Cause and Effect Essay - Factory Farms Cause Sickness and Pollution

Factory farming has its benefits, but issues arise due to the overuse of antibiotics in factory-farmed animals, and this essay aims to propose a solution by analyzing Denmark’s successful antibiotic banning policies. Factory farming is a necessary component of our modern food production and supply system. In 2005, the U.S. produced 45.7 billion pounds of red meat. It efficiently produces and distributes huge quantities of food to feed the growing population of America. But the overfeeding of antibiotics in the U.S. meat industry has gotten to the extreme and it calls for a drastic change in order to prevent a potential public health crises.

This is a very staggering number when a lot of research is being done to make vehicles more environmentally friendly when we could make a huge impact just by changing the way we eat. It is even more astounding that it takes the same number of fossil fuels to produce one hamburger as it takes to dive one car 20 miles (Peta How Does Eating Meat Harm the Environment). The production of this meat is also a big cost. It takes more than 80 percent of the corn we grow and more than 95 percent of oat are feed to livestock. The world’s cattle alone are feed the equal amount that would be needed to feed 8.7 billion people.

This sort of farming is what is taking a tole on local farms and delis. All-in-all, animals are treated with more respect and given a healthier and more satisfying life in a family farm setting. Better On the Environment The cause of many problems in the environment and for the residents who live in them belong to none other than the infamous Industrialized farming tactic. Becuase of the large quantity of animals and the vast area they take up, Factory farms are the cause of respiratory problems, fatigue, and numerous other significant problems. Residents have a much higher chance to contract bird flu because the disease is in the air!

For example, factory farming is very efficient. By using less space the farmer actually saves money when factory farming, making the profit from selling the produce greater. Also, factory farming allows development of hybrid plants that are disease resistant. By plants becoming disease resistant the animals that eat the plants are becoming less prone to disease. This then helps the consumer who eats the animal because they are eating disease resistant food that allows them to have a better percentage of not catching harmful diseases.

Salmonella, a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria found on different food types has caused an epidemic because of its domino effect on food and our health. Once one factory is contaminated, that factory could be housing both crops and meat, which is then transferred to our supermarkets and on our dinner tables. ... ... middle of paper ... ...n it does to eat just enough calories. If a chicken sandwich at McDonalds is $1.00 with 400 calories, a head of romaine lettuce costs $3.49 and has less than 100 calories for one serving. Although there are many dangers in the world, the necessity of eating shouldn’t be considered something that is dangerous.

The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was fought against in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using machines and assembly-line techniques. Unfortunately, this trend of mass production has resulted in incredible pain and suffering for the animals. Animals today raised on factory farms have had their genes manipulated and pumped full of antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals to encourage high productivity. In the fast food industry, animals are not considered animals at all; “they are food producing machines” (BBC).

"If we're not careful, we'll be in a post-antibiotic era. For some patients and some microbes, we're already there” (Kerestes, 2010). This scenario is just one of the many situations where short-term corporate profit is pitted against the environment, and in turn, consumers’ safety. In the modern agriculture industry, antibiotics are regularly fed to livestock such as chicken, pigs, and cattle to increase the growth rate of these animals. The livestock industry currently feeds 70 percent of the national antibiotic supply to healthy livestock.

Farmers use manure or composted manure as fertilizer for crops which reduces or eliminates the need for commercial fertilizers and chemicals. In factory farming, they have a routine use of antibiotics that help promote growth and prevent disease. Also, due to crowded and unhealthy the conditions routine use of antibiotics in industrial facilities is believed to lead to antibiotic resistance in humans, making antibiotics less effective leaving the elderly, medically vulnerable, and children at risk. Up to 90% of all antibiotics used in livestock

While the Food and Drug Act has cleaned up the gory images of humans falling into meat grinders, is the picture any less grim for America, its resources, and its farmed animals? Between watering the crops for farmed animals, providing drinking water for these animals, and cleaning away their waste that is found in factory farms, transportation trucks, and slaughterhouses, the farm-raised animal places an enormous strain on the water supply. Nearly half of all the water used in the United States goes to raising animals for food (Meat Production). According to PETA, one would save more water by not eating a pound of meat than they would by not showering for six months. As seen Fig4.

In recent discussions of health and wellness, the topic of genetically modified organisms in food has become very prevalent. A genetically modified organism or GMO is any living thing that has had its genes microscopically modified to pick up a trait it would originally lack. Almost every American has heard the term “GMO” however many do not know what they are and what benefits they hold. Thousands of people are beginning to eat “organic” foods free from GMOs because they believe the modifications to the food will cause health complications for those who consume them. On the other hand, the majority of Americans eat some kind of GMO in just about every meal.