No argument is valid in terms of
torturing an animal. Some arguments for factory
farming include faster food production, a safer environment for the animals,
healthier and proportioned food for the animals, and cheaper food production. It is true; factory farming does produce
faster amounts of food. Another fact: we
are quickly consuming our source of food. An article stated, “Dr. Robert Lawrence of the
new Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future points out, ‘The inefficiency of
converting eight or nine kilograms of grain protein into one kilogram of animal
protein for human consumption would by itself be sufficient argument against
continuation of our present dietary habits,’” (Motavali). Factory farming is unsustainable. Growing too much grain protein will damage
the land, therefore putting a halt to a food source for animals, thus a halt to
our meat source. The future doesn’t hold
a job position for factory farming. It
is safe to say that the environment in which the animals live in is not a safer
one. Yes, it is free of natural predators,
but the new predators are humans. According
to Brown in her article, Do they not bleed?
Industrial agriculture and the cruel fate of farm animals, “Animals on factory farms
are subject to painful procedures and surgeries, often done to prevent aberrant
behaviours resulting from the frustration of living in barren, unnatural
environments.” A few examples of these
actions are beak cutting to prevent pecking, tail removal to prevent biting and
gnawing on other animals, and being kept in tight pens where little to no
movement is allowed (Brown). Does this
describe a safer environment? Humans
have created a whole new level in the game of “escape the predator”. The food that is administered is not, in any
way, healthy. Most of the food that is
given to these animals is full of antibiotics that will make them grow larger
than they naturally would with less fat.
The food proportions are also extremely harmful because the animals are
overfed. This also creates a much larger
amount of waste, and as seen in an earlier post, effects the environment
drastically. In Stephanie Brown’s
article she explains how chickens are affected by their food intake, “Their
bodies are pushed beyond their physical limits in a bid to cope with their
incredibly rapid growth, propelled by antibiotics which are commonly
administered to meat chickens to speed growth and keep the birds alive in
stressful, crowded conditions.” Factory
farms do not produce cheaper food products.
A life full of suffering doesn’t fit under the definition of “cheap”;
nor does killing the environment in which we inhabit, or filling our bodies
with chemical grown chickens. Would you
consider your life cheap? Don’t use a
price tag to determine how to treat living organisms, whether it be you, an
animal, or a thriving habitat.
Sources:
Brown,
Stephanie. "Do they not bleed? Industrial agriculture and the cruel fate
of farm animals." Canadian Dimension July-Aug. 2011: 23+. Opposing
Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 June 2013.
Motavali,
Jim. "Factory-Farmed, Meat-Based Diets May Cause a Food Scarcity
Crisis." Factory Farming. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press,
2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "The Trouble with Meat."
Emagazine.com. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 June 2013.
<http://ic.galegroup.com.libproxy.howardcc.edu/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010701210&userGroupName=colu91149&jsid=3cc5c03aecafcae827f6f6efb3d3423d>.
No comments:
Post a Comment