues have occurred because of it (impacts on the environment and the animals etc.)?
Factory Farms are large industrialized
farms that raise a large number of livestock indoors to maximize production.
Factory Farms use
animal cruelty and abuse
Farmers started fencing
their livestock in late 1800s
Poultry was the first large-scale
factory farmed animal (late 1920s)
Poultry was later
followed by pigs
and cows in the
1960s-1970s
94% of all animals
that are farmed are
raised on factory farms
The industrial food complex created ag-gag laws to punish people who are trying to expose the truth of their factory farms
Ag-Gag Laws: Designed specifically to protect large corporations in the food industry
Ag-Gag laws gives farmers basically a free pass for doing whatever they’d like with their animals
Pigs are being treated horribly; common pig factory farming practices include tail docking and tooth clipping
Female pigs are forcefully being impregnated and it goes on and on until they are unable to continue giving birth, which they are then slaughtered for their meat
Negative effects cows have on the environment:
- Raising cows consumes unsustainable amounts of water
- Toxic dust kicked up into the air
- Improper disposal of cow manure which destroys ecosystems, contaminates water and ruins soil
Chickens excessively scratch at the ground with their claws which causes high quantities of dust that spreads into the air
Residents of Maryland suffered from toxic air as a result of poultry farms in 2018
Animals at these farms are at risk of serious health conditions and diseases due to the confined space they have to live in with millions of other animals.
Pigs for example, get stress and anxiety in these farms resulting in them attacking other pigs around them and even going as far as cannibalism
Even if it doesn’t seem like we are being affected by factory farming here in Vaughan, we are. The meat products that we are getting are most likely, if not, for sure products of factory farms. We should know what is happening to these animals at these farms and the cruel ways they are being treated.
I think something that we can do to locally address this issue is try and make PSA’s and show them to people in our community. We can make posters, slideshows and short videos to explain what these farmers are doing to their livestock and how we are all encouraging it by buying their products. I know that people aren’t going to stop having meat or animal products but I think that it is good for them to understand what the process is to get their food on the dinner table. I know for one that even after looking at this issue, I will still be eating meat and will not be becoming a vegan, but I found it good to know what is happening to these animals.