Web. 17 July 2014. Offit, Paul A.. Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All. New York: Basic Books, 2011.
Animals were once raised in a more humane and sanitary manner, but in the modern age of factory farming, animal cruelty has become common with large farm complexes. In reality these animals are housed in conditions worse than sweat shops. Under these conditions the animals are more prone to contracting illnesses due to the high amounts of bacterial growth. Furthermore, animals are fed sub-standardized feed such as genetically modified corn, which is low in nutrition, and does not contain the animal’s natural and essential dietary needs. In the United States alone, nearly [9] billion farm animals are consumed annually, and the vast majority of them are abused in ways that would cause you to go to jail for....
In spite of farmers and pharmaceutical companies losing money, it is in the best interest of society to ban the practice of giving animals sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics in their feed. Increasing the research on the effects on the environment caused by the large animal feed lots is a large epidemiologic undertaking that should be seen through. In an effort to protect antibiotics and reduce antibiotic resistance, the overall use of antibiotics should be limited to only medically significant situations, drugs should be used more selectively, better sanitation practices should be used throughout the production process, and the enforcement of bans and limitations must be followed through.
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).
GMOs are still controversial even though they undergo extensive research that proves there is no harm in GM products (Reville) Before GM foods can be used, they need to be carefully studied (Cobb 51) and if any threats are detected, the product is not sold (Dillard). People worry about the affects of GM products on their health. This has caused the USDA to establish a set of “complex, excessive, expensive, and sufficiently unjustified” testing and approvals that apply only to GMOs. (Conko) Similar things should undergo same regulations but this i... ... middle of paper ... ...: And His Battle to End World Hunger.Dallas: Durban House Publishing Company, Inc., 2006. Print.
Risks include infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, disruption of insulin and cholesterol regulation, gastrointestinal problems and organ damage. Many AAEM physicians have prescribed non-GMO diets for all patients to improve health conditions. Jeffrey M. Smith, an advocate for non-GMO, says scientific research shows the link of GM food to thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock; thousands of toxic and allergic reactions in humans; and damage t... ... middle of paper ... ...M crops will escalate the cost of farming, causing many small farmers to potentially loose their businesses. As GMOs continue to affect human life and the environment, it should be mandatory for products to be labeled if they are genetically modified, thus giving consumers the right to make their own decision. With the list of health risks and environmental issues rising, the use of GMOs should be banned as a method to increase food supply and continue a natural approach to eliminate all risks.
"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.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 May 2014. Löfgren, Hans. "The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: a threat to affordable medicines and public health."
Chemical and hormone overload can affect both sexes, but children, pregnant women, and developing embryos are the most susceptible to additive hormones which pose potential health risks. Not only that, but hormonal presence in food is detrimental to animal health and the environment. Like the European Union, the United States should take action to ban the use of hormones in food and realize the negative consequences. Since the 1950's , meat and dairy production has been on the rise and the easiest answer to modern factory farmers is to inject or feed hormones into their animals to make them fatter, faster. Farmers today produce cattle in a record time of as little as fourteen months.